Mathilda May

A deep-tanned, brown-eyed beauty whose background in ballet lends her a certain onscreen elegance unrivaled by many of her contemporaries, actress Mathilda May has lit up the screens of French cinema since the early '80s. Though international success has consistently eluded her through the years, the alluring actress has received some limited stateside exposure thanks to her turn as a seductive vampire in Lifeforce (1985) and a Basque terrorist in the Bruce Willis thriller The Jackal (1997). Since her film debut in the 1984 fantasy Nemo, the Paris native has gone on to appear in movies by such acclaimed directors as Claude Chabrol (Le Cri du Hibou), Werner Herzog (Scream of Stone), and Jacques Demy (Trois Places Pour le 26) -- all to stunning effect. An actress who is unafraid to bare her body for the screen, May's filmography possesses a substantial amount of erotic fare, though the talented actress has also proven herself equally adept at comedy and drama. After winning the César for most promising actress for her performance in Le Cri du Hibou, May's career has only gained momentum in her native France. In her later years, May widened her aspirations, and in addition to feature films, she frequently appears on television. In 2003, May joined the cast of the popular French drama Soyez Prudents.... ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide