30 Interesting Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Catherine Deneuve

Catherine Deneuve, a French actress, former model, an occasional singer and producer, is a most popular actress noted for her support for a variety of liberal causes. Here are 30 lesser known facts about the actress:

1. From 1985 to 1989, Deneuve's image, an archetype for Gallic beauty, was used to represent Marianne, the national symbol of France.
2. Her performance as Séverine Sérizy in the 1967 movie "Belle de Jour," is ranked at #59 in the list of "100 Greatest Performances of All Time," by Premiere magazine.
3. She is one of the 13 French actresses to have an Academy Award nomination to their name. She was nominated for her performance as Eliane in the 1992 movie "Indochine."
4. She launched her own perfume brand in the year 1986, named after her. She is also famous as a designer of glasses, jewelry, shoes, and greeting cards.
5. In November 2007, she received the Honorary Award at the San Luis Cine International Festival.
6. As of the year 2017, Deneuve is the second-most nominated actress with a total of 14 César Awards nominations. She had won the César Awards for Best Actress award twice for her movies "Le dernier métro," and "Indochine."
7. She was so impressed with the 1996 "Breaking the Waves," by Lars von Trier, that she wrote a personal letter to him asking for a role in any of his movies. Her role as Kathy in the 2000 movie "Dancer in the Dark," was a result of this.
8. Deneuve is a former spokesmodel for Chanel No. 5, in the late 1970s. She is said to have caused sales of the perfume to soar in the United States.
9. In the year 2005, she published her collection of diaries "A l'ombre de moi-meme" ("In My Own Shadow"). The diaries was published in English as "Close Up and Personal: The Private Diaries of Catherine Deneuve." In this, she explains her experiences while filming "Indochine" and "Dancer in the Dark."
10. She along with the famous actress Mae Marsh, are the most represented actress with 7 films in the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die," as of the fifth edition. However, Mae Marsh's most of the performances amount to cameos.
    
11. Her first acting job was as Sylvie Dorléac in the 1957 "The Twilight Girls," which she took before her 13th birthday, for approximately two months, only because she wanted some pocket money and school was out. After that, she did not pursue acting as a career till the age of 17.
12. In the movie "Hustle," she plays a call-girl. Earlier to that, she was famous for playing a call-girl in Luis Buñuel's "Belle de Jour." In the 1970s, the UK magazine "Photoplay," quoted her saying all she does is play prostitutes.
13. She was named as one among the "100 Sexiest Stars in Film History," by the Empire Magazine in 1995. Two years later, the Empire magazine ranked her at #89 in the "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.
14. From 1994 to November 2003, Deneuve was the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the Safeguarding of Film Heritage.
15. Deneuve has a very bad case of stage fright, due to which she has never performed in theaters.
16. She became the third inspiration for the M•A•C Beauty Icon series in the year 2006, and even collaborated on the color collections.
17. As a kid, she aspired to be an interior designer or an archaeologist. Her hobbies include gardening, photography, drawing, music, reading, fashion, cinema, antiques and decoration.
18. Deneuve has starred in a total of 11 films that were screened in the official competition of the Cannes Film Festival, as of 2016.
19. In the year 2001, she was named as the new face of L'Oréal Paris. In 2007, she started appearing in the new Louis Vuitton luggage advertisements.
20. She represented the cosmetics line of American Home Products in the year 1983, through which her famously proclaimed line "Look closely. Next year I will be 40," came into existence.
    
21. On January 18, 2000, she was awarded a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.
22. In the year 1995, she sued the San Francisco-based lesbian magazine "Deneuve," contending trademark infringement among other things. The magazine changed its name to "Curve" later.
23. For her performance as Marianne Malivert in "Place Vendôme," in 1998, she won acclaim and the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival.
24. She released her first and only album "Souviens-toi de m'oublier" written by Serge Gainsbourg, in 1981. She is credited for singing duets with Bernadette Lafont in 1975, Gérard Depardieu in 1980, Malcolm McLaren in 1993, Joe Cocker in 1995 and Alain Souchon in 1997.
25. She is considered as designer Yves Saint Laurent's muse. Laurent dressed her in the films "Belle de Jour," "La Chamade," "La sirène du Mississipi," "Un flic," "Liza," and "The Hunger."
26. Deneuve became romantically involved with cameraman Hugh Johnson, while filming "The Hunger," and the duo lived together for around two years.
27. She is one of the seven actresses to be nominated for an Oscar for a French-language performance.
28. Her role as Gaby in the movie "8 Women," earned the Silver Bear Award for Best Ensemble Cast at the Berlin International Film Festival, which shared with her co-stars, Danielle Darrieux, Isabelle Huppert, Emmanuelle Béart, Fanny Ardant, Virginie Ledoyen, Ludivine Sagnier, and Firmine Richard.
29. She co-starred with Catherine Frot, in the Martin Provost's 2017 French drama "The Midwife," which was screened out of competition at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. She plays the role of Béatrice Sobolevski.
30. Deneuve was the recipient of the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Chaplin Award in April 2012. The next year she received the European Film Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award.
    
31. Catherine Deneuve Net Worth: $75 Million