name	Cannes International Film Festival
logo	Festival de Cannes logo.svg
location	Cannes, France
language	International
website	http://www.festival-cannes.com }}

The Cannes International Film Festival (French: ''Le Festival International du Film de Cannes'' or just ''Festival de Cannes''), is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is the world's most prestigious and publicized film festival. The invitation-only festival is held annually (usually in May) at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès.

The 2012 Cannes Film Festival will take place from May 16 to May 27, 2012. The President of the Jury is the Italian film director Nanni Moretti.

History

The Cannes Film Festival has its origins in the late 1930s when Jean Zay, the French Minister of National Education, on the proposal of Philippe Erlanger and with the support of the British and Americans, set up an international cinematographic festival. In 1947, the festival was held as the "Festival du film de Cannes", where films from sixteen countries were presented. Moreover, the principle of equality was introduced, so that the jury was to be made up only of one representative per country. Also, this year the festival was held at the made-for-the-occasion ''Palais des Festivals'', although the roof was unfinished and blew off during a storm. The festival was not held in 1948 and 1950 on account of budgetary problems. In 1951, owing to better relations between France and Italy, the Cannes Festival was moved to Spring, while the ''Mostra'' remained in Autumn.

In 1955 the Golden Palm was created, replacing the ''Grand Prix du Festival'' which had been given until that year. In 1957 Dolores del Rio was the first female member of the jury as a Sélection officielle – Member. In 1959 the ''Marché du Film'' (Film Market) was founded, giving the festival a commercial character and facilitating exchanges between sellers and buyers in the film industry. Today it has become the first international platform for film commerce.

In 1962 the International Critics' Week was born, created by the French Union of Film Critics as the first parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival. Its goal was to showcase first and second works by directors from all over the world, not succumbing to commercial tendencies. In 1965 an hommage was paid to Jean Cocteau after his death, and he was named Honorary President for life. The next year, Olivia de Havilland was named the first female president of the festival.

The 1968 festival was halted on 19 May 1968. Some directors, such as Carlos Saura and Milos Forman, had withdrawn their films from the competition. On 18 May, filmmaker Louis Malle along with a group of directors took over the large room of the ''Palais'' and interrupted the projections in solidarity with students and labour on strike throughout France, and in protest to the eviction of the then President of the Cinémathèque Française. The filmmakers achieved the reinstatement of the President, and they founded the Film Directors' Society (SRF) that same year. In 1969 the SRF, led by Pierre-Henri Deleau created the Directors' Fortnight, a new non-competitive section that programs a selection of films from around the world, distinguished by the independent judgment displayed in the choice of films.

During the 1970s, important changes occurred in the Festival. In 1972 Robert Favre Le Bret was named the new President, and Maurice Bessy the Managing Director. He immediately introduced an important change in the selection of the participating films. Until that date, the different countries chose which films would represent them in the festival. Bessy created one committee to select French films, and another for foreign films. In 1978 Gilles Jacob assumed the President position, introducing the Caméra d'Or award and the Un Certain Regard section. Other changes were the decrease of length of the festival down to thirteen days, reducing the number of selected films thus; also, until that point the Jury was composed by Film Academics, and Jacob started to introduce celebrities and professionals from the film industry.

In 1983 a new, much bigger Palais des Festivals et des Congrès was built to host the Festival. It was nicknamed "The Bunker" and provoked many reactions against it. In 1984 Pierre Viot replaced Robert Favre Le Bret as President of the Festival. It wasn't until 1995 that Gilles Jacob created the last section of the Official Selection: la Cinéfondation. Its aim was to support the creation of works of cinema in the world and to contribute to the entry of the new scenario writers in the circle of the celebrities. The Cinéfondation was completed in 2000 with ''La Résidence'' and in 2005 ''L'Atelier''. The Festival's current President, Gilles Jacob, was appointed in 2000, and in 2002 the Festival officially adopted the name ''Festival de Cannes''.

Impact

The festival has become an important showcase for European films. Jill Forbes and Sarah Street argue in ''European Cinema: An Introduction'', that Cannes "became...extremely important for critical and commercial interests and for European attempts to sell films on the basis of their artistic quality" (page 20). Forbes and Street also point out that, along with other festivals such as Venice and Berlin, Cannes offers an opportunity to determine a particular country's image of its cinema and generally foster the notion that European cinema is "art" cinema.

Additionally, given massive media exposure, the non-public festival is attended by many movie stars and is a popular venue for film producers to launch their new films and attempt to sell their works to the distributors who come from all over the globe.

Programmes

The Cannes Film Festival is organised in various sections:

The Official Selection – The main event of the festival.

*In Competition – The twenty films competing for the Palme d'Or. They are projected in the ''Théâtre Lumière''.

*Un Certain Regard – Twenty films selected from cultures near and far; original and different works. They are projected at the ''Salle Debussy''.

*Out of Competition – These films are also projected in the ''Théâtre Lumière'' but do not compete for the main prize.

*Special Screenings – The selection committee chooses for these films an environment specially adapted to their particular identity.

*Cinéfondation – About fifteen shorts and medium-length motion pictures from film schools over the world are presented at the ''Salle Buñuel''.

*Short Films – The shorts competing for the Short Film Palme d'Or are presented at the Buñuel and Debussy theatres. There are approximately 10 films in this competition.

Parallel Sections – These are non-competitive programmes dedicated to discovering other aspects of cinema.

*Cannes Classics – It celebrates the heritage of film, aiming to highlight works of the past, presented with brand new or restored prints.

*Tous les Cinémas du Monde – It showcases the vitality and diversity of cinema across the world. Each day, one country is invited to present a range of features and shorts in celebration of its unique culture, identity and recent film works.

*Caméra d'Or – It rewards the best first film of the Festival, choosing among the debutants' works among the Official Selection, the Directors' Fortnight and the International Critics' Week selections.

*Cinéma de la Plage – Screening of Cannes Classics and Out of Competition films for the mass public on Macé beach, preceded by a programme dedicated to film music.

Other Sections – Produced by outside organizations during the Cannes Festival.

*Directors' Fortnight

*International Critics' Week

Events

*Marché du Film – The busiest movie market of the world.

*Masterclasses – Given in public by world renowned filmmakers.

*Tributes – Honors internationally renowned artists with the presentation of the Festival Trophee following the screening of one of their films.

*Producers Network – An opportunity to make international co-productions.

*Exhibitions – Each year, an artist, a body of work or a cinematographic theme becomes the focus of an exhibition that diversifies or illustrates the event's programme.

*60th Anniversary – Events organised in 2007 dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Festival.

Juries

Prior to the beginning of each event, the Festival's board of directors appoints the juries who hold sole responsibility for choosing which films will receive a Cannes award. Jurors are chosen from a wide range of international artists, based on their body of work and respect from their peers.

Feature Films – An international jury composed of a President and various film or art personalities, who determine the prizes for the feature films in Competition.

Cinéfondation and Short Films – Composed of a President and four film personalities. It awards the Short Film Palme d'Or as well as the three best films of the Cinéfondation.

Un Certain Regard – Composed of a President, journalists, students in cinema, and industry professionals. It awards the Un Certain Regard Prize for best film and can, moreover, honour two other films.

Caméra d'Or – Composed of a President, as well as film directors, technicians, and French and international critics. They award the best film in any category.

Awards

The most prestigious award given out at Cannes is the ''Palme d'Or'' ("Golden Palm") for the best film.

Competition

* ''Palme d'Or'' – ''Golden Palm''

* ''Grand Prix'' – ''Grand Prize of the Festival''

* ''Prix du Jury'' – ''Jury Prize''

* ''Palme d'Or du court métrage'' – ''Best Short Film''

* ''Prix d'interprétation féminine'' – ''Best Actress''

* ''Prix d'interprétation masculine'' – ''Best Actor''

* ''Prix de la mise en scène'' – ''Best Director''

* ''Prix du scénario'' – ''Best Screenplay''

Other Sections

* ''Prix Un Certain Regard'' – ''Young talent, innovative and audacious works''

* ''Cinéfondation prizes'' – ''Student films''

* ''Caméra d'Or'' – ''Best first feature film''

Given by Independent Entities

* ''Prix de la FIPRESCI'' – ''International Federation of Film Critics Prize''

* ''Prix Vulcain'' – Awarded to a technical artist by the CST

* International Critics' Week Prizes

* Prize of the Ecumenical Jury

Palm Dog, for best canine performance.

