■Cécile de France

Born in Belgium in 1975. De France was first awarded the César Award (Most Promising Actress) for her role in the 2002 French movie "The Spanish Apartment" and then took home another César Award (this time for Best Actress in a Supporting Role) for the film's sequel, "The Russian Dolls" (2005). In the films, de France's plays Isabelle, a Belgian lesbian who becomes a mentor and close friend to a straight and somewhat lost young man she meets in Spain.

In 2003 de France starred in the horror film "High Tension" (or, Haute Tension) about the murderous spree of a killer. The film proved to be a new breakthrough for de France owing to its international success and just a year later Hollywood had cast her in "Around the World in 80 Days" to appear alongside Jackie Chan.

In 2007, de France and her boyfriend had their first child.

In "The Spanish Apartment", the film that launched her career, and "The Russian Dolls, de France is convincing as a soft butch - such as when she teaches Xavier how to properly seduce women in the first film, and endures the humiliation of feminine clothing when posing as Xavier's fiancée in the second. The film's story of her lasting friendship with the straight Xavier is truly heart-warming.