Biography

Often plays characters named Hélène

Icy, unemotional acting style

Often plays adulterous women

Often the screen wife or lover of Jean-Pierre Cassel

Drawled vowels; frequent aahing and oohing between sentences

During the shooting of Bluebeard (1963), producer Carlo Ponti was so appalled by her performance that he asked 'who's that slut who's playing Fernande?' Claude Chabrol (who was already engaged to Audran) slapped Ponti in the face and screamed 'that's my woman!' Claude and Stéphane married one year later.

Jean-Louis Trintignant stated that he was a bit embarrassed when he had to film his erotic scenes with ex-wife Audran in Les Biches (1968) right under the eyes of Stéphane's new husband, Claude Chabrol.

While she was shooting The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972), her husband Claude Chabrol (a great gourmet) used to prepare some delicious dishes that she would bring on the set and share with members of the cast and crew.

To cast the role of Babette Hersant in Babette's Feast (1987), director Gabriel Axel had made a list of 50 actresses, one of them being Audran. He eventually started to strongly consider her because he felt she possessed a natural Parisian way of doing things - such as walking or opening doors- that would have created the right contrast between Babette and the Danish characters. With Catherine Deneuve being his other dream pick, Axel eventually cast Audran thanks to the advice of her ex-husband, Claude Chabrol.

Friends with Karl Lagerfeld, who often designed her clothes.

[on her approach to characters] Until I have the clothing, I don't know who the character is.

[reflecting on her career] I have not made a career; I have not given that much thought. When I first started, I just wanted to be a good actress. My voice was wrong; I could not move around, I tried to improve with lessons. Then I was lucky enough to meet [Claude] Chabrol.

[on Gabriel Axel] Gabriel's enthusiastic, like an enchanted child, and that is very stimulating. There is no fear. He eases you into a state of total confidence. Actors, we're like children, you know. And he had such a love for this subject, there was necessarily a great joy in working with him to make Babette come alive.

[on Luis Buñuel] Buñuel was a child. A naughty child, a rascal.

[on her relationship with Luis Buñuel] If I could have met him during the war, and if I were 18 or 20, he could have made me turn my family into the Nazis. He could do whatever he wanted. I was fascinated by him, I would have done anything he told me to. It was scary.