Queer Palm, for LGBT-related films.

See also

Directors' Fortnight

List of Palme d'Or winners

Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival

References

Further reading

''Cannes: Fifty Years of Sun, Sex & Celluloid : Behind the Scenes at the World's Most Famous Film Festival '' by Peter Bart (Miramax, 1997)

''Cannes – A Festival Virgin's Guide'' by Benjamin Craig (Cinemagine Media Publishing, 2004)

''Hollywood on the Riviera: The Inside Story of the Cannes Film Festival'' by Cari Beauchamp and Henri Behar (William Morrow & Co, 1992)

External links

Cannes Film Festival official website

Cannes Film Festival Blog

Cannes Film Festival: A Potted History

Radio France Internationale coverage of the Cannes Film Festival 2010 Radio France Internationale coverage of the Cannes Film Festival 2011

Footage from the 1958 Cannes Film Festival

Cannes – A Festival Virgin's Guide – Detailed festival history and information for attendees

Category:Cannes Film Festival Category:Film festivals in France Category:International film festivals Category:Recurring events established in 1939 Category:1939 establishments in France Category:Visitor attractions in Alpes-Maritimes Category:May events

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A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings. The films may be of recent date and, depending upon the focus of the individual festival, can include international releases as well as films produced by the organisers' domestic film industry. Sometimes there is a focus on a specific film-maker or genre (e.g., film noir) or subject matter (e.g., horror film festivals). A number of film festivals specialise in short films, each with its defined maximum length. Film festivals are typically annual events.

History

The first major film festival was held in Venice in 1932; the other major and oldest film festivals of the world are: Cannes Film Festival (1939), Festival del film Locarno (1946), Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (1946), Edinburgh International Film Festival (1947), Melbourne International Film Festival (1951), Berlin International Film Festival (1951) and Toronto International Film Festival (1976).

The Edinburgh International Film Festival in the UK was established in 1947 and is the longest continually running film festival in the world. Raindance Film Festival is the UK's largest celebration of independent film-making and is taking place in London in October.

The first North American high film festival was the Columbus International Film & Video Festival, also known as The Chris Awards, held in 1953. According to the Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco, "''The Chris Awards'' (is) one of the most prestigious documentary, educational, business and informational competitions in the U.S; (it is) the oldest of its kind in North America and celebrating its 54th year."

It was followed four years later by the San Francisco International Film Festival held in March 1957 whose emphasis was on feature-length dramatic films. The festival played a major role in introducing foreign films to American audiences. Among the films shown in its founding year were Akira Kurosawa's ''Throne of Blood'' and Satyajit Ray's ''Pather Panchali''.

Today there are thousands of film festivals around the world, ranging from high profile festivals such as Sundance Film Festival (Park City, UT) to horror festivals such as Terror Film Festival (Philadelphia, PA), and the first U.S. film festival dedicated to honoring the impact of music in film: the Park City Film Music Festival: http://www.PCFMF.com.

Digital feature film distribution began in 2005, along with the arrival of the world's first online film festival, the GreenCine Online Film Festival, sponsored by DivX.

Entry fee

Most film festivals require filmmakers to pay an entry fee to have their works considered for screening. This is especially commonplace among larger film festivals, such as the Cannes Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, South by Southwest and even smaller "boutique" festivals such as the Miami International Film Festival and the British Urban Film Festival in London.

However, not all film festivals require an entry fee. Rotterdam Film Festival, for example, does not charge an entry fee to submit work. There are also many smaller film festivals in the United States, such as the Stony Brook Film Festival in Long Island, New York, the Northwest Filmmakers' Festival, or the Sicilian Film Festival in Miami, Florida, which do not charge entry fees; however, acceptance of films is usually more limited, and such film festivals do not necessarily attract big names in their audiences like Sundance and Telluride do. In some cases, such as the Portland International Film Festival, there is an entry fee, but it is waived for filmmakers within a certain region, such as the Northwestern United States.

Significant or notable festivals

The three most prestigious film festivals are commonly regarded to be that of Cannes, Berlin and Venice; these festivals are sometimes called the "Big Three." Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski's ''The Three Colors Trilogy'' were each made for these festivals, with ''Blue'' for Venice, ''White'' for Berlin, and ''Red'' for Cannes.

The Toronto International Film Festival is North America's most popular festival. ''Time'' wrote it had "grown from its place as the most influential fall film festival to the most influential film festival, period." Seattle International Film Festival is credited as being the largest film festival in America, regularly showing over 400 films in a month across the city. The Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, New York City International Film Festival -NYCIFF-, Montreal World Film Festival and Gimli Film Festival are also major festivals in North America, as is the Vancouver International Film Festival, the fifth largest film festival in North America.

"A" Festivals: The festivals in Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Shanghai, Moscow, San Sebastián, Montréal, Locarno (since 2002), Karlovy Vary, Mar del Plata, Cairo, Tokyo, and Warsaw are listed as "A festivals", or "category one" by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF).

Experimental films: Ann Arbor Film Festival was started in 1963. It is the oldest continually operated experimental film festival in North America and has become one of the premiere film festivals for independent and, primarily, experimental filmmakers to showcase their work.

Independent films: In the US, Telluride Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Austin's South by Southwest, and New York City's Tribeca Film Festival, are all considered significant festivals for independent film. The Zero Film Festival is significant as the first and only festival exclusive to self-financed filmmakers. The biggest independent film festival in the UK is Raindance Film Festival.

North American'': The San Francisco International Film Festival, started in 1957, is the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas. It highlights current trends in international filmmaking and video production with an emphasis on work that has not yet secured U.S. distribution. The Toronto International Film Festival, begun in 1976, is regarded North America's most major and most prestigious film festival, and the most widely attended worldwide. Toronto's Hot Docs is the leading North American documentary film''' festival. Toronto also has the largest amount of film festivals in the world, ranging from cultural, independent, and historic films. The largest festival, in terms of the number of features shown, is the Seattle International Film Festival, screening 270 features, and approximately 150 short films. The Whistler Film Festival, with is amazing location and breathtaking scenery, is getting bigger every year with more than 80 screenings and a well-rounded Industry Summit. Meanwhile, the New York Film Festival only shows a few films in each year, but it still has big impact in the United States. The Sundance film festival is a major festival for independent film.

Latin American significance: The Cartagena Film Festival, founded by Victor Nieto in 1960, is the oldest film festival in Latin America. The Festival de Gramado (or Gramado Film Festival) Gramado, Brazil along with the Guadalajara International Film Festival in Guadalajara, Mexico are considered to be the most important film festivals of Latin America. It was first held in 1973, awarding Latin American films. The Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival has been held since 1975 in that Spanish city. While the Expresión en Corto International Film Festival is the largest competitive film festival in Mexico, specializing in emerging talents, and is held each year during the last week of July in the two colonial cities of San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato. Among Spanish speaking countries the Dominican International Film Festival is held annually in Puerto Plata, DR, the Valdivia International Film Festival is held annually in the city of Valdivia. It is arguable the most important film festival in Chile.

Animation: Founded in 1960, the Annecy International Animated Film Festival is the oldest international film festival dedicated exclusively to animation. The others are: Zagreb (f. 1972) Ottawa (f. 1976), Hiroshima (f. 1985), KROK (f. 1989), and Anima Mundi (f. 1992). There are also a variety of regional festivals in various countries.

Asian Film Festival: Most notable amongst the Asian Film Festivals are the Osian's-Cinefan Film Festival, which was recently expanded to include Arab Cinema as well, and the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) and Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).

