Versatile, multilingual French actress Amira Casar studied drama at the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique in Paris. She has appeared in more than 60 international films as well as television and radio plays. Among her films are the Quay Brothers’ The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes (2005), Catherine Breillat’s Anatomy of Hell, Thomas Gilou’s cult comedy trilogy La Vérité si je mens!, for which she was nominated for a César, Tony Gatlif’s Transylvania (Cannes Festival official selection), To Paint or Make Love directed by Arnaud and Jean-Marie Larrieu (Cannes official selection), This Night by Werner Schroeter (special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival), Prenez soin de vous by the artist Sophie Calle (Venice Biennale 2007) and Saint Laurent by Bertrand Bonello (Cannes official selection in 2014). Other directors with whom she has worked are Carlos Saura, Anne Fontaine, Guy Maddin and Wolfgang Becker. In 2017 she starred in Luca Guadagnino’s international Oscar-winning hit Call Me By Your Name.
For television Amira Casar has played the Protestant conspirator Béatrice de Clermont in the international series Versailles, the Surrealist artist Dora Maar in La Femme qui pleure au chapeau rouge, a role for which she won Best Actress Award at the Festival de La Rochelle, and 40 for Channel 4.
On stage she has played Petra in The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, the title role in Hedda Gabler and Goneril in Olivier Py’s production of King Lear at the 2015 Festival d’Avignon. In 2018 she played Olga in Simon Stone’s production of Three Sisters at the Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe in Paris. In 2011 she performed the title role in Honegger’s oratorio Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher under Marin Alsop at London’s Barbican Centre.
In 2019/20 Amira Casar will appear in the television series Les Sauvages on Canal+ and in two films, Caroline Fourest’s Sisters in Arms and Tareq Daoud’s Yaban.
For her services to the arts Amira Casar was named Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture in 2016. In 2019 she was a jury member of the Semaine de la Critique at the Cannes Film Festival.
photo: Richard Gianorio
