Souad Amidou
Birth Name: Souâd Benmessaoud
Birth Date: 1959-07-04
Birth Place: Nanterre, Seine [now Hauts-de-Seine], France
Details
Alternate Names: Souad Ben Hessaoud, Souad Hamidou
Physical Characteristics: N/A
Career
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Full Biography
Born on July 4, 1959, in Nanterre, France, Souad Amidou is a versatile actress and filmmaker of Moroccan descent who has maintained a prominent presence in French cinema for over six decades. The daughter of the acclaimed actor Amidou, she began her career as a child, most notably portraying the young daughter of Anouk Aimée in Claude Lelouch's Oscar-winning masterpiece A Man and a Woman (1966).
Her adult breakthrough came in 1982 with Francis Girod’s drama "Le Grand Frère" (The Big Brother), where she starred as Zina Khelifa alongside Gérard Depardieu. This performance earned her a César Award nomination for Most Promising Actress in 1983 and was culturally significant as she was the first woman of North African origin to share top billing with a major French star like Depardieu.
Throughout the 1980s and beyond, Amidou built a diverse filmography, appearing in Steven Spielberg's Munich (2005) and collaborating frequently with directors such as Lelouch, returning to her iconic childhood role in the sequels A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later (1986) and The Best Years of a Life (2019). In addition to her acting work, she has expanded her artistic range into directing and screenwriting, with her short film Rendez-vous avec Ninette receiving critical acclaim at various film festivals. Recognized for her contributions to French culture, she was awarded the Legion of Honour in 2008. Amidou remains active in the 2020s, with recent credits including roles in Adieu les cons (2020) and the 2024 film 4 Zéros.
