Maïwenn
| Maïwenn | |
|---|---|
Maïwenn at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
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|
| Born |
17 April 1976 Les Lilas, France |
| Other names | Ouin-Ouin (nickname) |
| Occupation | Actress, film director, screenwriter, producer |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Luc Besson (1992–1997) Jean-Yves Le Fur (2002–2004) |
| Children | 2 Shanna Besson (Daughter, b. 1993) Diego (Son) |
Maïwenn (sometimes credited as Maïwenn Besco or her birth name Maïwenn Le Besco, French: [maj.wɛn lə bɛs.ko]; born 17 April 1976) is a French actress, film director and screenwriter.
17 April 1976 Maïwenn was born as Maïwenn Le Besco in Les Lilas, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. It is a suburb area East of Paris. Maïwenn is of mixed Breton, Vietnamese, French and Algerian descent. Her Algerian ancestry comes from her maternal grandfather. Maïwenn's mother is Catherine Belkhodja.
Maïwenn's mom ushered her into the entertainment industry at a young age, an experience later chronicled by Maïwenn in her one-woman shows Le Pois Chiche (The Chickpea) and I'm an Actress. Maïwenn starred in several films as a child, then teen, actress—notably as "Elle, as a child" (the child version of the lead role played by Isabelle Adjani) in the 1983 hit film L'été meurtrier (One Deadly Summer).
The 15 year old Maïwenn met director and producer Luc Besson in 1991. That same year, due to her difficult relationship with her parents, she decided to use only her given name professionally. She and Besson soon began a relationship, and Maïwenn gave birth to their daughter when she was 16. Having lost her motivation as an actress, she interrupted her career for several years, living in Beverly Hills with Besson and raising their daughter. During this period, she only appeared in a supporting part in Besson's Léon (1994), in which she was credited as Ouin-Ouin. She also directed the film's making-of. Perhaps Maïwenn's most internationally-seen film role was her appearance as the alien Diva Plavalaguna in Besson's The Fifth Element (1997).
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