African festivals Significant African festivals based on the continent include the biannual Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou FESPACO in Burkina Faso, the annual Durban International Film Festival which has grown in importance for industry with the addition of a co-production forum and Talent Campus.

European festivals The biggest European festival is the Cannes film festival in France along with Berlin and Venice.

Art and Technology: The Palo Alto International Film Festival, a program of the Palo Alto Institute, is the only film festival in the United States to celebrate the convergence of art and technology, by focusing on the influence of emerging technologies on cinema.

Emerging Filmmakers: The KahBang Film Festival, part of the KahBang Music-Art-Film Festival in Bangor, Maine, is one of the newest film festivals in the United States to discover and showcase the work from Emerging Filmmakers throughout the world. Their programming continues to be unique by also showcasing the best new Comedy features, Music Documentaries, and Maine made films. Each year they honor one notable actor, actress, or filmmaker with the "Kevin Norwood Bacon Award for Achievement in Cinema", acknowledging the success the recipient has achieved in being so closely connected to Kevin Bacon. One of their films is screened in the KahBang Off Screen Category, "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" which connects the honored back to the man himself.

See also

List of film festivals

List of short film festival

Outdoor cinema

References

Further reading

Turan, Kenneth, ''Sundance to Sarajevo: Film Festivals and the World They Made'', Los Angeles, University of California Press, 2002, hardback, ISBN 0-520-21867-1.

Watson, Nigel, "The Sense and Sensationalism of Film Festivals", Talking Pictures website

Category:Cultural festivals

bs:Filmski festival ca:Festival de cinema da:Filmfestival de:Filmfestival es:Festival de cine fa:جشنواره فیلم fr:Festival de cinéma ko:영화제 hr:Filmski festivali id:Festival film it:Festival cinematografico he:פסטיבל קולנוע kn:ಚಲನಚಿತ್ರೋತ್ಸವ lt:Kino festivalis hu:Filmfesztivál mk:Филмски фестивал ml:ചലച്ചിത്രമേള ms:Festival filem nl:Filmfestival ja:映画祭 no:Filmfestival pl:Festiwal filmowy ru:Кинофестиваль sv:Filmfestival ta:திரைப்பட விழா th:เทศกาลภาพยนตร์ uk:Кінофестиваль vi:Liên hoan phim zh:电影节

Birth date	November 01, 1973
Birth place	Mangalore, Karnataka, India
Birthname	Aishwarya Rai
Othername	Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Spouse	Abhishek Bachchan (2007–present)
Children	Aaradhya Bachchan
Occupation	actor, model
Yearsactive	1991–present
Signature	Signature_of_Aishwarya_Rai_Bachchan.svg }}

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (pronounced əjɕʋərjaː rəj; born 1973) is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994. Rai has featured in films in various languages including Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, and Bengali.

Often cited by the media as the "most beautiful woman in the world", Rai made her acting debut with Mani Ratnam's Tamil film ''Iruvar'' (1997), and had her first commercial success in ''Jeans'' (1998). She found success in Bollywood with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'' (1999) and ''Devdas'' (2002) and eventually won two Filmfare Awards in the Best Actress category.

After a series of unsuccessful films during 2003–2005, she appeared in the blockbuster action thriller ''Dhoom 2'' (2006) and subsequently featured in such films as ''Guru'' (2007), ''Jodhaa Akbar'' (2008), and ''Enthiran'' (2010). She gained critical acclaim for her performances in offbeat, independent films such as ''Chokher Bali'' (2003), ''Raincoat'' (2004), and ''Provoked'' (2007). Rai has thus established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses of Indian cinema.

Rai's off-screen roles include duties as brand ambassador for various charity organisations and campaigns. She is married to fellow actor Abhishek Bachchan. In 2009 she was honoured with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award given by the Government of India.

Early life

Rai was born into an ethnic Bunt family in Mangalore, Karnataka. Her father, Krishnaraj, was a marine biologist, while her mother, Brindya, is a housewife. She has one elder brother, Aditya Rai, who is an engineer in the merchant navy. He co-produced one of her movies, ''Dil Ka Rishta'' (2003).

The family moved to Mumbai, where Rai attended the Arya Vidya Mandir High School. Rai did her intermediate schooling at Jai Hind College for a year, and then joined DG Ruparel College in Matunga, securing 90 percent in the HSC exams. She trained in classical dance and music for five years during her teens. Her favourite subject was zoology, so she initially considered a career in medicine. With plans to become an architect, she enrolled at Raheja College, but later gave up her education to pursue a career in modelling.

Modelling career

One of her earliest modelling assignment was, when she was in the ninth grade, for Camlin Pencils. One of her professors at Jai Hind College took pictures of her which were published in a fashion magazine. In 1991 Rai took part in the Ford Supermodel Contest and also appeared in ''Vogue Magazine''. She has been on the cover of ''Vogue'' three times.

Rai became popular after appearing in a Pepsi commercial with actor Aamir Khan. She modelled for Longines watches, Coca-Cola, Lakmé Cosmetics, Casio pager, Philips, Palmolive, Lux, and Fuji films. She continued to model while pursuing her studies in architecture. She was named the official brand ambassador for De Beers diamonds in India.

In the 1994 ''Miss India'' contest, she won second place, behind Sushmita Sen, and was crowned ''Miss India World''. She went on to win the ''Miss World'' title the same year, where she also won the ''Miss Photogenic'' award. After winning the pageant, she gave up her studies and spent one year reigning as Miss World in London. Rai continued to pursue a career as a model until she became an actress.

Film career

Early career (1997–98)

Rai made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam's Tamil biopic film ''Iruvar'' (1997), where she worked alongside Mohanlal. The film was a critical success and won many awards, including Best Film award at the Belgrade International Film Festival, and two National Film Awards. Rai appeared in dual roles, one of which was a depiction of political leader and former actress J. Jayalalithaa. Rai made her Bollywood debut in the film in ''Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya'', opposite Bobby Deol, which released the same year; the film was unsuccessful at the box office. Her third project, ''Jeans'' (1998), a high-budget Tamil film directed by S. Shankar, was a commercial success. The film included the song "Poovukkul", written by Vairamuthu, in which Rai's character is compared to the seven wonders of the world and described as the eighth. The film was India's official entry to the Academy Awards in that year.

Success (1999–2002)

In 1999 Rai starred in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'', opposite Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan. The film had Rai playing Nandini, who is forced to marry Devgan despite being in love with another man (Khan). Her husband tries to help her locate her previous love, and his caring attention eventually wins her over. Rai's portrayal won her critical acclaim, with a review on Rediff.com stating, "Aishwarya looks beautiful as usual ... This film will most likely draw her accolades from all over, may be even get her recognised as an actress the way Manisha Koirala did in ''Khamoshi''. In many scenes, there is no trace of makeup and she looks very fresh". The film was her first box office success in Bollywood, and earned her a Filmfare Best Actress Award.

In the same year she appeared in Subhash Ghai's ''Taal'', in which she played Mansi, a young village woman who becomes a big pop star after being hurt by her lover, played by Akshay Khanna. The film was an average grosser in India but was a big success outside India, especially in the United States, where it became the first Indian film in the top 20 on ''Variety's'' box office list. Her performance was praised, with a reviewer from Rediff.com writing, "After being praised for her looks and acting talent in ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'', Aishwarya has excelled in ''Taal''. She looks ethereal and unlike the former film, has a very sober and soft role. Though she looks pained and tragic in most of the film, she does a good job of a woman who is very protective of her father and one who doesn't think twice before rejecting a lover who has insulted her father." She received another Best Actress nomination from the Filmfare Awards for her work in the film.

