Josiane Balasko

Biography: life and films

Josiane Balasko was born Josiane Balaskovic' on 15th April 1950, in Paris. Her father, a Croatian bistro owner, died when she was 14 and she was brought up by her mother and grandmother. Having considered a career as a writer and illustrator, Balasko settled on becoming an actor and took drama lessons under Tania Balachova. She then joined the popular comedy troupe Splendid (replacing Valérie Mairesse) before making her film debut (in minor roles) in Jacques Doillon's L'An 01 (1973), Gérard Pirès' L'Agression (1975) and Roman Polanski's Le Locataire (1976). Her first substantial role was in Jean-Marie Poiré's Les Petits câlins (1978).

It was via her films as part of the Splendid ensemble that Balasko established herself as a comedic actress, in Les Bronzés (1978), Le Père Noël est une ordure (1982) and Papy fait de la résistance (1983). Her performance in André Téchiné's Hôtel des Amériques (1981) also showed that she had great potential as a straight dramatic actress, which was fulfilled in Bertrand Blier's Trop belle pour toi (1989), for which she received her first Best Actress César nomination. By this stage, Josiane Balasko had cultivated a distinctive screen persona that was mildly vulgar, perhaps a little pathetic but usually sympathetic. Audiences admired her characters for their independence and spirit, and the fact they were so far removed from conventional screen portrayals of femininity.

Although Balasko made her directing debut in 1985 with Sac de noeuds, it was not until her fourth film Gazon maudit (1995) that she was taken seriously as a filmmaker. An international hit, Gazon maudit was nominated for three Césars (including Best Director and Best Film) and won in the category of Best Screenplay. In 2003, Balasko received further acclaim (and another César nomination) for her authentic (and totally unexpected) portrayal of a hardened police officer in Guillaume Nicloux's crime drama Cette femme-là (2003). She continues to lead an active career, alternating between lowbrow comedies such as Gérard Krawczyk's L'Auberge rouge (2007) and idiosyncratic comedy-dramas such as Mona Achache's Le Hérisson (2009). She is the mother of Marilou Berry, who has begun to make a name for herself as an actress.

Filmography