Jeanne Moreau is a French actress, and director.
Moreau was born in Paris, France to an English (dancer) mother and a French barman on January 23, 1928. She studied at the Conservatoire in Paris. In 1947, she made her theatre debut at the Avignon Festival. By her twenties, Moreau was already one of France’s leading stage actresses at the Comédie-Française.
By the late 1950s, after making many mainstream films, including several successes, Moreau made “Elevator to the Gallows” with first-time director Louis Malle. After 1959’s sexy “Les Amants” (The Lovers) the media tagged her as “The New Bardot”.
François Truffaut’s film “Jules et Jim” (1962), her biggest international success up to date, is centered on her magnetic starring role, and is perhaps her most famous film. Moreau has showcased her unique films and has enjoyed success as a vocalist. She has released several albums and once performed with Frank Sinatra at Carnegie Hall.
Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Moreau