Geneviève Bujold
2018 Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award (Screens and Voices (formerly Broadcasting and Film))
Actress
In a career spanning more than 50 years, Geneviève Bujold has appeared in more than 70 films in both English and French, and her intensity, passion, and luminous screen presence have earned her international acclaim and numerous awards. From historical dramas to thrillers and adventure movies, her work is as impressive for its range as for its quality: as Moe Doiron of
The Globe and Mail remarked, “There’s nothing that could be called ‘a typical Geneviève Bujold picture.’” Her best-known lead roles include Anne Boleyn in
Anne of the Thousand Days (directed by Charles Jarrott, 1969) and Élisabeth in
Kamouraska (Claude Jutra, 1973); more recently, she appeared in
Still Mine (Michael McGowan, 2012) and
Chorus (François Delisle, 2015).
Ms. Bujold was born in Montréal in 1942 and educated at a strict convent school. “I was illuminated by the beauty of the convent,” she recalls. “It opened the door to my inner life: silence, solitude, calm.” She continued her studies at the Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Montréal, and made her stage debut at the age of 19 as Rosine in a production of
The Barber of Seville.
Her film career began in 1965, when French director Alain Resnais cast her opposite Yves Montand in his film
The War Is Over. Her breakthrough came in 1969, as Anne Boleyn opposite Richard Burton’s King Henry VIII in
Anne of the Thousand Days. In Canada, she has worked with such leading directors as Michel Brault (
Entre la mer et l’eau douce,
Les Noces de papier, My Friend Max); Paul Almond (
Isabel,
Act of the Heart,
Journey,
Final Assignment,
The Dance Goes On); David Cronenberg (
Dead Ringers); and Don McKellar (
Last Night).
Ms. Bujold’s current focus is on small-budget independent films. “Film is a healing art,” she says. “In front of the camera, I feel free.”
Geneviève Bujold’s awards and distinctions include three Canadian Film Awards, an Oscar nomination, a Genie, a Golden Globe for Best Actress, a Prix Gémeaux for Best Actress, and two Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards for Best Supporting Actress.