Elsa Zylberstein (born Elsa Florence Zylbersztejn, 16 October 1968)[1] is a French actress. After studying drama, she began her film career in 1989, and has appeared in more than 60 films. She won the César Award for Best Supporting Actress for I've Loved You So Long (2008).

Elsa Zylberstein
Zylberstein in 2018
Born
Elsa Florence Zylbersztejn

(1968-10-16) 16 October 1968 (age 56)
Paris, France
Other namesElsa Steiner
OccupationActress
Years active1989–present
Websitewww.elsa-zylberstein.com

Early life

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Zylberstein was born Elsa Florence Zylbersztejn in Paris to an Ashkenazi Jewish Polish father, Albert Zylbersztejn (born 1938), and a French Catholic mother, Liliane Chenard (born 1940). Her father is a physicist and her mother was a beautician for Dior.[2] She has a brother, Benjamin (born c. 1970). Zylberstein felt both Jewish and Christian; now she is "attracted to Buddhist rites".[3] She has practised classical dance since her childhood. After a Baccalauréat A3, she began university and studied English, but she was strongly attracted to artistic pursuits. She studied acting under Francis Huster at the Cours Florent[4][5] on the advice of Charlotte Rampling, whom Elsa Zylberstein's father met by chance on a plane, and also works with a professor at the Actors Studio.[6] [7]

Career

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Elsa Zylberstein in 2009, at the 34th César Awards

In 1991, Elsa Zylberstein appeared in Van Gogh, a film directed by Maurice Pialat. In 1992, she won the Michel Simon Prize and the first of her three nominations for the César Award for Most Promising Actress. In 1993, she played a student in Beau fixe, and won the Prix Romy Schneider.

She inspired young directors such as Pascale Bailly, Diane Bertrand and especially Martine Dugowson, who offered her the lead role alongside Romane Bohringer in Mina Tannenbaum (1994). She then appeared in Farinelli, Mr N., and Jefferson in Paris. She played Suzanne Valadon in Lautrec, and then Jeanne Hébuterne in Modigliani. Zylberstein played a Yiddish-language singer who falls in love with a gay clarinetist in Man Is a Woman, which also starred Antoine de Caunes. She also appeared in the films Time Regained, Love Torn in a Dream, and That Day, all three of which were directed by Raúl Ruiz.

In 2006 she played Mathilde, an Orthodox Jewish woman faced with marriage problems, in Little Jerusalem. She also appeared in J'invente rien, based on a novel by Christine Angot. In 2008, she was in two films which were each presented at the Berlin Festival: I've Loved You So Long, with Kristin Scott Thomas, and La Fabrique des sentiments.

In 2009, she won the César Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in I've Loved You So Long. The film was directed by Philippe Claudel and also starred Kristin Scott Thomas.

She has been a member of several festival juries, including the 1999 American Film Festival in Deauville, the 2010 British Film Festival in Dinard, the Beaune International Detective Film Festival (in both 2009 and 2015) and the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in 2021.

In 2020, she won the Best Acting Award for Tout nous sourit at the Alpe d'Huez Comedy Festival.[8]

Personal life

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Zylberstein dated Antoine de Caunes between 1997 and 2005. She then dated Nicolas Bedos from 2005 to 2008.[9] Later she dated Georges-Marc Benamou, advisor to former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, although she is a staunch supporter of the Socialist Party[citation needed].

