Clémentine Célarié was born in Senegal and spent the first twelve years of her life in Africa. She returned to France at the age of 14 and took acting, singing and dancing classes. She sings and starts to play some roles in café-theater, then to host programs for Radio France.

In 1983, she made her film debut in GARCON ! by Claude Sautet, alongside Yves Montand and Nicole Garcia, and went on to play numerous roles in BLANCHE ET MARIE by Jacques Renard, LA GITANE by Philippe de Broca, and LA VIE DISSOLUE DE GERARD FLOQUE by Georges Lautner… She played in Jean-Jacques Beineix’s film 37°2 LE MATIN in 1986, for which she was nominated for a César. Six years later, she was nominated again for NOCTURNE INDIEN by Alain Corneau.

In the 1990s, Clementine also made a name for herself on television and in the theater. In the cinema, she played in several popular comedies such as LES BRAQUEUSES (by Jean-Paul Salomé in 1994) with Catherine Jacob and LES SOEURS SOLEIL (by Jeannot Szwarc in 1997) alongside Marie-Anne Chazel and Thierry Lhermitte.

She also directs and works on two short films: LA TOMBE with Lambert Wilson in 2009, and TOUTES LES NUITS, with Jason Rogers in 2011. On the stage, she plays characters that are both different and complementary, as in MADAME SANS GENE by Victorien Sardou, LA TECHNIQUE DES SENTIMENTS by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt and LA SERVA AMOROSA by Christophe Lidon.

In 2011, she was acclaimed for her interpretation of Marthe Richard, then received the interpretation prize at the Festival de la Rochelle for J’AI PEUR D’OUBLIER. Her year 2015 was marked by the success of 24H DE LA VIE D’UNE FEMME at the Théâtre Rive-Gauche, and by the release of her first novel ON S’AIMERA.

In 2016, we find her on France 2 in the series LEBOWITZ CONTRE LEBOWITZ directed by Frédéric Berthe and Christophe Barraud, the same year she is on the bill for two plays presented in Avignon: LE MONDE DE RITA, a personal creation played at the Chien qui Fume, and DARIUS directed by Anne Bouvier at the Théâtre du Chêne Noir.

Then Clémentine continues to work on film and television projects, including DEMAIN TOUT COMMENCE by Hugo Gélin, MYSTÈRE A L’ELYSÉE by Renaud Bertrand, CLASSE UNIQUE by Gabriel Aghion, EDMOND adapted from Alexis Michalik’s successful play, MADE IN CHINA by Julien Abraham, BOUTCHOU by Adrien Piquet-Gauthier, and L’AMOUR C’EST MIEUX QUE LA VIE by Claude Lelouch…

On television, she is also regularly seen in the television series VESTIAIRES by Adda Abdelli and Fabrice Chanut, and POLICE DE CARACTERES by Gabriel Aghion.

But Clementine does not forget the theater she loves so much, and after the success of DARIUS, directed by Anne Bouvier, Clementine starts alone on stage UNE VIE, directed by Arnaud Denis. First played at the Mathurins theater, then on tour, it was revived, with a very good reception, at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint Martin from March 2023.

In 2020, she went behind the camera to direct PIERRE ET JEANNE, freely adapted from Maupassant’s work that she cherishes so much.

This year we will see Clementine in UN DESTIN, directed by Sonia Rolland for France 2, as well as in the TF1 series LES RANDONNEUSES for which she won the best actress award at the Series Mania Festival last March, or in BESOINS D’AMOUR, a series directed by Fred Hazan for OCS; and also in the documentary film ELLE PARLE D’ELLE, produced for Canal Plus, in which Clementine evokes her life’s journey, drawing parallels between her life and that of the emblematic Josephine Becker.

Finally, Clémentine will be in LA MAMAN DU BOURREAU next July at the Avignon Festival, a play adapted from the novel by David Lelait-Helo that she will direct and perform alone.