Vanessa Paradis Biography

Vanessa Paradis was born on December 22, 1972, in Saint-Maur-des-Fosses, France, to André and Corinne Paradis. Both her parents were interior designers.

Paradis developed love for singing early in her life. In fact, her singing career started at the age of seven when her uncle, who was a record producer, got her on the famous French TV show ‘L’Ecole Des Fans’ (The School of Fans).

At the age of 11, Paradis recorded her first single ‘La Magie des surprises-parties’ in 1983. This got her an opportunity to perform at the Italian festival in the ensuing years.

In 1987, she released ‘Joe le taxi,’ which became an international hit. It was No. one in France for 11 weeks. In the following year, her debut album ‘M&J’ (Marilyn & John) released.

As a result of her progressing singing career, Paradis left school and concentrated on her career. She released ‘Variations sur le meme t’aime’ in 1990. In the same year, she acted in ‘Noce Blanche’ and won a ‘César Award.’

In 1991, she became the face of Chanel’s fragrance ‘Coco.’ She famously wore a black feathered costume for the advert, which was shot by Jean-Paul Goude.

She moved to America in 1992 to work on her next album with Lenny Kravitz, which was to be released in English. The album, which was titled ‘Vanessa Paradis,’ topped the French charts and also got featured on the UK listings.

Paradis spent her subsequent years by performing in her international tour titled ‘Natural High Tour’ in France, England, and Canada. She released her first live album titled ‘Live.’ She also starred in the French movie ‘Elisa’ (1994).

In the late-1990s, Paradis explored her acting career by working in movies like ‘Un amour de sorcière’ (1997), ‘Une chance sur deux’ (1998), and ‘La fille sur le Pont’ (1999).

After modeling for ‘Chanel’ during the early-2000s, Paradis released her new album ‘Divinidylle’ in 2007, which was released in the UK. She won two 'Les Victoires de la Musique' awards for this album.

In 2010, Paradis released an acoustic album titled ‘Une nuit à Versailles,’ which she had recorded at ‘L'Opéra’ of the Palace of Versailles during her ‘Vanessa Paradis Concert Acoustique Tour.’ She also became the face of Chanel’s new lipstick ‘Rouge Coco.’

She starred in the film ‘Café de Flore’ in 2011. The movie was directed by the Canadian film director Jean-Marc Vallee. She won a ‘Genie Award’ for her role of a single mother with a child suffering from Down’s syndrome.

Paradis released ‘Love Songs,’ a double LP produced by French singer and producer Benjamin Biolay, in 2013. People who had contributed to the lyrics of the album are Biolay, Mickaël Furnon, Johnny Depp, Paradis herself, and her daughter Lily-Rose.

Paradis co-starred in a horror comedy film titled ‘Yoga Hosers’ with her daughter Lily-Rose in 2016. At the 2016 'Cannes Film Festival,' she was part of the main competition jury.

Paradis’ career as a singer and actor has been very successful. She has released seven studio albums with ‘Les Sources’ being the latest album. She has acted in several movies and won awards for some of her memorable performance.

Paradis has won many awards, such as ‘Cesar Award,’ ‘Prix Romy Schneider,’ ‘Victoire de la Musique Awards,’ ‘Genie Award,’ ‘Jutra Award,’ ‘Cabourg Romantic Film Festival Award,’ etc. She has also been honored with ‘Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.’

Paradis dated French singer Florent Pagny from 1988 to 1991. She later dated celebrities like Lenny Kravitz and French-Slovenian actor Stanislas Merhar.

She was in a relationship with American actor Johnny Depp from 1998 to 2012. They have a daughter named Lily-Rose Melody Depp and a son named John Christopher ‘Jack’ Depp.

Vanessa was in a relationship with French singer Benjamin Biolay. They separated in 2015. The following year, she started dating Samuel Benchetrit whom she married in 2018 in the small French town of Saint-Simeon.

She and Johnny Depp used to reside in the Hollywood Hills and on a farm in Southern France. They also owned apartments in Paris, Manhattan, and the Bahamas.

Her look-alike puppet was featured in the French show ‘Les guignols de l'info’ in 1988.

She was announced as the new spokeswoman for the fashion line ‘Miu Miu’ in 2008.

She was honored alongside Karl Lagerfeld in the ‘Cannes Film Festival Madame Figaro Party’ at the Canal Plus Patio.

She is the sister of French actress Alysson Paradis.