Mélanie Laurent (born 21 February 1983) is a French actress, singer, pianist, screenwriter, and director, best known to international audiences for her role in Inglourious Basterds (2009). Laurent was born in Paris, the daughter of Annick, a ballerina, and Pierre Laurent, a voiceover actor. She is Jewish, and has both Ashkenazi and Tunisian Sephardic ancestry. Her grandfather survived deportation by the Nazis. She had a long relationship with fellow French actor Julien Boisselier. She describes recording artist Damien Rice and Tarantino as her two masters.