Bio
Virginie Ledoyen is a French actress best known for her role as Françoise in the 2000 feature film The Beach; and for her starring role as Irina in the action television series XIII, in 2011.
Ledoyen was born Virginie Fernandez in Aubervilliers, near Paris. At the age of two, she was already shooting advertisements for television.
At nine, she started going to the École des Enfants du Spectacle, and made her film debut at 10 in Les exploits d'un jeune Don Juan (1987). She was then nominated for the César (the French equivalent of an Oscar) for most promising actress in 1993, 1994 and 1995.
Her international breakthrough was in 1999, when she became ambassador for the cosmetics L'Oréal; this led to her casting in The Beach, with Leonardo DiCaprio.
She also portrayed the character Cosette in the 2000 adaption of Les Misérables.