Sylvie Testud
Date of birth: 1971-01-17
Place of birth: Lyon, Rhône, France
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Sylvie Voyer, Sylvie Voyet
Biography
Sylvie Testud was born on January 17, 1971 in Lyon. Her parents separated when she was two years old. She spent her youth in the Lyon district of Croix-Rousse, raised by her mother, an accountant. In high school, she learned Chinese. Very early fascinated by the cinema, the young girl identifies in particular with the complexed teenager character embodied by Charlotte Gainsbourg in L'Effrontée. Having moved to Paris to study history, she soon embarked on acting by joining the free class at Cours Florent and then the Conservatory, where her teachers were Jacques Lassalle and Catherine Hiegel. She made her first screen appearance in 1994 in Couples et amants. She decided to become an actress during her youth, after having admired actresses in films. She then took acting lessons in Lyon with the actor and director Christian Taponard. In 1989, she moved to Paris to study history, as well as drama lessons in free classes at Cours Florent, then at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art for three years, with Jacques Lassalle and Catherine Hiegel for teachers. In the early 1990s, she obtained her first small roles in the cinema, then in feature films such as The Story of the Boy Who Wanted to Be Kissed by Philippe Harel (1994), Le Plus Bel Age..., by Didier Haudepin (1995) or even Love, etc. by Marion Vernoux (1996). In 1997, Sylvie Testud experienced her first great success at the cinema in Germany with the film Beyond Silence by Caroline Link, for which she learned German, the clarinet and sign language. She is rewarded as best actress by the German Film Prize (the equivalent of the César for best actress). In 1998, she played her first major role in French cinema and enjoyed great success in France with the role of Béa in Karnaval, the first feature film by Thomas Vincent, for which she was nominated for the César for best female hope and received the Michael Simon Prize. She then began an important acting career with a preference for auteur cinema. In 2000, her performance in La Captive by Chantal Akerman (adaptation of the novel La Prisonnière by Marcel Proust) earned her a nomination as best actress at the European Film Prize. In 2001, she obtained, for her second nomination, the César for best female hope for the remarkable interpretation of Christine Papin, one of the Papin sisters, in Les Blessures assassines by Jean-Pierre Denis, based on a news item from 1933.
Movie Credits
Fan Club
2018-09-19
Beyond Silence
1996-12-18
Beyond Silence is about a family and a young girl’s coming of age story. This German film looks into
La Vie en Rose
2007-02-14
From the mean streets of the Belleville district of Paris to the dazzling limelight of New York's mo
Annaluise & Anton
1999-03-11
Luise, called Pünktchen, and Anton are closest of friends. Being the daughter of a wealthy surgeon,
Scénarios sur la drogue
2000-05-16
Flashback
2021-11-11
A female lawyer travels back in time and crosses paths with other women in history who fought for wo
Fear and Trembling
2003-03-12
Amélie, a young Belgian woman, having spent her childhood in Japan, decides to return to live there
Labyrinth
2003-09-09
Psychologist Dr. Brennac is asked by a colleague to help with the case of Claude, a patient on trial
L'Heureux Stratagème
2021-10-15
A Happy Man
2009-02-27
Pierre, a French professor of quantum physics, inherits an inn from his aunt Jeanne in the Lac St-Je
Lucky Luke
2009-10-21
Fearless gunslinger, Lucky Luke, is ordered by the President to bring peace to Daisy Town.
The Round Up
2010-03-10
A faithful retelling of the 1942 "Vel' d'Hiv Roundup" and the events surrounding it.
Lourdes
2009-09-11
In order to escape her isolation, wheelchair-bound Christine makes a life changing journey to Lourde
Sagan
2008-06-11
France, 1950s. From the Quartier Latin to Saint-Tropez via New York, a young Parisienne becomes the
Marée haute
1999-01-30
She worked all summer in a small restaurant on a Normandy beach. It's the end of the season, season
The Château
2001-01-16
Two brothers go to France to claim the chateau they have inherited.