In 2009, Zylberstein signed a petition in support of film director Roman Polanski, calling for his release after Polanski was arrested in Switzerland in relation to his 1977 sexual abuse case.[10]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Director Notes
1989 Baptême Gabrielle René Féret
1990 Chillers Isabelle Maurice Dugowson TV series (1 Episode)
1991 Génial, mes parents divorcent ! Thomas's Sister Patrick Braoudé
Van Gogh Cathy Maurice Pialat Acteurs à l'Écran - Best Actress
Nominated - César Award for Most Promising Actress
La neige et le feu Claude Pinoteau
Alisée Alisée André Blanchard
1992 Amoureuse The Farsighted Jacques Doillon
Beau fixe Frederique Christian Vincent Nominated - César Award for Most Promising Actress
Princesse Alexandra Sister Ermenegilde Denis Amar TV movie
La grande collection Mercedes Gérard Vergez TV series (1 Episode)
1993 De force avec d'autres Do Simon Reggiani
La place d'un autre Florence René Féret (2)
Comment font les gens Yvette Pascale Bailly Short
L'orange amère Fanny Olivier Sadock Short
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles The Telephone Girl Simon Wincer & Carl Schultz TV series (1 Episode)
1994 Mina Tannenbaum Ethel Benegui Martine Dugowson Nominated - César Award for Most Promising Actress
Farinelli Alexandra Gérard Corbiau
1995 Jefferson in Paris Adrienne de La Fayette James Ivory
1996 A Saturday on Earth Claire Diane Bertrand
Portraits chinois Emma Martine Dugowson (2)
1997 Tenue correcte exigée Lucie Philippe Lioret
Metroland Annick Philip Saville
XXL Arlette Stern Ariel Zeitoun
1998 Man Is a Woman Rosalie Baumann Jean-Jacques Zilbermann Cabourg Film Festival - Best Actress
Lautrec Suzanne Valadon Roger Planchon
1999 Je veux tout Eva Guila Braoudé
Time Regained Rachel Raúl Ruiz
Bonne Nuit Susan TV movie
2000 Là-bas... mon pays Pierre Nivel's Wife Alexandre Arcady
Love Torn in a Dream Lucrezia / Jessica / Sultane Raúl Ruiz (2)
2001 Les fantômes de Louba Louba Martine Dugowson (3)
Un ange Léa Pastore Miguel Courtois
Not Afraid, Not Afraid Annette Carducci
2002 Féroce Zébulon Gilles de Maistre
Jean Moulin Antoinette Yves Boisset TV movie
2003 Monsieur N. Albine de Montholon Antoine de Caunes
That Day Livia Raúl Ruiz (3)
Three Blind Mice Nathalie Mathias Ledoux
Qui perd gagne ! Angèle Berstein Laurent Bénégui
2004 Tomorrow We Move Michèle Chantal Akerman
Pourquoi (pas) le Brésil Christine Angot Laetitia Masson
Modigliani Jeanne Hébuterne Mick Davis
2005 Little Jerusalem Mathilde Karin Albou Nominated - Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actress
La cloche a sonné Léa Bruno Herbulot
Journées froides qui menacent les plantes Virginie Chanu
2006 J'invente rien Mathilde Mahut Michel Leclerc
Le concile de pierre Clarisse Guillaume Nicloux
Petits meurtres en famille Édith Edwin Baily TV Mini-Series
2007 Unknown Things The Young Woman Bruno Coppola
Childhoods Ingmar Bergman's Mother Safy Nebbou
2008 La fabrique des sentiments Éloïse Jean-Marc Moutout
I've Loved You So Long Léa Philippe Claudel César Award for Best Supporting Actress
Chlotrudis Awards - Best Supporting Actress
Nuit de chien Maria de Souza Werner Schroeter
Nucingen House Anne-Marie Raúl Ruiz (4)
2009 La folle histoire d'amour de Simon Eskenazy Rosalie Jean-Jacques Zilbermann (2)
La double inconstance Flaminia Carole Giacobbi TV movie
Myster Mocky présente Various Jean-Pierre Mocky TV series (1 Episode)
Vénus & Apollon Angie Pascal Lahmani TV series (8 Episodes)
2010 Roses à crédit The Pharmacist Amos Gitai
2011 Un baiser papillon Marie Karine Silla
JC comme Jésus Christ Herself Jonathan Zaccaï
Les tribulations d'une caissière Marie Pierre Rambaldi
2012 Plan de table Catherine Christelle Raynal Alpe d'Huez International Comedy Film Festival - Best Acting
Lines of Wellington Sister Irmã Cordélia Valeria Sarmiento Nominated - CinEuphoria Awards - Best Ensemble
2013 À votre bon coeur mesdames Sister Blandine Jean-Pierre Mocky (2)
2014 Gemma Bovery Wizzy Anne Fontaine
2015 The Price of Desire Romaine Brooks Mary McGuckian
Un plus une Anna Hamon Claude Lelouch Nominated - Lumières Award for Best Actress
Amazon Amazon Priestess Jeno Udvardi
2016 The Stalking Moon Veronique Fournier Antonio Galloro
2017 Un sac de billes Anna Christian Duguay
Chacun sa vie et son intime conviction Claude Lelouch
À bras ouverts Daphné Fougerole Philippe de Chauveron
2018 Bel Canto Paul Weitz
2019 I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere Hélèna Arnaud Viard
2020 Waiting for Anya Jo's mother
2021 Simone Veil, A Woman of the Century Simone Veil
2022 Bigbug Monique Jean-Pierre Jeunet Netflix
2023 Club Zero Elsa's Mother Jessica Hausner
Coup de chance Caroline Blanc Woody Allen
2024 Finalement Claude Lelouch

