Valérie Bonneton (born 5 April 1970) is a French stage, film and television actress. Valérie Bonneton was born in Somain, Nord department. Her father was an insurance salesman and her mother a housewife. She grew up in neighbouring Aniche and fell in love with acting in her cinquième (~Year 7) French class. Considering an acting career too difficult, she entered the science stream for her baccalauréat, intending to become a veterinarian. But playing the role of Ismène in Anouilh’s Antigone changed her mind. After her baccalauréat she left for Paris where she enrolled at Cours Florent, supporting herself with part-time jobs (fruit seller, baby-sitter, sculptor’s model). In 1991 she was accepted into the National Academy of Dramatic Arts where she studied until the age of 26.
