From a young age, Valérie Lemercier showed a talent for observing and imitating others, which naturally led her towards comedy. Her career began in 1988 when Jean-Michel Ribes offered her the role of Lady Palace in the successful TV series Palace. This humoristic role brought her to prominence, and she went on to compose a character of a stuck-up bourgeois woman, which she reprised in commercials and films, including Milouin May (1990) and L’Opération Corned-beef (1991). Lemercier’s breakthrough came in 1993 when she played the dual role of Frénégonde de Pouille and Béatrice de Montmirail in the hit comedy Les Visiteurs. Her performance earned her the César Award for Best Supporting Actress. She continued to excel in comedic roles, appearing in the cult movie La Cité de la peur (1994) and other films such as Le Petit Nicolas (2009) or Fauteuils d’orchestre (2006), for which she won another César. But Lemercier’s talents didn’t stop at acting and she helmed six films as a screenwriter and director, including Quadrille (1997), Palais royal! (2005), and the critically acclaimed Aline (2021), a fictionalised biopic of Céline Dion, which earned her the César Award for Best Actress in 2022. Lemercier has become a beloved figure in French cinema, and she continues to captivate audiences with her unique blend of humour, intelligence, and charm, just like during the César Awards Ceremony which she presented in 2024.
