Virginie Ledoyen was born, November 15th, 1976
in Aubervilliers, France. Her father is described
as a 'businessman' and her mother who was a
restaurant manager. It has been said that she
inherited her unusual eyes from her Spanish
grandparents.
Virginie got her first modeling job at age 2 and
made several ads when she was only 3.
She was cast in her first film, an Italian comedy at the age of 9 which was also
the year she was enrolled in a performing arts school. By 11 years old she had
also acted on stage as well.
Obviously her talents had been recognized early on.
Breakthrough at 17
Virginie was about 15 years old when she realized that acting would be
something she wanted to pursue as an occupation and soon she had earned
enough money to get her own apartment. Her big break in the movies was in
1994 when, at the age of 17, she was in the film Cold Water in which she played
a troubled teen. This lead to even bigger things in the 1995 film Single Girl which
received critical acclaim. It was a surprise hit in America, and the New York
Times said, in reference to this film, that Virginie had a "natural screen
presence."
Following Single Girl, Virginie received calls from Hollywood including Woody
Allen's agent. Up till this point she had yet to make an American movie though
she was said to be a fan of Francis Ford Coppola and Stanley Kubrick.
Virginie's biggest break in the American market came with the release of The
Beach in February 2000 and this is sure to lead to even bigger and better
opportunities.
Life Away From the Movie Set
When she isn't acting, Virginie loves to read. She is also heavily involved with an
organization called 'Pour le Tibet' which provides medical aid to Tibeten centers.
