Frédérique Bel (born 24 March 1975) is a French actress and model. A native of Annecy in the French Alps, she became known for her role as Dorothy Doll in the La Minute Blonde sequence from Le Grand Journal on Canal+. She has since played main and supporting roles in many productions.
Frédérique Bel | |
|---|---|
 Bel at the 2019 Cabourg Film Festival | |
| Born | 24 March 1975 |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, model |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Notable work | Fais pas ci, fais pas ça Serial (Bad) Weddings |
| Television | Canal+ (2004–2006) |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
Early life and education edit
Frédérique Bel was born in Annecy in the department of Haute-Savoie. After obtaining her baccalauréat, she moved to the region of Alsace where she studied modern literature at the Marc Bloch University of Strasbourg.[1] She then graduated with a master degree and a DEUG in history of arts before joining the University Theater of Strasbourg.[2] She later began a career as a lingerie and body lining model to pay her comedy classes.[3]
Acting career edit
Movie roles edit
Frédérique Bel made her acting debut in 2000 playing a small role in the comedy film Deuxième vie and later in the 2003 comedy film La Beuze. She then had famous supporting roles in comedy and romantic films. These include Tu vas rire, mais je te quitte in 2004, Imposture and The Russian Dolls in 2005. She portrayed Miss France in the 2006 science fiction comedy Un ticket pour l'espace and later featured in the comedy film Camping which had a box office of 5.5 million viewers. The same year, film director Emmanuel Mouret gave her a role in his romantic comedy Change of Address, also featuring himself. She later featured in three other of his films, which are Shall We Kiss? in 2007, Fais-moi plaisir! in 2009, in which she appeared completely naked in one scene, and The Art of Love in 2011.
In 2007, she had supporting roles in comedy films Tel père telle fille and Ma vie n'est pas une comédie romantique. In 2008, she had one of the main roles in the fantastic film Les Dents de la nuit and later that year in the comedy film Vilaine. In 2009, she had a supporting role in comedy film Safari and later in another comedy film La Grande Vie, in addition to the role she had in Fais-moi plaisir! in between. She played in 2010 a small role in the fantastic adventure film The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec directed by Luc Besson. She portrayed the main role in the 2011 thriller Red Nights where she played in Hong Kong the role of Catherine Trinquier, an inspired role of a woman who becomes a criminal. In 2012, she played in the author film L'amour dure trois ans directed by Frédéric Beigbeder, and then had a supporting role in the popular comedy Les Seigneurs directed by Olivier Dahan.
In 2013, she played one of the main roles in the romantic comedy Hôtel Normandy, filmed in the prestigious hotel Normandy Barrière located in the town of Deauville. In 2014, she portrayed one of the main characters in the comedy film Serial (Bad) Weddings with Christian Clavier and Chantal Lauby. The film was a huge success with a box office of over 200,000 viewers on its release date. She then featured the same year in the comedy-drama La Liste de mes envies, which was released soon after and is an adaptation from the novel of the same title, released in 2012.
Television roles edit
Frédérique Bel began her career on television in 2001 playing a supporting role in the French sitcom Le Groupe which features stories about a group of students and their misadventures. She then rose to fame for creating and portraying the humoristic character of Dorothy Doll, in the sequence titled La Minute Blonde, where she portrays a blond stereotype talking to a celebrity made of cardboard. The sequence was included in Le Grand Journal on Canal+ hosted by Michel Denisot during the first and second season from September 2004 to June 2006.
Frédérique Bel has also played in television films such as the 2006 mini-series Petits meurtres en famille, and later in the 2012 crime series Profilage, where she portrays a manipulating lawyer until the end of the third season. To give the impression of a manipulating character, she even had to lower the tone of her voice to play the role.[4] She had in between a supporting role in the sixth season of the historical fantasy series Kaamelott, where she portrayed Caesar's servant. She later had a regular role from 2011 to 2013 in the comedy series Fais pas ci, fais pas ça from the fourth to the sixth season. She also had a guest role in specials of television series Scènes de ménages in 2013 and Nos chers voisins in 2014. She played as Virginie Delome in the Netflix Original Series La Mante in 2017.
Voice roles edit
Frédérique Bel started a career as a voice actress in 2007. Her shrill and particular voice, similar to a doll, gave her the opportunity to voice gentle female characters. She has since voiced in a number of animated films and series in both original and French versions. She began the same year in the third season of Canadian science fiction animated series Tripping the Rift, where she voiced the main character Six in the French version.
