It's true that many people have never heard of young French actress Victoire Thivisol. But if you're someone who measures stardom by raw talent rather than box-office successes, then Victoire is one actress you probably know well.

Victoire was discovered by French director Jacques Doillon for his film Ponette, about a little girl coping with the death of her mother. Doillon and his assistants traveled around France talking to young children about their ideas of death, and Doillon used transcripts of thse interviews to create dialogue for Ponette. At a preschool in Lyons, one assistant noticed a little girl with a unique ease and spontaneity in front of the camera. She was only three, but Doillon was so impressed that he cast her as the title character in Ponette.

Few could have predicted the performance that Victoire would deliver as Ponette. Conveying a grief so deep that it almost shattered the screen would have been impressive from an actor of any age, but coming from a 4-year-old child, it was almost mind-boggling. While the film itself gathered mixed reviews, the praise for Victoire was unanimous. In fact, she made history when, at age 5, she became the youngest winner of the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival. Roman Polanski headed the nine-member jury that chose as her as the winner and said later that every jury member voted for her. After her win, Jacques Doillon presented Victoire with a gift of his own, something the little girl treasured far more than the Volpi Cup – a puppy.

Victoire was so impressive in Ponette that a documentary, Jouer Ponette (French for Playing Ponette), was made about how Doillon guided her to the performance. One trailer for the film shows Victoire effortlessly slipping in and out of character whenever Doillon says action or cut. The subtitle for the trailer reads (in French), "Nothing can distract her when the camera is rolling. At least, almost nothing." But just when you start to think Victoire is so unbelievably talented and precocious that she must be an adult in a child's body, you see Jouer Ponette's behind-the-scenes footage that shows her playing and giggling with her co-star Matiaz Canton like any normal 4-year-old.

Perhaps because she received so much attention for Ponette (no doubt very overwhelming for a child that young), Victoire didn't play another lead role for twelve years. She did continue acting after Ponette, albeit in smaller parts. She appeared as the daughter of French author George Sand, played by Juliette Binoche, in Les Enfants du Siecle.

At age 8, Victoire played Binoche's daughter again in Chocolat, a beautiful, excellent movie, and Victoire's first (but hopefully not last) to receive a wide release. Her character Anouk is a cheerful, imaginative girl – as different as can be from somber, thoughtful Ponette – and an absolute delight to watch. Victoire herself described Anouk as a "funny, tricky little girl, just like me." This role is easily what she is best-known for to American audiences.

In Chocolat, Victoire again accomplished something that's a feat for adult actors – performing in a second language. In a rare interview, when asked if she enjoyed making the movie, she giggled, "It was super! I ate a lot of chocolate!" She also recounted how she and co-star Johnny Depp played video games together on the set. Lasse Hallstorm, the director of Chocolat, described Victoire well when he said, "There's something very wise about her. The camera loves Victoire and reveals both a kind of wisdom and the giddy playfulness of a child."

After Chocolat, Victoire took an eight-year break from films. During this time, she appeared in only one small role on French TV. She also joined ACT1, a Paris-based talent agency that represents other young French actresses like Claire Bouanich (Le Papillon) and Flora Cross (Bee Season). However, she no longer seems to be a member.

Victoire returned to film at age 16. In Les Grands s'allongent par terre, released in 2008 in France, she plays Gena, a troubled 15-year-old who runs away to find her long-lost father. Originally, the film was told from the father's point of view, but the director was so blown away by Victoire that he rewrote the film with Gena as the central character. It was Victoire's first lead role since Ponette twelve years before, and we can only hope that she will continue to grace the screen for many years to come.

This biography has been contributed to Young Actress Reviews by Rebecca Cowie.