In 2000 she appeared in Mansoor Khan's ''Josh'' alongside Shahrukh Khan and Chandrachur Singh, in which she plays a Catholic named Shirley who falls in love with the sibling of her brother's enemy. The film was a commercial success. Later that year she appeared in Satish Kaushik's ''Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai'', opposite Anil Kapoor. It was a moderate success, and her performance earned her a Filmfare Best Actress Award nomination. Later that year she played a supporting role in Aditya Chopra's ''Mohabbatein'', alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan. The second-highest grosser of the year, the film was a major commercial success, and earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award nomination. Later that year, she starred in the Tamil film ''Kandukondain Kandukondain'', alongside Mammooty, Ajith Kumar, and Tabu. Rai plays Tabu's younger sibling, a dreamer at heart, whose hopes come crashing down when she discovers she's been cheated by her lover. Directed by Rajiv Menon, the movie was a successful venture commercially.

In 2002 Rai appeared alongside Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ''Devdas'', an adaptation of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same name. She played the role of Paro (Parvati), the love interest of the protagonist, played by Khan. The film received a special screening at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. It became the highest-grossing film of the year in India and overseas, earning a revenue of Rs domestically. ''Devdas'' won numerous awards, including 10 Filmfare Awards, and Rai received her second Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance.

Professional setback (2003–05)

In 2003 she acted in Rituparno Ghosh's Bengali film ''Chokher Bali'', an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's novel of the same name. She portrays the character of a young woman called Binodini, who is left on her own when her sickly husband dies soon after they are married. Rai's performance in the film was well-received by critics, with "Derek Elley" from Variety writing, "Rai dominates the film with her delicately sensual presence and physical grace". The film was critically acclaimed and did well at the box office, That year she appeared in the Bollywood film ''Dil Ka Rishta'', with Arjun Rampal, and Rohan Sippy's ''Kuch Na Kaho'', alongside Abhishek Bachchan, neither of which fared well at the box office.

In 2004 she appeared alongside Martin Henderson in ''Bride and Prejudice'', Gurinder Chadha's Bollywood-style English adaptation of Jane Austen's ''Pride and Prejudice''. She played Lalita Bakshi, the film's version of Austen's character Elizabeth Bennet. Based on 131 reviews, the film has a rating of 64 percent at the review website Rotten Tomatoes. She played a negative role for the first time in Rajkumar Santoshi's ''Khakee'', which also featured Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan, and Jayapradha. The film was a box office success. In the same year she worked with director Rituparno Ghosh for the second time, in ''Raincoat'', where she starred alongside Ajay Devgan. The film was highly acclaimed by critics, with Rai receiving rave reviews for her performance. The Hindu commented "Raincoat can easily be Aishwarya Rai's best performance, and as Neerja, the former beauty queen appears to have shed her inhibitions about looking unglamorous. What is more, she seems to have made an earnest effort to emote, using less of her body and limbs and more of her face, and eyes in particular".

In 2005 she appeared in ''Shabd'', a film based on a love triangle, alongside Sanjay Dutt and Zayed Khan. The film was unsuccessful at the box office; it received average reviews from critics. Her next release was Paul Mayeda Berges's ''The Mistress of Spices'', based on the novel of the same name by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, in which she starred alongside Dylan McDermott. The film received negative reviews from critics, and was a commercial failure. The same year she made a special appearance in a hugely popular seven-minute dance sequence for the song "Kajra Re", with Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, in Shaad Ali's ''Bunty Aur Babli''.

Recent work (2006–present)

In 2006 Rai portrayed the title role in J P Dutta's ''Umrao Jaan'', the story of a courtesan and poetess from 19th-century Lucknow. The movie is the second adaptation of the Urdu novel ''Umrao Jaan Ada'' (1905), by Mirza Hadi Ruswa. Rai's work received mixed reviews, and the film was a critical and commercial failure. Critics particularly felt the new version is poor when compared to the acclaimed 1981 version by Muzaffar Ali, which starred Rekha in the title role. BBC critic Poonam Joshi wrote, "While only Aishwarya could emulate the grace and poise of Rekha, she doesn't quite capture the intensity of Umrao's abiding melancholy", commenting that "her incandescent beauty and artistry... does indeed keep the audience watching, though not necessarily emotionally engaged." Later that year she appeared as a master thief, Sunheri, in the Yash Raj Films production of ''Dhoom 2'', directed by Sanjay Gadhvi. The ensemble cast included Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, and Uday Chopra. The movie was a blockbuster, and became the highest grossing film of the year in India, earning revenues of over Rs domestically. A controversy arose regarding a scene containing a kiss between her and Hrithik Roshan. Rai's performance received mostly negative reviews, with a reviewer on Rediff.com writing, "Ash's character too is all gloss and no depth. You seldom feel any tension in her behaviour and expressions as she accompanies the master thief on potentially dangerous missions. Sunehri enters the film nearly 50 minutes after its opening in a disguise. In no time, she is wearing the flimsiest of clothes. Once she opens her mouth—and she does it two minutes after appearing in the film—she spoils the image. There is no sensuality any more, and half an hour later, one wonders what made the master thief fall for her." Nonetheless, her performance earned her a sixth nomination for Filmfare Best Actress Award.

In 2007 she appeared in Mani Ratnam's ''Guru'' as Sujata. Speculated to be based on the life of Indian businessman Dhirubhai Ambani, it is a rag to riches story about an ambitious small-town man who ends up as the owner of the biggest corporation in India. The film premièred at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto, Canada, the first Indian film to have a mainstream international premiere in that country. The film was critically acclaimed, and performed well at the box office. Critical reception for Rai was mixed. While Nikhat Kazmi from ''The Times of India'' wrote that she is "just okay, and fails to register the growth in her character", Rediff.com's Raja Sen described it as "arguably her finest performance, visible especially when she takes over the film's climax." Rai received her seventh Filmfare nomination for Best Actress for her performance. In the same year she starred alongside Naveen Andrews and Miranda Richardson in Jag Mundhra's British film ''Provoked'', as Kiranjit Ahluwalia, an Non-resident Indian woman who kills her abusive husband after facing severe domestic violence. Rai received mostly positive reviews for her portrayal. It was screened in the Marché du Film Cannes Film Market during the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Ahluwalia sat next to Rai during the screening, reportedly holding her hand and sobbing during the most violent scenes. In the same year Rai appeared as a warrior from Kerala named Mira in Doug Lefler's epic film ''The Last Legion'', alongside Sir Ben Kingsley, Colin Firth, and Thomas Sangster. The film was a critical failure.

In 2008 Rai starred alongside Hrithik Roshan in Ashutosh Gowariker's historical drama ''Jodhaa Akbar''. The story is a partly fictionalised account of the life of Muslim Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, played by Roshan, and his Hindu wife Jodha Bai, played by Rai. The film was a critical and commercial success, earning revenues of over Rs domestically. Rai's performance in the film was praised by critics, with Rajeev Masand writing, "Aishwarya Rai is wonderfully restrained and uses her eyes expertly to communicate so much, making this one of her finest outings on screen". She earned her eighth nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards for her performance. Later that year she co-starred with husband Abhishek Bachchan and father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan in Ram Gopal Verma's ''Sarkar Raj'', a sequel to his previous film, ''Sarkar''. She plays the CEO of a major power company that is proposing a new power plant in rural Maharashtra. The film was a critical and commercial success.

In 2009 she appeared in Harald Zwart's spy comedy film ''The Pink Panther 2'', playing the role of criminology expert Sonia Solandres. Like its predecessor, the sequel received negative reviews from critics, and did a moderate business of $34,590,360 at the U.S box office. In 2010 she collaborated with Mani Ratnam for a bilingual project, two films featuring Rai portraying a character based on the goddess Sita. The films were shot simultaneously, with Rai's role being one of the only roles which were played by the same performer in both versions. Upon release, the project received mixed reviews. Though both her portrayals of Ragini were praised, the Hindi version—''Raavan'', alongside Abhishek Bachchan—failed commercially, whilst the Tamil version—''Raavanan''—was successful. The Hindi version of the film got decent reviews in various US media, including the ''New York Times'' and ''Los Angeles Times'', with the former saying, "Raavan has Bollywood glamour aplenty, with the lovely if occasionally dramatically challenged Aishwarya Rai Bachchan", and the latter describing Rai as a scene-stealer.