She then voiced Rose, the mother of Arthur, in the original versions of animated adventure films Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard in 2009 and Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds in 2010, both directed by Luc Besson. In 2010, she voiced Barbie in the French version of Toy Story 3 and the same character the following year in Hawaiian Vacation, the first short film of the Toy Story Toons series.
Advertisement edit
From 2001 to 2004, Frédérique Bel appeared in several television advertisements for various brands like Bouygues of Étienne Chatiliez, Darty of Yvan Attal, EDF of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and also Mir Laine of Philippe Lioret where she portrayed the fairy. She later appeared in an advertisement for the optical brand Krys with other celebrities, including Alain Delon, Jane Birkin, Michel Blanc and Frédéric Beigbeder.
Activism edit
Frédérique Bel is the spokesperson of the foundation AMFE (Association Maladies Foie Enfants) that she supports since its creation. She created with her team a national campaign of prevention from liver disease of young children. She portrayed again for that occasion her character of Dorothy Doll from La Minute Blonde.
She is also an avid supporter and defender of women's rights all around the world, a cause that she has often expressed in the media and on the social networks. She posted on her Twitter account a picture of her naked to defend the right for the IVG (Interruption Volontaire de Grossesse, the French equivalent for abortion).[5]
Controversies edit
Frédérique Bel has posted pictures and comments via social networks which caused a lot of controversy. In 2012 on her official Twitter account, while supporting François Hollande during the 2012 French presidential election, she was suspended after having posted pictures of her naked,[6] only two days after having created her account. Her suspension was over three days later and she was allowed to post again on her account.[6]
In November 2014, her Facebook account was blocked for seven days for the head comment she posted on two articles she shared about trafficking of women in the Islamic State.[7] She then used her Twitter account to express her anger of being censored by Facebook.[7] She also added in an attached link the message she wrote them stating that she defends women's rights in the world and that she was angry for being blocked.[7]
Filmography edit
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Deuxième vie | Friend of Vincent's father | Patrick Braoudé | |
| 2003 | Laisse tes mains sur mes hanches | Girl Pulpo | Chantal Lauby | |
| La Beuze | Advertising's girl | François Desagnat, Thomas Sorriaux | ||
| Il était une fois Jean-Sébastien Bach | Maria Barbara Bach | Jean-Louis Guillermou | ||
| France Boutique | Beautiful girl | Tonie Marshall | ||
| 2004 | A Very Long Engagement | A prostitute | Jean-Pierre Jeunet | |
| L'incruste | Céline's friend | Alexandre Castagnetti, Corentin Julius | ||
| La méthode anglaise | The nurse | Sarah Lévy | Short | |
| Léa Parker | The Blond | Jean-Pierre Prévost | TV series (1 episode) | |
| 2004–06 | Le Grand Journal | Dorothy Doll | Various | TV short |
| 2005 | Russian Dolls | Barbara | Cédric Klapisch | |
| Tu vas rire, mais je te quitte | Vanessa | Philippe Harel | ||
| Imposture | Braces Student | Patrick Bouchitey | ||
| 2006 | Un ticket pour l'espace | Miss France | Eric Lartigau | |
| Camping | Christy Bergougnoux | Fabien Onteniente | ||
| Changement d'adresse | Anne | Emmanuel Mouret | Nominated - Étoiles d'Or - Best Female Newcomer | |
| Petits meurtres en famille | Madeleine | Edwin Baily | TV mini-series | |
| 2007 | Shall We Kiss? | Câline | Emmanuel Mouret | |
| Tel père telle fille | Catherine | Olivier De Plas | ||
| Ma vie n'est pas une comédie romantique | The secretary | Marc Gibaja | ||
| La plus belle fille du monde | The girl | Stephane Couston | Short | |
| Un autre monde | The girl | David Haddad | Short | |
| Tripping the Rift | Six (voice) | Bernie Denk | TV series (13 episodes) | |
| 2008 | Vilaine | Aurore Cahier | Jean-Patrick Benes, Allan Mauduit | |
| Mes stars et moi | Makeup Artist | Laetitia Colombani | ||
| Les dents de la nuit | Alice Wouhou | Stephen Cafiero, Vincent Lobelle | ||