The Vanishing Point
2007-11-28
Lucie Audibert, a student of Art History, does research work on Watteau and is certain that a hidden
Sisters
2009-12-16
Lyon, France in 1970s, Sibylle, Corinne, and Georgette are sisters who share everything, as they liv
Murderous Maids
2000-11-22
Based on the true story of two chambermaids of 1930s France who murdered their employer and her daug
Mumu
2010-03-24
The story a rescue, the rescue of a bad brat's life in the post-WWII period. In 1947, Roger reaches
The Captive
2000-09-27
Ariane and Simon met down by the water. Simon has managed to prize Ariane away from her friends, a b
A Moment of Happiness
2002-03-06
Philippe, 25, arrives one morning in Arcachon, where his sister lives. He is a young man with no tie
Vengeance
2009-05-20
A French chef swears revenge after a violent attack on his daughter's family in Macau, during which
Life Kills Me
2002-05-26
Paul is a smart, university educated Frenchman of North African ancestry. He's a smooth talker, but
Tout pour l'oseille
2004-05-12
A bunch of broke guys rob a rich con artist who has embezzled money from a charity.
The Night Clerk
2011-03-01
Frédéric, a young man with a troubled past, has the good fortune to be given a job in a luxurious mo
Champagne !
2022-06-08
Springtime in the French vineyards of Champagne. Patrick has gathered his oldest friends for his bac
Only Girls
2003-06-11
After a shoplifter finds herself unexpectedly released on parole, she pays a call on the judge at he
La France
2007-09-21
During the First World War, Camille (Sylvie Testud), a young woman whose husband is away fighting at
Rebellion
2011-11-16
April 1988, Ouvéa Island, New Caledonia. 30 gendarmes are taken hostage by a group of Kanak freedom
La vie est à nous !
2005-12-07
Louise and Blanche run L'Etape, a cafe restaurant in a Savoy village. Facing them is Le Virage, run
Cause toujours !
2004-07-28
This way-offbeat comedy from Gallic director Jeanne Labrune concerns two young French women, best fr
Women or Children First
2002-03-20
Tom, a Spaniard, is married to Sylvie and lives a quiet but a bit boring life in the Britanny countr
A Loving Father
2002-11-13
Writer Léo Shepherd lives in rural France together with his daughter Virginia, who manages his affai
Tomorrow We Move
2004-03-03
When her mother moves in, the life of a writer gets crowded.
Victoire
2004-12-22
Victoire is sweet, sensitive, nice and understanding. She leads an existence which doesn't leave her
The Rebel, Louise Michel
2010-04-07
A fiercely active Communard, Louise Michel is condemned for taking arms against Bismarck. Along with
Eat, for This Is My Body
2007-09-10
Haiti, a lonely forgotten black island abandoned to its poverty and misery. A white woman, Madame li
The Dark Room
2000-11-29
In 14th-century France, Aliénor breaks with the codes governing girls’ behavior and does as she wish
Words in Blue
2005-03-22
Clara is afraid of words. Her daughter, Anna, is afraid of others. Vincent is afraid to grow up. But
Karnaval
1999-03-03
Karnaval is set against a backdrop of intolerance and hostility in the gloomy Northern French city o
Marinette
2023-06-07
Born in 1975, Marinette Pichon was a born soccer player. Raised by a courageous mother who had to de
Legacy
2006-09-20
Three French hipsters and their translator travel through rural Georgia to claim a remote, ruined ca
A Song For Mama
2013-03-27
With their beloved mother only a few days to live, her children decide to give her a surprising part
Max
2013-01-18
Max is 6 years old. She lives with her dad Toni, a small time crook with a golden heart. For Xmas, M
Dead Man's Memories
2003-07-06
A policeman lunching with his daughter is present when a dead body washes up on shore. He investigat
Stolen Tangos
2002-04-18
In Paris, a young Argentine screenwriter attempts to escape his daily routine through a fictional st
Cocorico
2024-02-07
The Bouvier-Sauvages, a large aristocratic family, meet the much more modest Martin family when thei
For a Woman
2013-07-03
After the death of her mother, Anne makes a shocking discovery: an old photograph casts doubt on her
Les Déferlantes
2013-09-12
Holed up in a small Normandy town, Louise hides from her ghosts as she looks after grumpy old Theo,
My Name Is Hmmm...