Rai paired with Rajinikanth in the science fiction Tamil film ''Enthiran'' (2010), directed by S. Shankar. The film—the most expensive ever made in India—was released worldwide in 2010, and is the highest-grossing Indian film when all its versions are totalled. She appeared in Vipul Shah's ''Action Replayy'' opposite Akshay Kumar, which received mixed reviews from critics. Rai's final release in 2010 was ''Guzaarish'', her third collaboration with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actor Hrithik Roshan. The film tells the story of Ethan Mascarenhas (Roshan), a former magician who has been quadriplegic for twelve years; after years of struggle he files an appeal to the court for euthanasia. Rai played Ethan's strict, devoted, and supportive nurse Sophie D'Souza. The film opened to positive reviews, and Rai's portrayal was praised. According to Nikhat Kazmi, "Aishwarya is a stunning picture of fire and grace, walking away with certain scenes by her sheer vitality." In 2011 she received her ninth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. As of May 2011, she is set to appear in Rajkumar Santoshi's next film, ''Ladies and Gentlemen'', along with Abhishek Bachchan, and in Madhur Bhandarkar's next directorial venture, ''Heroine''. The shooting of both films was postponed, due to Rai's pregnancy. She will not appear in ''Heroine'', which is going forward with Kareena Kapoor.

Social work

In 1999 Rai participated in a world tour called the ''Magnificent Five'', along with Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji, Akshaye Khanna, and Twinkle Khanna. In the same year, she was appointed as Longines Ambassador of Elegance. In 2003 she became the first Indian actress to be a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2003 she became a global brand ambassador of L'Oréal, alongside Andie MacDowell, Eva Longoria, and Penélope Cruz. Rai is the brand ambassador for The Eye Bank Association of India's nationwide campaign to promote eye donation in India. In 2005 she became a brand ambassador for Pulse Polio, a campaign established by the Government of India in 1994 to eradicate polio in India. In the same year, Rai was appointed spokesperson for the International Year of Microcredit, raising awareness of the main goals and priorities of the United Nations' poverty alleviation efforts.

In February 2005 Rai performed alongside other Bollywood stars at the ''HELP! Telethon Concert'', an event to raise money for the victims of the 2004 tsunami earthquake. Along with other members of the Bachchan family, she laid the foundation of a special school for underprivileged girls in Daulatpur village in Uttar Pradesh in 2008. Construction is being funded by the Bachchan family, and the school will be named after Rai. She appeared along with various other Bollywood actors at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. The performance showcased Indian culture as a lead-up to India hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

In 2009 Rai was appointed as the first Goodwill Ambassador of Smile Train, an international charity that provides free Cleft lip and palate surgery to children in need. Her work with Smile Train will focus not only on India, but on 76 different developing countries around the world.

Personal life

In 1999 Aishwarya began dating Bollywood actor Salman Khan; their relationship was often reported in the media until the couple separated in 2001. Rai cited "abuse (verbal, physical and emotional), infidelity and indignity" on the part of Khan as reasons for ending the relationship. In a 2009 ''Times of India'' article, Khan denied ever beating her: "It's not true that I hit a woman."

Rai is married to actor Abhishek Bachchan, they met in 1997. Their engagement was announced on 2007 and later confirmed by his father, Amitabh Bachchan. The couple married on 2007 according to traditional Hindu rites of the Bunt community, to which she belongs. Token North Indian and Bengali ceremonies were also performed. The wedding took place in a private ceremony at the Bachchan residence, "Prateeksha", in Juhu, Mumbai. They have been described as a supercouple in the Indian media. Rai is very close to her family and lived with them in Bandra, Mumbai, until her marriage. Rai is Hindu and deeply religious.

Rai gave birth to a baby girl on 16 November 2011. Her daughter became quite popular by the name of "Beti B" which was christened by the fans and the media, since the couple took over four months to name their daughter. The baby girl was finally named as Aaradhya Bachchan in March 2012.

Awards and honours

Aishwarya Rai is a two-time winner of the Filmfare Best Actress Award, and has been nominated for Filmfare Awards eleven times. She has won numerous times at the International Indian Film Academy Awards, Star Screen Awards, Zee Cine Awards, and others. In 2009 Rai was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest Indian civilian award, for her contributions to Indian cinema. In 2001 Forbes named Rai among the top five Indian movie stars. In a reader poll conducted by UK's ''Hello!'' magazine, she was voted "the most attractive woman of 2003". In the same year, Rai appeared in ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's annual "Hot List". In 2004 she was chosen by ''TIME'' magazine as one of the world's most influential people, and appeared on the cover of its 2003 Asia edition. In October 2004 a wax figure of Rai was put on display in London's Madame Tussaud's wax museum. She was the sixth Indian and the second Bollywood personality—after her father-in-law, Amitabh Bachchan—to get this honour. In 2007 the same figure was displayed at Madame Tussaud's Museum in Times Square in New York.

In 2005 she was the subject of a ''60 Minutes'' profile on , which said that "at least according to thousands of Web sites, Internet polls and even Julia Roberts", she was "the world's most beautiful woman". The same year, a tulip in the Netherlands was named "''Aishwarya Rai''" after her. Also in 2005, Mattel released a limited edition of Barbie dolls of Aishwarya Rai in the United Kingdom. The British magazine ''Maxim'' ranked Rai first on their list of "Hottest Women of India".

Rai appeared on such shows as ''Late Show with David Letterman'', and was the first Bollywood personality to appear on ''Oprah's'' "Women Across the Globe" segment. In 2005 Harpers and Queen's list of "Most Beautiful Women in The World" ranked her ninth. In May 2006 Aishwarya was featured in ''People Magazine'' as one of the "World's Most Beautiful People". The UK magazine ''Eastern Eye'' ranked her third in the list of "Asia's Sexiest Women" in 2006, and she was ranked eighth in 2009. In 2008 American television channel E!: Entertainment listed Aishwarya's eyes as the sexiest on their Sexiest Body Parts list. In 2009 she made appearances on Martha Stewart's show ''Martha'' and on the ''The Tyra Banks Show''. In the same year Forbes listed Rai at 387th out of 1,411 actors on their list of the most bankable stars in Hollywood. She is the highest-ranked Indian actor on the list.

In 2009, Rai refused to accept the second-highest Order Of France, ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'', as her father was suffering from a serious illness, and she wanted her whole family to attend the award ceremony. She is the fourth Indian actor—after Sivaji Ganesan, Nandita Das, and Shahrukh Khan—to be chosen for the award. Amitabh Bachchan was chosen for another Order Of France, the Legion of Honour. In June 2009 she was declared the ''Female Star of The Decade'' at the tenth International Indian Film Academy Awards, held in Macau. In December 2010 she was declared the "Actress of the Decade" at the BIG Star Entertainment Awards. In March 2011 Rai was honoured by Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa at World Kannada Meet (Vishwa Kannada Sammelana) for her contributions to the arts. Later that month she was presented with the "Decade of Global Achievement Honour" by FICCI. She attended the 83rd Academy Awards, along with her husband, Abhishek.

Filmography

scope="col"	Year	Title	Language	Role	Notes
1997	''Iruvar''		Pushpa / Kalpana
1997	''Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya''		Ashi Kapoor
1998		Tamil	Madhumita	Dubbed into Telugu and Hindi with the same title
1999	''Aa Ab Laut Chalen''	Hindi	Pooja
1999	''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam''	Hindi	Nandini	Filmfare Best Actress Award
1999	''Ravoyi Chandamama''			Special appearance
1999		Hindi	Mansi
2000		Hindi	Champakali	Guest appearance
2000	''Kandukondain Kandukondain''	Tamil	Meenakshi Bala	Dubbed into Telugu as ''Priyuralu Pilichindi''
2000		Hindi	Shirley
2000	''Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai''	Hindi	Preeti Virat	Nominated—Filmfare Best Actress Award
2000	''Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke''	Hindi	Sahiba Grewal
scope="row">2000	''Mohabbatein''	Hindi	Megha	Nominated—Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award
2001		Hindi	Sonia
2002	''Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam''	Hindi	Suman	Guest appearance
2002		Hindi	Komal Rastogi
scope="row">2002	''23 March 1931: Shaheed''	Hindi		Special appearance
2002		Hindi	Parvati (Paro)	Filmfare Best Actress Award
2002		Hindi	Herself	Special appearance in song "Ishq Kamina"
2003			Binodhini
2003	''Dil Ka Rishta''	Hindi	Tia Sharma
2003	''Kuch Naa Kaho''	Hindi	Namrata Shrivastav
2004	''Bride & Prejudice''	English	Lalita Bakshi	Dubbed into Hindi as ''Balle Balle Amritsar to LA''
2004	''Khakee''	Hindi	Mahalakshmi
2004	''Kyun...! Ho Gaya Na''	Hindi	Diya Malhotra
2004		Hindi	Neerja	Nominated—Filmfare Best Actress Award
2005		Hindi	Antara Vashist/Tammana
2005	''Bunty Aur Babli''	Hindi		Special appearance in the song "Kajra Re"
2005		English	Tilo
2006		Hindi	Umrao Jaan
2006	''Dhoom 2''	Hindi	Sunehri	Nominated—Filmfare Best Actress Award
2007		Hindi	Sujata	Nominated—Filmfare Best Actress AwardDubbed into 2007		English	[[Kiranjit Ahluwalia">Tamil language
2007		English	[[Kiranjit Ahluwalia	Dubbed into Hindi with the same title
2007	''The Last Legion''	English	Mira
2008	''Jodhaa Akbar''	Hindi	Mariam-uz-Zamani>Jodhaa Bai	Nominated—Filmfare Best Actress AwardDubbed into 2008	''[[Sarkar Raj">Tamil language
2008	''[[Sarkar Raj''	Hindi	Anita Rajan
2009	''The Pink Panther 2''	English	Sonia Solandres	Dubbed into French as ''La Pantera Rosa 2''
2010	''Raavan''	Hindi	Ragini Sharma
2010	''Raavanan''	Tamil	Ragini Subramaniam
2010	''Enthiran''	Tamil	Sana
2010	''Action Replayy''	Hindi	Mala
2010	''Guzaarish''	Hindi	Sofia D'Souza	Nominated—Filmfare Best Actress Award

See also

List of Indian film actresses

References

Further reading

External links

}}

Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:Femina Miss India winners Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Indian female models Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian Hindus Category:Mangaloreans Category:Miss World 1994 delegates Category:Miss World winners Category:Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Category:People from Mangalore Category:People from Mumbai Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:Tulu people Category:University of Mumbai alumni

ar:آيشواريا راي az:Ayşvariya Ray bn:ঐশ্বর্যা রাই br:Aishwarya Rai bg:Айшвария Рай ca:Aishwarya Rai cs:Aishwarya Rai de:Aishwarya Rai dv:އައިޝްވާރިޔާ ރާއީ es:Aishwarya Rai eo:Aishwarya Rai fa:آیشواریا رای fr:Aishwarya Rai gu:ઐશ્વર્યા રાય hi:ऐश्वर्या राय id:Aishwarya Rai it:Aishwarya Rai he:אישווריה ראי jv:Aishwarya Rai kn:ಐಶ್ವರ್ಯಾ ರೈ ka:აიშვარია რაი kk:Айшвария Рай Баччан ky:Айшвария Рай sw:Aishwarya Rai ku:Aishwarya Rai lt:Aishwarya Rai hu:Aisvarja Rai ml:ഐശ്വര്യ റായ് mr:ऐश्वर्या राय ms:Aishwarya Rai nl:Aishwarya Rai ne:ऐश्वर्या राय ja:アイシュワリヤー・ラーイ no:Aishwarya Rai pnb:ایشوریہ راۓ ps:اېشواريه رای pl:Aishwarya Rai pt:Aishwarya Rai ro:Aishwarya Rai ru:Рай, Айшвария sa:ऐश्वर्या रै sq:Aishwarya Rai simple:Aishwarya Rai sr:Ајшварија Рај sh:Aishwarya Rai fi:Aishwarya Rai sv:Aishwarya Rai ta:ஐஸ்வர்யா ராய் (நடிகை) te:ఐశ్వర్యా రాయ్ th:ไอศวรรยา ราย tg:Айшвария Рай tr:Aishwarya Rai uk:Айшварія Рай vi:Aishwarya Rai wuu:阿西华丫 yo:Aishwarya Rai zh:艾西瓦娅·巴克罕

birth name	Diane Heidkrüger
birth date	July 15, 1976
birth place	Algermissen, Germany
occupation	Actress and Model
spouse	Guillaume Canet (m. 2001–06; divorced)
partner	Joshua Jackson (2006-present)
years active	2001–present}}

Diane Kruger (born 15 July 1976) is a German actress and former fashion model. She is known for roles such as Helen in ''Troy'', Dr. Abigail Chase in ''National Treasure'' and its sequel, Bridget von Hammersmark in ''Inglourious Basterds'', Anna in ''Mr. Nobody'', and Gina in ''Unknown''.

Early life

She was born as Diane Heidkrüger in Algermissen, Germany, near Hildesheim, the daughter of a computer specialist Hans-Heinrich Heidkrüger, and his wife, Maria-Theresa, a bank employee. She was raised Roman Catholic and attended Catholic school.

She was raised in Germany with her younger brother, Stefan. Her mother sent her to student exchange programs when she was a teenager to improve her English. As a child, Kruger wanted to become a ballerina and successfully auditioned for the Royal Ballet School in London. However, after an injury ended her ballet career prematurely, Kruger moved to Paris and turned her energy toward modeling. And also to learn French.

Acting career

Kruger soon became interested in acting and took lessons at the Cours Florent. She landed some small appearances in several French films. She made her onscreen debut in 2002, opposite Dennis Hopper and Christopher Lambert in ''The Piano Player'', a TV-movie by Jean-Pierre Roux. Her first major role was the same year when she starred in her then husband's directorial debut ''Mon Idole''.

She played Julie Wood in 2003's ''Michel Valliant'' and Lisa in ''Wicker Park'' (2004), alongside Josh Hartnett and Rose Byrne. One of her more high-profile roles to date is her portrayal of Helen of Sparta in Wolfgang Petersen's epic ''Troy''. She was ranked 50th on the ''Maxim'' Hot 100 Women of 2005. In 2004, Kruger starred with Nicolas Cage and Sean Bean (who co-starred with her in ''Troy'') in the film ''National Treasure'', going on to appear in movies ''Joyeux Noël'' (2005) and ''Copying Beethoven'' (2006). She reprised her role as Dr. Abigail Chase in ''National Treasure: Book of Secrets'', released in December 2007.

Kruger was the hostess of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

Kruger was a jury member of the 58th Berlin International Film Festival in 2008. The festival is chaired by Costa Gavras.

In 2009, she co-starred as a German actress turned Axis saboteur in Quentin Tarantino's film ''Inglourious Basterds''. Kruger starred in 2011 in the Liam Neeson film ''Unknown'' alongside January Jones.

In December 2009, she announced the nominations of the 67th Golden Globe Awards and also picked up nominations from the Screen Actors Guild for Best Supporting Actress and Outstanding Performance by a Cast of a Motion Picture for her role in ''Inglourious Basterds''.

Kruger played Anna in Jaco Van Dormael's ''Mr. Nobody'', which was mostly funded through European financiers, and was given limited release in certain countries in 2010. Critical response has praised the film's artistry and Kruger's acting. She was nominated the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 66th Venice International Film Festival for her performance.

