BEFORE FAME

 
Vanessa Chantal Paradis was born December 22, 1972, in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Maur-des-Fosses. Yes, "Vanessa Paradis" is her real name, it's not just for the stage. It took her parents three days to decide on the perfect name. Her middle name was given to her by her godmother; she finds it embarrassing.

Her mother, Corinne, was around 20 years old when Vanessa was born. She was a stay-at-home mum, setting a glowing example of femininity that Vanessa would later aspire to. 

Corinne would be a silent but influential presence in her daughter's career, taking care of Vanessa's finances - out of necessity until she was 18, and at Vanessa's request after that. Corinne would also be bookkeeper for her husband's company. Vanessa's dad, André, had a business which manufactured a sort of imitation wood that has been used in many places, one of those places being Disneyland Paris.

When Vanessa was two, the family moved to a different Parisian suburb, Villiers-sur-Marne. A few years later, Vanessa enrolled in dance lessons. There were shades of things to come when the local newspaper did a piece on one of the ballet recitals, and Vanessa's photo was the one they printed.

But basically, she was a normal kid like you and I. Perhaps one unusual thing is that from a very young age, Vanessa formed a strong attachment to the myths of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. If you look, you can see their influence in her life. Gene Kelly was another favorite: she unofficially began her English lessons by memorizing the dialogue from Singing in the Rain.

When Vanessa was eight years old, she asked her parents to let her perform on the TV show L'Ecole des Fans (The School of Fans). Her uncle Didier Pain knew the show's pianist and got her a place on the stage. She sang the song "Emilie Jolie and the Big Bird" from the children's musical Emilie Jolie. Besides ballet shows, L'Ecole was her first taste of performing, and she liked it.

Didier, her mother's brother, was an actor who'd gotten some small roles in big films. He knew people who knew people in all areas of showbiz. It was through Didier that Vanessa met the Forban brothers, a duo who picked her to sing their song "La Magie des Surprises Parties." It was her first single, released by a record company and performed at Eurovision, but the song was truly awful (it makes Vanessa blush), it was largely ignored by the label and the public.

Around the time of "La Magie"'s recording and release, Vanessa's sister Alysson was born. When interviewed on L'Ecole des Fans, Vanessa had shyly smiled that she wanted a little sister or brother. At the age of 11, Vanessa got her wish. Already at her age, Vanessa was very maternal towards Alysson. She would "steal" her from the crib to with her; she would do her homework next to her playpen. They would always be very close, spending vacations together with their mom at the Caribbean or at Disneyland.

Vanessa's fame had its ups and downs for Alysson. Vanessa is not universally adored by the French, and Alysson had a hard time at school when classmates would find out who her older sister was. Today, Alysson is trying her hand at being an actress, starting out in theater and now making her first films. She's unmistakably different from her sister in looks, but they do share the same last name. Alysson confesses that this has increased her chances, but she's not just riding on her sister's coattails. Recently, she was featured on a French television show about taking lessons from an acting coach and was shown going to auditions, like everyone else.