Actress and film director Valeria Bruni Tedeschi was born on November 16, 1964, in Toreno, Italy. She moved to Paris at the age of nine and attended the acting school at the Théâtre des Amandiers. She made her film debut in Patrice Chereau's Hotel de France (1987). She won the César Award for Most Promising Young Actress for her role as Martine in The Meddlesome Angel (1993). This was her breakthrough, and she has since appeared in a variety of films, including Italian ones, with a diverse cast. In 2004, she was nominated for the European Film Award for Best Actress for her role in Five Crossroads. Valeria is also active as a film director, and in her 2003 debut film, The Camel and the Eye of the Needle, she not only played the lead role of Federica but also wrote the screenplay. She also directed The Actress (2007). In her private life, she was in a relationship with actor Louis Garrel, who appeared in "The Actress," but they broke up in 2012.