Theatre

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Elsa Zylberstein in March 2013
Year Title Author Director Notes
1990 Joko's Anniversary Roland Topor Jean-Louis Jacopin Petit Odéon
1991 Eurydice Jean Anouilh Georges Wilson Théâtre de l'Œuvre
1993 Pygmalion George Bernard Shaw Bernard Murat Théâtre Hébertot
1997–98 Six Characters in Search of an Author Luigi Pirandello Jorge Lavelli Théâtre de l'Eldorado
2000 Le Malin Plaisir David Hare Jacques Lassalle Théâtre de l'Atelier
2003 Proof David Auburn Bernard Murat (2) Théâtre des Mathurins
2005 Laissez-moi Marcelle Sauvageot Laetitia Masson Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord
2007 Gamines Sylvie Testud Sylvie Testud Théâtre national de Nice
2009 Le Démon de Hannah Antoine Rault Michel Fagadau Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
2011 Le Temps qui passe Karine Silla-Pérez Vincent Pérez Théâtre des Mathurins
2012 Les Derniers Jours de Stefan Zweig Laurent Seksik Gérard Gélas Théâtre Antoine-Simone Berriau
2014 Vita and Virginia Eileen Atkins Jean-Marie Besset Festival NAVA
Splendour Géraldine Maillet Catherine Schaub Théâtre de Paris
Globes de Cristal Award - Best Actress

References

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  1. ^ "ZYLBERSTEIN Elsa". Les Gens du Cinéma. 13 March 2009.
  2. ^ "Elsa Zylberstein".
  3. ^ "The original blonde of Elsa Zylberstein". Interview by Paris Match. Archived from the original on 18 April 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2008. P.M. Do you speak Hebrew? E.Z. Not at all. For the film, I had to learn everything. A religious girl guided me for the texts, rituals, songs and traditions, such as the mikveh, the ritual bath of purification. My name is very strong, but I am not practicing. Raised between a Catholic mother and a Jewish father, they took me to the synagogue once a year. So I felt Jewish, and at the same time, I made a crèche for Christmas. My father was tearing his hair out. Since then, I stopped, and today I am attracted to Buddhist rites
  4. ^ "Elsa Zylberstein". Evene.fr. 16 October 1969. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  5. ^ "Google Translate". translate.google.com. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  6. ^ "Les cinéastes rêvent tous d'Elsa Zylberstein". leparisien.fr (in French). 15 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Elsa Zylberstein, French Actor-Producer, Signs With CAA (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. 14 November 2023.
  8. ^ La Nouvelle République (20 October 2021). ""Tout nous sourit" au cinéma : tendre vaudeville".
  9. ^ Emma De Caunes remplacée 28 September 2011.
  10. ^ "Signez la pétition pour Roman Polanski !". La Règle du jeu (in French). 10 November 2009. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
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