Fanny Ardant

Ardant has appeared in more than fifty motion pictures. Retired from acting, she lives in Maine. It opened the 14th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival on January 9, 2003. In the 1984-1985 season she was replaced by Donna Reed because of Bel Geddes's heart surgery. Fluent in English, Ardant has starred in several Hollywood and British films. Her latest film in English, produced by Franco Zeffirelli, is Callas Forever, in which she portrays opera diva Maria Callas. From 1978 to 1991, Bel Geddes played Miss Ellie Ewing Farlow on the prime time soap opera Dallas. She proved her versatility, playing a comedic role in Pédale douce for which she won the 1997 Cesar Award for Best Actress. Her career restarted when Alfred Hitchcock cast her in four episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents as well as an important role in the movie Vertigo (1958).

Initially, her youthful beauty brought popularity but over time her sophistication and acting skills have made her one of France's most admired actresses. However, the House Unamerican Activities Committee investigations essentially ended her film career. The film, directed by François Truffaut, brought Ardant her first Cesar Award nomination for best actress in 1982 and in 1984 she was nominated again for Vivement dimanche! Eventually she became Truffaut's companion, giving birth to their daughter, Joséphine, on September 28, 1983. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for I Remember Mama (1948). By the early 1980s she was a major motion picture star, gaining international recognition for her role opposite Gérard Depardieu in La Femme d'à côté (The Woman Next Door). Her film career began with 1947's The Long Night. In her early twenties her interest turned to acting and in 1974 she made her first appearance on stage. Her most notable stage performance was originating the role of Maggie in Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on Broadway in 1955.

She grew up in Monaco until age 17 when she moved to Aix-en-Provence to attend university. Bel Geddes, the daughter of architect Norman Bel Geddes, began as stage actress. Fanny Marguerite Judith Ardant (born March 22, 1949 in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, France) is a French actress. Barbara Bel Geddes (born October 31, 1922) is an American actress. The Woman Next Door (La Femme d'à côté) - (1981). Confidentially Yours - (1983).

Swann in Love - (1984). Next Summer - (1986). Conseil De Famille - (1986). La Famiglia (The Family) - (1987).

Afraid of the Dark - (1991). Colonel Chabert - (1994). Beyond the Clouds - (1995). Pédale douce - (1996).

Ridicule - (1996). Elizabeth - (1998). Balzac: A Life of Passion (1999). Le Libertin - (2001).

No News from God (Sin noticias de Dios) - (2002). 8 Women - (2002). Callas Forever - (2002). Nathalie... - (2003).

L'Odeur du sang - (2004). El Año del diluvio - (2004).