2013-10-07
Céline, 11, meets Peter, 40. Together they go on a "luminous journey" in his beautiful red truck. Sh
Roxana's Hands
2013-03-20
Roxana Orlac, a famous violinist, loses the use of her hands in a terrible lift accident. Her career
Fire in Paradise
1997-12-10
On her honeymoon on a ship the daughter of a rich plant owner realizes that she's not happy with her
96 heures
2014-04-23
Carré is the boss of the BRB (Brigade for the Repression of Banditry). 3 years earlier, he arrested
Des mains en or
2023-06-07
Philippe is a well-known writer, whose life was going smoothly: a surgeon wife, a circle of high-ran
Tout un poème
Maman, ne me laisse pas m'endormir
2022-10-18
Juliette discovers that her teenage son, whom she thought was flourishing, is in reality undermined
French Women
2014-06-04
A story about 11 girls living in Paris. Each of them has its own problems: career, love life, childr
Everyman's Feast
2002-01-25
Austrian television director Fritz Lehner makes his feature debut with the big-budget drama Jederman
Papa Was Not a Rolling Stone
2014-10-08
Stéphanie grew up with an absent mother and a brutal stepfather. One day, she knows, she'll leave th
Ceux qui dansent sur la tête
2014-10-24
Dance drama playing on a dairy farm, starring two 19-year-old friends Syl and Frenzy who live for br
The Idiot
2008-08-07
Nastassia Philippovna finds herself juggling the affections of four men over the course of a single
Two Women
2014-11-23
A headstrong young woman is married to land baron. Her feelings for her son's tutor becomes a comple
Spiderwebhouse
2015-02-08
When 12-year-old Jonas’ mother leaves to “fight her demons”, he steps up as head of the household, b
Elles deux
2024-10-12
The Story of a Boy Who Wanted to Be Kissed
1994-03-23
Raoul is a 20 years old student in Paris. Girls are not interested in him, though he is good-looking
24 Days
2014-04-30
When Ilan Halimi is kidnapped for ransom because Jewish and supposedly rich, his family and the poli
The Misadventures of Margaret
1998-12-23
A timid, insecure popular author with an overly-attentive professor husband decide to write an eroti
The Visitors: Bastille Day
2016-03-23
Stuck in the corridors of time, Godefroy de Montmirail and his faithful servant Jacquouille are proj
The Grand Restaurant IV
2022-12-15
For this new year, Pierre, the director of the Grand Restaurant is thinking big to try to get the fa
Les acteurs anonymes
2001-10-10
Nine comedians meet at the Acteurs Anonymes, a rehab center for acting, lost in the heart of Aveyron
Jíkuri. Journey to the Land of the Tarahumara
2024-06-14
The life of Rayenari changes when the poet Antonin Artaud arrives to his village seeking the spiritu
Arrête ton cinéma !
2016-01-13
Sybille, an accomplished actress, is given the chance to direct a film based on her own screenplay.
Too Close to the Sun
2015-09-09
A magistrate investigating a fraud case discovers the woman is the biological mother of her adopted
Julies Geist
2001-01-01
I’m Going Home
2001-05-13
The comfortable daily routines of aging Parisian actor Gilbert Valence, 76, are suddenly shaken when
The Exchange Student
2016-08-24
Malo and Stéphane are two students who are kind of losers and have just started high school. Their p
Tamara
2016-10-26
Tamara, 15, complexed with her curves, decided its entry into second to get rid of the label of "big
Making of Tomorrow We Move
2004-01-01
What a revelation and a privilege it is to see Chantal Akerman at work. Its French title a pun, this
Suspiria
2018-10-26
A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic
Thanks to my Friends
2015-05-06
A man in his mid 30's reevaluates his life and priorities after he met someone from his past.