Kruger made a cameo appearance in an April 2010 episode of the Fox show ''Fringe'', in which her boyfriend, actor Joshua Jackson is a star. In 2010, Kruger also appeared in Mark Ronson's music video for "Somebody to Love Me", where she plays Boy George. In 2011, it was announced that she had replaced Eva Green in the role of Marie Antoinette in the French-language film, ''Les Adieux à la Reine''.

In 2012, she was named as a member of the Jury for the Main Competition at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

Endorsements

Kruger is a brand ambassador for watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre. In December 2009, she was announced as the global spokesmodel for L'Oréal.

It was announced in May 2010 that she would become the latest face for Calvin Klein's newest fragrance line, Beauty.

Personal life

She married French actor and director Guillaume Canet on 1 September 2001. They acted together in 2005's ''Joyeux Noël'', but divorced in 2006. She has been in a relationship with Joshua Jackson since 2006. During an interview with magazine ''Glamour'', she said, "Without sounding pessimistic, I learned that I don't believe in marriage. I believe in a commitment that you make in your heart. There's no paper that will make you stay. A guy friend of mine said, and it made a lot of sense, that people should get married at the end of the road, not the beginning."

Besides German, Kruger speaks English and French fluently. She is a friend of fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. Kruger divides her time between Paris and Vancouver.

Filmography

Notes
2001	''Point de lendemain''		Short subject
2002	''Duelles''	Sabine	TV episode, Mauvaise conduite
2002	''The Piano Player''	Erika
2002	''Ni pour ni contre (bien au contraire)''	The call-girl
2002	''Mon Idole''	Clara Broustal
2003		Julie Wood
2004
2004		Lisa
2004
2004		Abigail Chase	Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
2005	''Joyeux Noël''	Anna Sorensen
2005	''Frankie''	Frankie
2006		Constance Radetsky
2006		Anna Holtz
2007	''Goodbye Bafana''	Gloria Gregory
2007		Véronica Star
2007		Mirjana
2007	''National Treasure: Book of Secrets''	Abigail Chase
2008	''Anything for Her''	Lisa
2009	''Inglourious Basterds''	Bridget von Hammersmark	Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best CastGoldene Kamera
2010		Anna	Nominated—[[Stockholm International Film Festival
2010	''Inhale''		post-production
2010		Miranda Green	TV episode
2010		[[Boy George
2010		Clara
2011		Gina
2011	''Forces spéciales''	Elsa
2012	''Farewell, My Queen''
2013		The Seeker
2014	''National Treasure 3''	Abigail Chase

Awards

2003: Cannes Film Festival, Chopard Trophy for Female Revelation – Won

2004: Bambi Award for Career – Won

2005: Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for National Treasure – Nominated

2010: Golden Camera for Best International Actress for Inglourious Basterds – Won

References

External links

Diane Kruger at Fascination

Diane Kruger at AskMen

Category:1976 births Category:21st-century actors Category:German expatriates in Canada Category:German expatriates in France Category:German female models Category:German film actors Category:German Roman Catholics Category:German television actors Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People educated at the Royal Ballet School Category:People from Hildesheim

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name	Ewan McGregor
birth name	Ewan Gordon McGregor
birth date	March 31, 1971
birth place	Perth, Scotland
occupation	Actor
years active	1993–present
spouse	Eve Mavrakis (1995–present)
children	4 }}

Ewan Gordon McGregor (born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor who has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. He is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama ''Trainspotting'' (1996), Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the ''Star Wars'' prequel trilogy (1999–2005), poet Christian in the musical film ''Moulin Rouge!'' (2001), and storyteller Edward Bloom in Tim Burton's ''Big Fish'' (2003). He has also received critical acclaim for his starring roles in theatre productions of ''Guys and Dolls'' (2005–07) and ''Othello'' (2007–08). McGregor was ranked No. 36 on ''Empire'' magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list in 1997.

Early life

Born in the Royal Infirmary in Perth, Scotland, McGregor was brought up in the nearby small town of Crieff, where he attended the independent Morrison's Academy. His mother, Carole Diane (née Lawson), is a teacher and school administrator, and his father, James Charles Stewart "Jim" McGregor, is a physical education teacher. He has an older brother, Colin, who is a former Tornado GR4 pilot in the Royal Air Force. He is the nephew of actor Denis Lawson and the late actress Sheila Gish, and the step-cousin of the late actress Lou Gish. McGregor studied drama at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 1994, McGregor earned critical praise for his performance in the thriller ''Shallow Grave'', for which he won an Empire Award, and which marked his first collaboration with director Danny Boyle. In 2001, he starred in ''Moulin Rouge!'' as the young poet Christian, who falls in love with the terminally-ill courtesan Satine, played by Nicole Kidman. McGregor reprised his role of Obi-Wan Kenobi for the subsequent prequel ''Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'' in 2002. In 2003, he starred alongside Renée Zellweger in ''Down With Love'',

In 2005, McGregor appeared for the final time as Obi-Wan Kenobi in ''Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith''. He took very special care—especially in ''Revenge of the Sith''—to ensure that his portrayal of Obi-Wan's mannerisms, speech timings, and accents closely resembled Alec Guinness' version. That same year, McGregor lent his voice to two successful animated features; he played the robot Rodney Copperbottom in ''Robots'', which also featured the voices of Halle Berry and Robin Williams, and he voiced the lead character in Gary Chapman's ''Valiant'', alongside Jim Broadbent, John Cleese and Ricky Gervais. Also in 2005, McGregor played two roles—one a clone of the other—opposite Scarlett Johansson in Michael Bay's ''The Island'', and he appeared in Marc Forster's ''Stay'', a psychological thriller co-starring Naomi Watts and Ryan Gosling.

McGregor was offered the role of James Bond in the 2006 reboot ''Casino Royale'', but he turned it down because he feared becoming typecast. In 2006, he narrated the Fulldome production ''Astronaut'', created for the National Space Centre. That same year, he also narrated the STV show ''JetSet'', a six-part series following the lives of student pilots and navigators at RAF Lossiemouth as they undergo a gruelling six-month course learning to fly the Tornado GR4, the RAF's primary attack aircraft. In 2007, McGregor starred opposite Colin Farrell in the Woody Allen film ''Cassandra's Dream''. In 2009, he co-starred with Jim Carrey in ''I Love You Phillip Morris'' and appeared in ''Amelia'' alongside Hilary Swank. Also in 2009, he portrayed Camerlengo Patrick McKenna in ''Angels & Demons'', the film adaptation of Dan Brown's novel of the same name. McGregor is scheduled to co-star with Daniel Craig in Dan Harris' upcoming film adaptation of Glen Duncan's novel ''I, Lucifer''.

In 2012, he was named as a member of the Jury for the Main Competition at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

Theatre

From November 1998 to March 1999, McGregor starred as Malcolm Scrawdyke in a production of David Halliwell's ''Little Malcolm and His Struggles Against the Eunuchs'', directed by his uncle, Denis Lawson. The play was first staged at the Hampstead Theatre before transferring to the Comedy Theatre in London's West End. In November 2001, McGregor made a cameo appearance in ''The Play What I Wrote''.

From June 2005 to April 2007, McGregor starred alongside Jane Krakowski, Douglas Hodge, and Jenna Russell in the original Donmar Warehouse production of ''Guys and Dolls'' at the Piccadilly Theatre in London. He played the leading role of Sky Masterson, made famous by Marlon Brando in the film of the same name. McGregor received the LastMinute.com award for Best Actor for his performance in 2005, and he was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2007.

From December 2007 to February 2008, McGregor starred as Iago in ''Othello'' at the Donmar Warehouse alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor as Othello and Kelly Reilly as Desdemona. He reprised the role on BBC Radio 3 in May 2008.

Motorcycle journeys

A keen motorcyclist since his youth, McGregor undertook a marathon international motorcycle trip with his best friend Charley Boorman and cameraman Claudio von Planta in 2004. From mid-April to the end of July, they travelled from London to New York via central Europe, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberian Russia, and Canada on BMW R1150GS Adventure motorcycles, for a cumulative distance of 22,345 miles (35,960 km). The trip formed the basis of a television series and a best-selling book, both called ''Long Way Round''.

