Stephane Audran

Biography / Gallery

Date of Birth

2 November 1932, Versailles, Yvelines, France

Birth Name

Colette Suzanne Dacheville

Spouses

Claude Chabrol (1964 - 1980, divorced) – 1 child
Jean-Louis Trintignant

Early Life

Born as Colette Suzanne Dacheville, Stéphane Audran was the daughter of a doctor and grew up in Versailles. She adopted her stage name in the mid-1950s and began her career onstage and in a short film directed by Eric Rohmer.

Career Beginnings

Audran entered feature films in 1957 with a small role in Hervé Bromberger's gangster-themed La Bonne tisane (Good Medicine/Kill or Cure). Introduced to Claude Chabrol by Gérard Blain and Jean-Claude Brialy, she secured a supporting role in Les Cousins (1959), beginning a lifelong professional and personal connection with Chabrol.

Chabrol Collaborations

Under Chabrol's direction, Audran became known for portraying coolly elegant, middle-class Frenchwomen, combining classical glamour with modern sophistication. She appeared in key Chabrol films including Les Bonnes Femmes (1960), The Champagne Murders (Le Scandale, 1966), Les Biches (1967), Le Boucher (1969), Juste avant la nuit (1971), Violette Nozière (1977), and The Blood of Others (1984). Her performance in Les Biches won the Best Actress Award at the Berlin Film Festival.

International Recognition

Audran also appeared in critically acclaimed films outside Chabrol’s direction. She starred in Luis Buñuel's surreal comedy The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) and Gabriel Axel's Babette's Feast (1988), both winners of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Her English-language roles were limited, though she received praise as Lord Marchmain’s mistress in the 1982 TV adaptation of Brideshead Revisited.

A Life

Stéphane Audran is remembered as a defining figure in French cinema, known for her sophisticated screen presence and enduring collaborations with Claude Chabrol. Her work spans over three decades, blending European art-house credibility with mainstream appeal.

Links

• Other Galleries
• Stephane Audran signed memorabilia @ eBay UK (direct link)