Can't Say No
2009-07-15
Mörderische Stille
2017-01-09
A corpse is found in the Bay of Wilhelmshaven. It soon becomes clear that the dead man was an office
Marie's Song
1994-01-08
Marie is an adolescent woman who lives in Prussia in 1813 with her mother, a countess. They live in
Wedding Unplanned
2017-04-26
When she discovers a wedding planer's business card, Alexia instantly says, "YES" to Mathias unaware
Final Portrait
2017-08-03
Paris, 1964. The Swiss sculptor and painter Alberto Giacometti, one of the most accomplished and res
Kings for a Day
2018-05-02
A wannabe actor must chose between his passion and his father, a crook.
A New Girl in Paris!
2018-07-04
Tamara has been separated from Diego for two years. She finally leaves home to live the student adve
Bad Connection
2000-05-12
Paris is being rocked by a wave of bomb blasts. Stuck in a video game, Sadim calls the players helpl
L'Amour, la Mort, les Fringues
2011-02-26
They stick to our skin and soul, our clothes. We believe we buy them, they own us. Warning ! these r
Gad Elmaleh - Le Big Show
2015-01-01
Disclaimer
2019-11-27
Since his sensational arrival at the head of the 20 Hours, Cédric Saint Guérande, known as "CSG" is
Deux gouttes d'eau
2018-10-19
A woman's dead body is found in her apartment on a winter morning. All the evidence points to her fi
Arthur Honegger - Jeanne D'Arc Au Bucher
2007-10-30
Born Oscar-Arthur Honegger (the first name was never used) in Le Havre, France, he initially studied
Wide Load
2019-03-13
This is the story of a guy who goes too fast and a big guy who is too slow. Foster meets Taupin. All
Defiant Souls
2019-03-07
Santiago de Cuba, January 19th, 1819. Coming from Lausanne, Enrique Faber, a Swiss doctor and surgeo
Quand sort la recluse
2019-04-10
After three elderly men are bitten by spiders, everyone assumes that their deaths are tragic acciden
À votre bon cœur, mesdames
2013-12-04
The story of a septuagenarian, recently divorced, which in its reconstruction desire and quest for a
Meet the Malawas
2019-12-25
A news anchor, a comedian, an actress, and a soccer player with big egos have to travel across the g
Sentiments provisoires
2010-01-01
A young woman announces to the man she has lived with for ten years that she is leaving him ... and
Éternelles
1994-05-01
20 years old Denis is a mason for his father's small business. One day, his grand-mother won't wake
In Heaven
1999-09-16
I Heaven's plot revolves around three friends with personal ambitions who must face the less pleasan
Sentimental Education
1998-01-01
The story revolves around the lives of a group of international fashion models, focusing on the main
I Love You Coiffure
2020-12-21
Liliane and Maud are twin sisters. The first is a modest provincial hairdresser while the second lea
Those Were the Days
1995-09-13
The grueling, emotionally torturous world of French preparatory schools provides the framework for t
The Grand Restaurant III
2021-02-03
He had opened his Great Restaurant twice, in 2010 and 2011, as part of an entertainment broadcast on
Simone: Woman of the Century
2022-10-12
Simone Veil's life story through the pivotal events of Twentieth Century. Her childhood, her politic
Where Souls Go
2025-11-14
Before resorting to assisted death, an 18-year-old girl summons her two sisters, who are still traum
A Day in the Life of French Cinema
2002-05-20
Documentary showing one day of work of over 90 actors and filmmakers from French cinema on the same
Tout le monde savait
2022-10-04
Cocorico 2
2026-04-08
Proust and Signs: On Chantal Akerman's "La Captive"
2025-10-09
A BFI video essay on Chantal Akerman's "La Captive" by writer and critic Cristina Álvarez López.