Clotilde Courau

Clotilde Marie Pascale Courau (born 3 April 1969) is a French actress. She is the wife of Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia, a member of the House of Savoy and the grandson of Umberto II, the last reigning King of Italy. She is also known as Princess of Venice, though professionally she is known by her maiden name.

Family

Clotilde Courau was born on 3 April 1969 in Levallois-Perret, Hauts-de-Seine, France, the daughter of Jean-Claude Courau (b. 1942) and French noblewoman Catherine du Pontavice des Renardières (b. 1948), daughter of Count Pierre Francoise Marie Antoine du Pontavice des Renardières (b. 1926), whose family can be traced back to 13th century. She has three sisters named Christine, Camille, and Capucine Courau.

Clotilde was brought up in the Roman Catholic religion.

Acting career

In 1991, Courau was nominated for a César, for Most Promising Actress (Meilleur espoir féminin), and won a European Film Award for Best Actress, both for the film Le petit criminel (1990). She then appeared in Dusty Hughes' A Slip of the Tongue opposite John Malkovich on the stage, and in Vincent Ward's Map of the Human Heart. In 1995, she won the Prix Suzanne Bianchetti at the SACD Awards. She was nominated again for a César twice in 1996 for Best Supporting Actress (Meilleur second rôle féminin) and Most Promising Actress (Meilleur espoir féminin) both for the film Élisa. In 1998 she was named as one of European cinema's "Shooting Stars" by European Film Promotion and in 2000 she won the Prix Romy Schneider. She was also created a Dame of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France on 7 February 2007.

She had a featured role in Deterrence, an American film about nuclear war that marked the directing debut of Rod Lurie.

Marriage

Clotilde Courau announced her engagement on 10 July, and on 25 September 2003 at the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome, she married Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice. At the ceremony she wore a wedding gown designed by Valentino. Six months pregnant at the time of the wedding, she was seen as a controversial bride because of her left-wing views.

The couple have two daughters:

• Princess Vittoria Chiara Cristina Adelaide Maria (born 28 December 2003 in Geneva, Switzerland),
• Princess Luisa Giovanna Bianca Agata Gavina Maria (born 16 August 2006 in Geneva, Switzerland).

Rose

In 2009, her name was given to a rose created by the rose grower Fabien Ducher to mark the 500,000th visitor to the Jardins de l'Imaginaire, Terrasson.

Honours

National honours

•  France: Member of the Order of Arts and Letters, 3rd Class

Dynastic honour

• Montenegrin Royal Family: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Danilo I
• House of Savoy: Dame Grand Cordon of the Royal Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus

Ancestry