| Drôle de Noël! | Véronique | Nicolas Picard | TV movie | |
| Temps Mort | Irene | James L. Frachon | TV mini-series | |
| 2009 | Lascars | Manuella Lardu (voice) | Emmanuel Klotz, Albert Pereira-Lazaro | |
| Fais-moi plaisir! | Ariane | Emmanuel Mouret | ||
| Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard | Rose (voice) | Luc Besson | ||
| Safari | Fabienne | Olivier Baroux | ||
| La grande vie | Odile | Emmanuel Salinger | ||
| Une place à prendre | Bus's girl | Charles Meurisse | Short | |
| Sous le fard | Anne-Laure | Maud Ferrari | Short | |
| Kaamelott | Helvia | Alexandre Astier | TV series (4 episodes) | |
| 2010 | The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec | The Bourgeois | Luc Besson | |
| Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds | Rose (voice) | Luc Besson | ||
| Red Nights | Catherine Trinquier | Julien Carbor, Laurent Courtiaud | ||
| Toy Story 3 | Barbie (voice) | Lee Unkrich | ||
| Entre nous deux | Christine | Nicolas Guillou | ||
| Cinémaniac | Veronique | Jousse Alexandre | Short | |
| Je pourrais être votre grand-mère | The neighbor | Bernard Tanguy | Short | |
| Bloody Christmas 2: La révolte des sapins | Isabelle Morin | Michel Leray | Short | |
| 2011 | The Art of Love | Achille's neighbor | Emmanuel Mouret | |
| Beur sur la ville | The Blond | Djamel Bensalah | ||
| L'amour dure trois ans | Kathy | Frédéric Beigbeder | ||
| Hawaiian Vacation | Barbie (voice) | Gary Rydstrom | ||
| Au bistro du coin | Fanny | Charles Nemes | ||
| Il faut qu'on parle... | Fred | Raphaël Kenzey | Short | |
| L'âme du mal | Iris | Jérôme Foulon | TV movie | |
| 2011–13 | Fais pas ci, fais pas ça | Tatiana Lenoir | Various | TV series (14 episodes) |
| 2012 | Les seigneurs | Floria | Olivier Dahan | |
| Profilage | Barbara Cluzel | Julien Despaux, Alexandre Laurent | TV series (5 episodes) | |
| 2013 | Hôtel Normandy | Isabelle de Castlejane | Charles Nemes | |
| Igor Tututson ou l'incroyable histoire d'un homme ordinaire | Amandine | Nils De Coster | Short | |
| 2014 | Serial (Bad) Weddings | Isabelle Verneuil | Philippe de Chauveron | |
| La liste de mes envies | Danielle | Didier Le Pêcheur | ||
| Scènes de ménages | Pénélope | Francis Duquet | TV series (1 episode) | |
| Métal Hurlant Chronicles | Laerana | Guillaume Lubrano | TV series (1 episode) | |
| 2015 | Arnaud fait son 2e film | Meetic girl | Arnaud Viard | |
| The Student and Mister Henri | Valérie Voizot | Ivan Calbérac | ||
| Le chapeau de Mitterrand | Fanny Marquant | Robin Davis | TV movie | |
| Doc Martin | Catherine de Pougeac | Rodolphe Chauvin, Stéphane Kappes | TV series (1 episode) | |
| 2016 | The Visitors: Bastille Day | Flore | Jean-Marie Poiré | |
| Cédric | Mademoiselle Nelly | Gabriel Julien-Laferrière | ||
| 2017 | Sales Gosses | Sophie Bonheur | Frédéric Quiring | |
| Crash Test Aglaé | Lola | Éric Gravel | ||
| La Mante | Virginie Delome | Alexandre Laurent | Netflix Original Series | |
| 2018 | Making Love | Woman | Helen Rollins | Short |
| 2019 | Serial (Bad) Weddings 2 | Isabelle Verneuil | Philippe de Chauveron | |
| Ibiza | Fleur | Arnaud Lemort | ||
| 2020 | Ducobu 3 | Adeline Gratin | Élie Semoun | UGC |
| H24 | Florence | TV movie | ||
| Divorce Club | Sarah | Michaël Youn | SND |
References edit
- ^ Matthias Gurtler (25 December 2007). "Frédérique Bel - CV de star" (in French). VSD. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2008.
- ^ "Frédérique Bel" (in French). Canal+. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ Tout le monde en parle (10 September 2005). "Interview Frédérique Bel à propos de la Minute Blonde" (in French). Institut national de l'audiovisuel. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
- ^ "Frédérique Bel : Je suis ravie de changer enfin de registre". Public (in French). 5 April 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
- ^ "Frédérique Bel pose nue pour le droit à l'IVG". Voici (in French). 20 January 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Frédérique Bel censurée pour pornographie". Voici (in French). 25 April 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
- ^ a b c "Frédérique Bel en colère après avoir été censurée par Facebook". Voici (in French). 13 November 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
External links edit
