Actress Catherine Deneuve first appeared in movies in 1957. Over the past decades, she has starred in numerous films, was once nominated for an Oscar, received 42 other awards, and has become a favorite of viewers around the world.

As a teenager, however, she did not dream of fame at all, and at the beginning of her career she almost remained in the shadow of her older sister.

Catherine Deneuve was born in 1943 to Maurice Dorleac and Rene Simono family. Both of her parents were actors․ Her father starred in many films, but her mother mostly played on the stage.
At first, Catherine was not interested in filmmaking.

The acting dynasty was the first to decide to continue her older sister, François Dorleac (she appeared on stage at the age of 10) and Sylvia Jr., who appeared on the screen at the age of 8 in a small role.

Katherine did not mind earning money, so she also started filming. She made her film debut at the age of 13, starring in the same film with Sylvia.

Sylvia’s career soon came to an end, and François and Catherine continued filming. François had already adopted the surname Dorleac for her stage name, so her parents persuaded Catherine to use her mother’s maiden name as a pseudonym.

Catherine did not think that she would spend her whole life in the movie, so she agreed, for which she still regrets it. In his opinion, Deniov’s name is difficult to pronounce.

In 1961, 17-year-old Catherine began dating director Roger Vadim. Two years later she had a son named Christian. When the baby was born, his father, whom Catherine was madly in love with, proposed marriage.

But she relentlessly refused because she thought Roger wanted to get married only for public opinion, not for love.

Vadim Denyov’s son also later became an actor, starred in several films with his mother.
Roger later wrote a book to Katherine, along with two other famous actresses with whom he was in a relationship, entitled ‘Bardo, Denyov, Fonda. My life with the three most beautiful women in the world.’

Catherine’s life changed after meeting director Jacques Demi. It was thanks to him that Catherine began to take her acting career more seriously. He offered the actress a role in the film ‘Umbrellas of Cherbourg’ (1964), which was her breakthrough.

During the meeting with the director, Deniov was pregnant, but Demi agreed to postpone filming until the baby was born.

Interestingly, in that film, Catherine embodied a woman who became pregnant with a man with whom she could not be together. Thus, the actress repeated the fate of her character.

Catherine’s career reached the international arena when she starred in the British film ‘Return’(1965). The filming took place in London. There, the actress met local fashion photographer David Bailey.

They soon married, but divorced in 1972. The couple had no children.Catherine never remarried. Various quotations related to marriage are attributed to her. Here is one of them. ‘I do not see any sense in marriage, because there are divorces.’

At the age of 22, Deneuve was to meet the Queen of Great Britain. The actress decided that model Yves Saint Laurent should choose her outfit for the event, and then asked him to create characters for her hero in one of the films.

From there, their long friendship began. Saint Laurent said that he often writes letters to the actress, calling her ‘my dear Catherine’.

From 1968, Catherine met director François Truffaut, in whose film she was starring at the time. At that time, Truffle called himself the happiest man on the planet.

They divorced in 1970, Truffaut had a hard time separating. After breaking up with David Bailey, Catherine began a relationship with married actor Marcello Mastroianni.

In 1972, their daughter, Kiara, was born. According to the news, Marcello’s wife offered to adopt the girl, but Catherine refused. Kiara followed in her mother’s footsteps and became an actress. They have starred together in several films.

Despite her reputation, Catherine had to persevere to get the role she wanted. For several years she wrote proposals to director Lars von Trier before starring in his film Dancer in the Dark (2000).

Catherine Deneuve is undoubtedly a symbol of style. She likes fashionable shoes more than fashionable clothes. A few years ago, she held an auction where she sold his shoe collection and donated the proceeds to charity.

The actress has published an autobiography based on her diaries. In it, he told the stories of several iconic films, including ‘Tristan’ (1970) and ‘Dancer in the Dark'(2000).

One of Catherine’s closest friends is actor Gerard Depardieu. They have been communicating for more than 30 years, they have starred together in 10 films.

The actress has tattoos on her legs and back.

In 2019, Deniov was hospitalized during the making of the film. According to official statements, it did not affect her mobility in any way. Later, the star was able to return to work.

The actress continues to be actively filmed. In 2023, another film will appear on the screens, in which she is the main actor.