Charlotte Gainsbourg (born July 21, 1971) is a French and British actress, singer, songwriter, and director. Born in London and raised largely in Paris, she is the daughter of English actress and singer Jane Birkin and French singer, songwriter, actor, and filmmaker Serge Gainsbourg. Her career has moved between French and international cinema, alternative pop, and documentary filmmaking, while often reflecting a preference for emotionally exposed and unconventional material.
Gainsbourg made her screen debut as a child in the 1984 film *Paroles et musique*. She quickly became associated with Claude Miller, who directed her in *L'Effrontee* (1985) and *The Little Thief* (1988). Her performance in *L'Effrontee* earned her the Cesar Award for Most Promising Actress, establishing her as one of the notable young performers in French cinema. Early roles often emphasized her quiet, fragile screen presence, but her work gradually developed greater psychological range.
Her first major musical appearance came in 1984, when she recorded "Lemon Incest" with her father. The controversial song attracted considerable attention, partly because of its provocative presentation and the public image surrounding the Gainsbourg family. In 1986, Serge Gainsbourg produced her debut album, *Charlotte for Ever*. She subsequently focused mainly on acting during the 1990s, returning to music only after a lengthy gap.
Gainsbourg expanded into English-language cinema with her uncle Andrew Birkin's *The Cement Garden* (1993). She later played the title role in Franco Zeffirelli's *Jane Eyre* (1996), a role that brought her wider international recognition. Among her other important films from this period were *The Cement Garden*, *La Buche* (1999), for which she won the Cesar for Best Supporting Actress, and *21 Grams* (2003), directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
A new phase began with *5:55* (2006), her first album as an adult artist. Created with contributions from Air, Jarvis Cocker, Neil Hannon, and producer Nigel Godrich, the record combined understated vocals with atmospheric pop and became a major commercial and critical success in France. Her next album, *IRM* (2009), was produced by Beck and drew on electronic, rock, and experimental textures. It was followed by *Stage Whisper* (2011), a combination of live recordings and new material, and *Rest* (2017), on which Gainsbourg took a more direct role in writing lyrics and explored family memory, identity, and loss.
Her acting career became increasingly international and adventurous. She appeared in Michel Gondry's *The Science of Sleep* (2006), Todd Haynes' *I'm Not There* (2007), Lars von Trier's *Antichrist* (2009), *Melancholia* (2011), and *Nymphomaniac* (2013). Her performance in *Antichrist* won the Best Actress award at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. She has also worked with directors including Wim Wenders, Eric Barbier, Gaspar Noe, and Yvan Attal.
In 2021, Gainsbourg made her directorial debut with *Jane by Charlotte*, an intimate documentary about her relationship with her mother, Jane Birkin. The film extended her artistic work into a more personal but carefully controlled form, using cinema to examine a family bond that had long been visible to the public. Across her career, Gainsbourg has maintained a distinctive balance of reserve and daring, building an identity that stands apart from, while remaining inseparable from, her family's artistic legacy.