Which actress played Coco Chanel in the 2009 film Coco Before Chanel?

Audrey Tautou played Coco Chanel in the 2009 film Coco Before Chanel.

Directed by Anne Fontaine, Coco Before Chanel is a French-Belgian biographical film about Chanel’s early life before she became an internationally famous fashion designer. Tautou portrays Gabrielle Chanel from her youth through the formative period in which she began making hats and developing her distinctive approach to dress.

The film is based partly on the biography L’Irrégulière by Edmonde Charles-Roux. It focuses on Chanel’s relationships, ambitions, and movement from modest beginnings into the fashion world rather than attempting to cover every decade of her career.

Audrey Tautou is sometimes confused with other actors associated with Chanel-related productions. Keira Knightley, for example, played Chanel in a separate 2013 short film for Chanel No. 5, while Tautou’s role belongs specifically to Coco Before Chanel.