Biographie
Laura Weissbecker is a multilingual French actress recognized internationally, who received the Chinese Huading Award for "Best New Actress" in 2013 for her role in Jackie Chan's "CZ12." She has worked across France, Germany, the USA, and China, collaborating with directors such as Jackie Chan, Cedric Klapisch, Elie Chouraqui, Mark Romanek, and Tonie Marshall. Jackie Chan personally selected Weissbecker for a leading role in "Chinese Zodiac 12," which he starred in and directed. The film achieved tremendous commercial success in Asia, especially in mainland China, where it ranks among the top five highest-grossing Chinese movies in the country's history.
Weissbecker began her film career in 2002 when director Tonie Marshall—winner of the 2000 César Award for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenwriter—cast her in a small role opposite François Cluzet in "France Boutique." In France, she is best known for her performance in "Versailles, the Dream of a King," directed by Thierry Binisti, a high-profile TV movie aired on France 2, NHK in Japan, and BBC in the UK, as well as her role in "Russian Dolls," directed by Cedric Klapisch and starring Audrey Tautou, Romain Duris, and Cécile de France. As a multilingual actress, Weissbecker appeared in the German TV film "Achtung Arzt," directed by Rolf Silber and filmed in Berlin. She demonstrated her comedic skills opposite Jackie Chan in "Chinese Zodiac 12." For this role, she was honored with the "Best New Global Actress" award at the Huading Awards in Macao in October 2013. In the United States, Weissbecker held a recurring guest role in the 2016 Amazon and Sony-produced TV series "Mad Dogs," filmed in Puerto Rico. In 2018, she was involved in a Chinese film directed by Fan Haolun, whose previous work was officially selected at the Venice Film Festival.
Her debut novel, "Comment je suis devenue chinoise" ("How I Became Chinese"), was published in both France and China. In France, it received critical acclaim and won the prestigious literary prize Prix du Lys in 2017.
Raised in Strasbourg in eastern France within a diverse and European setting, Weissbecker has a brother and a sister, the latter a solo aerial artist with Cirque du Soleil. She holds a master's degree from one of France's top engineering schools. Her acting training took place in Paris and Los Angeles under renowned coaches Howard Fine, Jack Waltzer, and comedy master Gary Austin, founder of the legendary improvisation troupe The Groundlings. Weissbecker is fluent in French, English, Chinese, and German.
