Isabelle Yasmine Adjani was born in Gennevilliers, Hauts-de-Seine, a suburb of Paris, to Emma Augusta "Gusti" (Schweinberger) and Mohammed Adjani. Her father was a Kabyle Algerian, from Iferhounène, and her mother was a Bavarian German. She grew up speaking German fluently. After winning a school recitation contest, she began acting in amateur theater by the age of
12. At the age of 14, she starred in her first motion picture, Blacky - Abenteuer eines Ausreissers (1970). Adjani has appeared in 30 films since 1970. She holds the record for most
César Award for Best Actress (five), which she won for Possession (1981), Ein mörderischer Sommer (1983) (aka One Deadly Summer), Camille Claudel (1988), Die Bartholomäusnacht (1994) (aka Queen Margot) and Heute trage ich Rock! (2008) (aka Skirt Day). She was also given a double Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award in 1981. She also received two Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. She performs in French, English, Italian, and German. Adjani was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur in 2010.
