Eva Green is a French actress born in Paris in 1980. Daughter of actress Marlene Jobert, she was noticed in 2002 for her performance in the play “Jalousie en trois fax”. Revealed in the cinema the following year in the film “Innocents : The Dreamers” by Bernardo Bertolucci, the actress then took on roles in American blockbusters. She lands the role of Sibyl in “Kingdom of Even” by Ridley Scott in 2005 and the following year, the role of the “James Bond Girl” Vesper Lynd in “Casino Royale”, alongside Daniel Craig. Nominated for a Hollywood Oscar in 2016 for her role in the drama series “Penny Dreadful”, the young actress also continues to alternate her roles in the cinema, playing in particular in independent films such as “Dark World” or even “Perfect Sense”. In this article, we will trace the biography of Eva Green, while stopping on her impressive filmography alongside the greatest international directors and actors.
The debut of the French actress
Eva Green, who grew up in Paris in the 17th arrondissement, has a twin sister named Joy. During her teenage years, she attended the International Bilingual School of Paris (IBS), before continuing her studies at the Fénelon Sainte-Marie school in the 8th arrondissement of the capital. The young actress also makes a passage by being schooled at the American School of Paris, then takes acting classes for 3 years at the school of actress Eva Saint-Paul. Eva Green also joined the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London during her studies. Passionate about Egypt since a visit to the Louvre Museum during her youth, she initially intended to become an Egyptologist, before changing her mind after seeing Isabelle Adjani’s artistic performance in “L’histoire d’Adèle H”. Back in Paris, the young actress made her first steps on the stage by playing in plays in the capital. In 2021, her performance in Didier Long’s “Jalousie en trois fax” earned her a nomination for the Molières for Best Female Actress.
Eva Green’s career: from Parisian theater to American cinema
In 2002, the young actress, tested by her performance in the play “Turcaret” abandons the theater and directs her career towards the cinema. Noticed by the Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, she plays the role of Isabelle in the film “Innocents: The Dreamers”. Praised by critics for her performance, especially in scenes where she appears naked, Eva Green returned the following year in the film “Arsène Lupin”, alongside Romain Duris and Kristine Scott Thomas. Her international career started in 2005 when the American director Ridley Scott entrusted the role of Sibyl to the young actress in “Kingdom of Heaven”, alongside the American stars Orlando Bloom, Jeremy Irons, Liam Neeson and Edward Norton! Although it was a commercial failure in theaters, Ridley Scott’s film offered the French actress a real springboard to Hollywood. Thus, in 2006, Eva Green is chosen to interpret alongside Daniel Craig the role of the future James Bond Girl “Vesper Lynd” in “Casino Royale”, the 21st opus of the adventures of the famous secret agent. After Claudine Auger, Corinne Cléry, Carole Bouquet and Sophie Marceau, Eva Green becomes the 5th Frenchwoman to take on the mythical female role in the saga. The following year, she reunited with her muscular partner in Chris Weitz’s “Crossroads of the Worlds: The Golden Compass”, before moving on to independent films for a few years.
The young actress and auteur cinema
After acting in American blockbusters, Eva Green decided to focus her acting career on independent film roles. In 2008, the actress plays the role of Emilia Bryant / Sally in the film “Dark World” by Gerald McMorrow. In 2009, Eva Green is in the cast of “Cracks”, the first film of Jordan Scott (daughter of director Ridley Scott) where she plays a mythomaniac swimming teacher whose influence on his students is challenged by Fiamma, a new student from Spain. In 2010, the actress is in the film “Womb” by Benedek Fliegauf and in 2011, she offers a final role in independent cinema by playing the role of Susan, alongside Erwan McGregor in the film “Perfect Sense”. Back in Hollywood, Eva Green reoriented her career by appearing, this time, in television series.
The return to Hollywood of the actress Eva Green
The French actress first played the role of Morgane in the Canadian series “Camelot” where her performance was praised by the critics from the beginning. But due to a lack of audience, the series broadcast on the cable channel Starz stopped at the end of the first season. At the same time, Eva Green made her return to the big screen by joining the cast of the film “Dark Shadows” by Tim Burton, alongside Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer. Although a real failure at the box office, the performance of the actress is nevertheless noticed, allowing her to be in 2014 in the casting of 4 American films! We find her respectively in “300: Birth of an Empire”, “The Salvation”, “White Bird” and “Sin City: I killed for her”. On television, the Showtime channel offered her the prestigious role of Vanessa Ives in the hit series “Penny Dreadful” released on Netflix in September 2014. The same year, Eva Green was present at the Cannes Film Festival where she confirmed that this role was the most complex of her career. Became muse of Tim Burton, the French actress plays the lead role in the new feature film “Miss Peregrine and the Peculiar Children” released in 2016. The same year, she was directed by Roman Polanski in the film “After a True Story”, alongside Emmanuelle Seigner”. In 2018, she met again for the third time Tim Burton who directed her in the animated film “Dumbo” where she played a young French trapeze artist alongside American stars Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton and Dany Devito.
Eva Green’s filmography
The French-speaking actress has appeared in more than 20 feature films and 4 television series.
- The Pianist (2001) by Michael Haneke
- Innocents: The Dreamers (2003) by Bernardo Bertolucci
- Arsène Lupin (2004) by Jean-Paul Salomé
- Kingdom of Heaven (2005) by Ridley Scott
- Casino Royale (2006) by Martin Campbell
- Crossroads: The Golden Compass (2007) by Chris Weitz
- Dark World (2008) by Gérald McMorrow
- Cracks (2009) by Jordan Scott
- Womb (2010) by Benedek Fliegauf
- Perfect Sense (2011) by David Mackenzie
- Dark Shadows (2012) by Tim Burton
- 300: The Birth of an Empire (2014) by Noam Murro
- The Salvation (2014) by Kristian Levring
- White Bird (2014) by Gregg Araki
- Sin City: I Killed for Her (2014) by Robert Rodriguez
- Miss Peregrine and the Peculiar Children (2016) by Tim Burton
- Based on a true story (2017) by Roman Polanski
- Euphoria (2017) by Lisa Langseth
- Dumbo (2019) by Tim Burton
- Proxima (2019) by Alice Winocour
- The Nocebo Effect (2022) by Lorcan Finnegan
- The Three Musketeers (2023) by Martin Bourboulon
- Dirty Angels (2023) by Martin Campbell
2023: Eva Green in the movie “The Three Musketeers”
On Wednesday, April 5, 2023, the actress will star in the film “The Three Musketeers”, a French blockbuster in two parts, directed by Martin Bourboulon. Eva Green plays the character of the evil Milady de Winter, the main enemy of the protagonists. This new French adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ work brings together on screen the actors Vincent Cassel (Athos), Pio Marmaï (Porthos), Romain Duris (Aramis) and François Civil as D’Artagnan. The first part of the film entitled: “The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan”, will be released on April 5, 2023. The release of the second part called: “The Three Musketeers: Milady” is scheduled for December 13. In this role, the French actress revives her interpretation of femme fatale acquired with the character of Vesper Lynd in “Casino Royale”. This film also gives Eva Green the opportunity to express herself fully, especially in the fight scenes where she appears stronger than the others.
In 2023, Eva Green will also star in Martin Campbell’s new film “Dirty Angels”.
Follow the actress on her Instagram account