The ''Long Way Round'' team reunited in 2007 for another motorcycle trip from John o' Groats in Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa. The journey, entitled ''Long Way Down'', lasted from 12 May until 5 August 2007. McGregor's brother Colin joined the motorcycle team during the early stages of the ''Long Way Down'' journey, and his father Jim also rode on sections of both ''Long Way Round'' and ''Long Way Down''.

In September 2010, Charley Boorman stated that a third installment of the ''Long Way'' series was planned for 2011, riding from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska; this has not taken place, however.

McGregor appeared in a two-part BBC documentary in April 2012 entitled ''Ewan McGregor: Cold Chain Mission'' in which he travels by motorbike, boat, plane and foot to deliver vaccines to children in remote parts of India, Nepal and the Republic of Congo. The trip was part of his work as a UNICEF Ambassador.

Personal life

McGregor is married to Eve Mavrakis, a French production designer. and Anouk. (born January 2011). McGregor has a heart and dagger tattoo of the names of his wife and daughters on his right arm. The family currently resides in Los Angeles, California, after moving from London.

McGregor is involved in charity work, including with UNICEF and GO Campaign. During the ''Long Way Round'' journey in 2004, McGregor and his travelling companions took time out to see some of UNICEF's work in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia, and during the ''Long Way Down'' trip in 2007, he and Charley Boorman did work for UNICEF in Africa. McGregor hosted the annual Hollywood gala for GO Campaign in 2009 and 2010. He has also worked with the Children's Hospice Association Scotland, as featured in ''Long Way Down''. In 2012 McGregor travelled with UNICEF immunisation workers to remote parts of India, Nepal and the Republic of Congo for a BBC2 documentary entitled ''Ewan McGregor: Cold Chain Mission''.

In 2007, on an episode of ''Parkinson'', McGregor stated that he had given up alcohol after a period where he was arguably a functioning alcoholic, and that he had not had a drink in seven years. In 2008, he had a cancerous mole removed from underneath his right eye.

Filmography

+ Film
Title	Year	Role	Notes
! scope="row"	1994	Alvarez
''Shallow Grave''	1994	Alex Law
''Blue Juice''	1995	Dean Raymond
! scope="row"	1996	Mark Renton
''''	1996	Jerome
! scope="row"	1996	Frank Churchill
''Brassed Off''	1996	Andy Barrow
! scope="row"	1997	Martin Bells
''''	1997	Meneer Chrome
''''	1997	Robert Lewis	''[[Velvet Goldmine">Empire Awards
''[[Velvet Goldmine''	1998	Curt Wild
! scope="row"	1998	Billy	Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
! scope="row"	1999	Stroller	Short film
! scope="row"	1999	Obi-Wan Kenobi	Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite ActorNominated— Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Action/Science FictionNominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (shared with Liam Neeson and Ray Park)Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
! scope="row"	1999	Nick Leeson
! scope="row"	1999	The Eye
! scope="row"	2000	James Joyce
''Moulin Rouge!''	2001	Christian	Empire Award for Best British ActorLondon Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actor of the YearMTV Movie Award for Best Musical Sequence (shared with Nicole Kidman)Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated—Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading RoleNominated—Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best ActorNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated—IF Award for Best ActorNominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Nicole Kidman)Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
! scope="row"	2001	SPC John Grimes	Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
! scope="row"	2002	Obi-Wan Kenobi	Nominated-MTV Movie Award for Best Hero
! scope="row"	2002	Phil
''Down with Love''	2003	Catcher Block
! scope="row"	2003	Joe Taylor	BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor in a Leading RoleNominated—British Independent Film Award for Best ActorNominated—Empire Award for Best British Actor
! scope="row"	2003	Narrator	Voice
''Big Fish''	2003	Edward Bloom (young)
! scope="row"	2005	Rodney Copperbottom	Voice
! scope="row"	2005	Obi-Wan Kenobi	Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best HeroNominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (shared with Hayden Christensen)
! scope="row"	2005	Valiant	Voice
''''	2005	Lincoln Six Echo/Tom Lincoln
! scope="row"	2005	Dr. Sam Foster
! scope="row"	2006	Ian Rider
''Scenes of a Sexual Nature''	2006	Billy
''Miss Potter''	2006	Norman Warne
''Cassandra's Dream''	2007	Ian Blane
! scope="row"	2008	Jasper Black
! scope="row"	2008	Jonathan McQuarry
''I Love You Phillip Morris''	2009	Phillip Morris
! scope="row"	2009	Camerlengo Patrick McKenna
''''	2009	Bob Wilton
! scope="row"	2009	Gene Vidal
''''	2010	GhostWriter	European Film Award for Best Actor
''Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang''	2010	Rory Green	Cameo
''Jackboots on Whitehall''	2010	Chris	Voice
''Beginners''	2010	Oliver
''Perfect Sense''	2011	Michael
! scope="row"	2011	Narrator	Voice
! scope="row"	2011	Kenneth
''Salmon Fishing in the Yemen''	2012	Dr. Alfred Jones
''''	2012	Henry	In production
! scope="row"	2013	Elmont	In production

+ Television
Title	Year	Role	Notes
''Lipstick on Your Collar''	1993	PVT Mick Hopper	Six episodes
! scope="row"	1993	Julien Sorel	Mini-series
''Kavanagh QC''	1995	David Robert Armstrong	Episode: "Nothing But the Truth"
! scope="row"	1996	Young Man	Episode: "Tuesday"
! scope="row"	1996	Ford
! scope="row"	1997	Duncan Stewart	Episode: " ''''	2002	Himself	Documentary series
''[[Long Way Round">ER (season 3)
''''	2002	Himself	Documentary series
''[[Long Way Round''	2004	Himself	Documentary series
! scope="row"	2007	Himself	Documentary series
''''	2010	Himself	Documentary
''''	2012	Himself	Documentary
''''	2012	Himself	Documentary
''The Corrections''	2013	Chip Lambert	Canceled

Discography

"Choose Life" with PF Project, ''Trainspotting#2: Music from the Motion Picture, Vol. #2'', 1997.

"TV Eye" with Wylde Ratttz, ''Velvet Goldmine: Music from the Original Motion Picture'', 1999.

"Come What May" with Nicole Kidman, ''Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film'', 2001.

"Elephant Love Medley" with Nicole Kidman, ''Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film'', 2001.

"Your Song" with Alessandro Safina, ''Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film'', 2001.

"Here's To Love" with Renée Zellweger, ''Down With Love: Music from and Included in the Motion Picture'', 2003.

"The Sweetest Gift", ''Unexpected Dreams – Songs From the Stars'', 2006.

"El Tango de Roxanne" with Jose Feliciano, ''Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film'', 2001.

References

Further reading

Adams, Billy. ''Ewan McGregor: The Unauthorized Biography''. Overlooks Press, 1999. ISBN 0879517042

Bassom, David. ''Ewan McGregor: An Illustrated Story''. Hamlyn, 1999. ISBN 0600596532

Jones, Veda Boyd. ''Ewan McGregor''. Facts On File Inc., 1999. ISBN 0791055019

Nickson, Chris. ''Ewan McGregor: An Unauthorized Biography''. Macmillan, 1999. ISBN 0312969104

Pendreigh, Brian. ''Ewan McGregor''. Thunder's Mouth Press, 1999. ISBN 1560252391

Robb, Brian J. ''Ewan McGregor: From Junkie to Jedi''. Plexus, 1999. ISBN 0859652769

External links

Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:People from Perth, Scotland Category:Scottish expatriates in the United States Category:Scottish actors Category:Scottish film actors Category:Scottish television actors Category:Scottish stage actors Category:Scottish voice actors Category:Scottish musical theatre actors Category:Scottish male singers Category:Best British Actor Empire Award winners Category:European Film Award for Best Actor winners Category:Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Category:Long distance motorcycle riding Category:Skin cancer survivors Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics

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