Eva Ionesco

Eva Ionesco (born 18 July 1965) is a French actress, film director and screenwriter. She is the daughter of Romanian-French photographer Irina Ionesco and came to international prominence as a child model after being featured in her mother's works.

Eva Ionesco
Born (1965-07-18) 18 July 1965
Paris, France
NationalityFrench
OccupationActress, director, screenwriter
Years active1976–present
Children1

Early life

Ionesco was born to photographer Irina Ionesco, a Frenchwoman of Romanian descent, who had a relationship with a Hungarian man who worked in the military. Prior to Ionesco's birth, her mother had worked as a contortionist as she had come from a family of circus performers on her maternal side.[1] Her parents separated when she was 3 at which point Ionesco became estranged from her father.[2]

In 1977 her mother lost custody of her and Ionesco lived for a time with the parents of footwear designer Christian Louboutin who had already left home.[3]

From the age of 13 Ionesco became a regular club-goer at Le Palace along with Christian Louboutin and Edwige Belmore and also developed a drug habit.[4] She was in and out of various foster homes until an older boyfriend of hers took custody of her at the age of 16.[5]

Career

At the age of 5, Eva became her mother's favorite photo model. Irina Ionesco's erotic photographs of her young daughter Eva have been a source of controversy since they first appeared in the 1970s. Eva also modeled for other photographers such as Jacques Bourboulon.[6]

She is the youngest model ever to appear in a Playboy nude pictorial, since she was featured at age 11 in the October 1976 issue of the Italian edition of the magazine in a set by Bourboulon. In that picture, she posed nude at a beach. Another of her nude pictorials, in the November 1978 issue of the Spanish edition of Penthouse, was a selection of her mother's photographs. She also appeared on the cover page of Der Spiegel at the age of 12 completely nude.[7] The issue was later expunged from the magazine's records.[8]

Eva Ionesco made her film début at the age of 11 in 1976, playing a child in Roman Polanski's film The Tenant. A short time later she was cast in films of the mid-1970s such as Maladolescenza (also known as Puppy Love).

Eva claimed her story served as inspiration for Louis Malle's film Pretty Baby,.[9] In the 1980s, she attended the prestigious acting school Amandiers, directed by Patrice Chéreau and Pierre Romans.

Directorial career

Ionesco began directing in 2006.

In 2011 she directed her first full-length feature film, My Little Princess which debuted at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. The film, loosely inspired by Ionesco's personal life, starred Isabelle Huppert as a predatory photographer who uses her young daughter as a model in a series of nude photos.[10]

Ionesco again paired with Isabelle Huppert for her next film, Golden Youth, about a young couple in Paris who begin to spend time with a much older and wealthier couple.

Writing career

In 2015 Ionesco's husband Simon Liberati released a book about their courtship and her childhood called Eva.

In 2017 Ionesco released her first book, Innocence which dealt with her fractured relationship with her father.

Since the time in which her mother lost custody of her for repeatedly photographing or allowing Ionesco to be photographed by others completely nude, Ionesco has been engaged in protracted court battles with her mother to censor and reclaim the images taken of her as a child.

She tried three times to sue her mother for emotional distress, and the trial is still going on through various courts in France.[9] In 1998 the French police confiscated from her mother's apartment hundreds of photographs in which she appears at the age of five in suggestive poses and in complete nudity.[9]

In 2012 Eva sued her mother for taking pornographic photos of her as a child. Although much of her claim was denied, she did receive some compensation.[11]

Personal life

In 1995 Ionesco gave birth to a son, actor Lukas Ionesco.[12]

Ionesco has been married to author Simon Liberati since 2013.[13]

Filmography

As actress
  • Les déferlantes (2013, directed by Éléonore Faucher) – Lili
  • Crime (2010, directed by Vincent Ostria) – Ella
  • La famille Wolberg (2009, directed by Axelle Ropert) – Sarah, Joseph's Friend
  • A l'est de moi (2008, directed by Bojena Horackova)
  • J'ai rêvé sous l'eau (2008, directed by Hormoz) – Femme Sif
  • Je vous hais petites filles (2008, directed by Yann Gonzalez) – Punk Idol
  • Comédie sentimentale (2008, directed by Emily Barnett) – Marylin
  • La promenade (2007, directed by Marina De Van) – The Prostitute #1
  • La petite fille sous l'océan (2006, directed by Nathalie Giraud) – Anaïs
  • Les invisibles (2005, directed by Thierry Jousse) – Vanessa
  • Écoute le temps (2005, directed by Alanté Alfandari) – Mme Bourmel
  • Quand je serai star (2004, directed by Patrick Mimouni) – Alice
  • Qui perd gagne! (2003,directed by Laurent Benegui) – The Deauville Gambler
  • L’empreinte (2003, directed by David Mathieu-Mahias) – Anna Yordanoff
  • Cette femme-là (2003, directed by Guillaume Nicloux) – Mme Kopmans
  • Un homme, un vrai (2003, directed by Arnaud & Jean-Marie Larrieu) – The Producer
  • Je suis votre homme aka Eros thérapie (2003, directed by Danièle Dubroux) – Hélène
  • Il est plus facile pour un chameau... (2002, directed by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) – A Woman at Cinema
  • Les diable (2002, directed by Christophe Ruggia)
  • Un aller simple (2001, directed by Laurent Heynemann) – Clémentine
  • Paris mon petit corps est bien las de ce grand monde (2000, directed by Francoise Prenant) – Agathe's Friend
  • L'Oncle Paul (2000, directed by Gérard Vergez) – Colombe
  • Adieu, plancher des vaches! (1999, directed by Otar Iosseliani) – A Prostitute
  • La patinoire (1999, directed by Jean-Philippe Toussaint) – The Editor
  • Maison de famille (1999, (TV) directed by Serge Moati) – Sandra
  • La nouvelle Eve (1998, directed by Catherine Corsini) – A Woman of the PS
  • Rien que des grandes personnes (1997, directed by Jean-Marc Brondolo)
  • Vive la république! (1997, directed by Éric Rochant) – Victor's Woman
  • La petite maman (1997, directed by Patrice Martineau) – The Swimming Teacher
  • Liberté chérie (1996, directed by Jean-Luc Gaget)
  • Romaine (1996, directed by Agnès Obadia) – Pastelle
  • L'appartement (1996, directed by Gilles Mimouni) – A Woman at Travel Agency
  • Encore (1996, directed by Pascal Bonitzer) – Olga
  • Romaine et les filles (1995, directed by Agnès Obadia)
  • Pullman paradis (1995, directed by Michèle Rosier) – Marie-Paule Daragnès
  • Maigret: Cécile est morte (1994, (TV) directed by Denys de la Patellière) – Florence Boynet
  • Bête de scène (1994, directed by Bernard Nissile) – One of the Daughters
  • X pour Xana (1994, directed by Dominic Gould)
  • Montparnasse-Pondichéry (1993, directed by Yves Robert) – Colette
  • Rupture(s) (1993, directed by Christine Citti) – Anna
  • Grand bonheur (1993, directed by Hervé Le Roux) – Emma
  • Comment font les gens? (1992, directed by Pascale Bailly) – Emmanuelle
  • La sévillane (1992, directed by Jean-Philippe Toussaint) – Pascale's Friend
  • La table d'émeraude (1992, directed by Pierre Bourgeade)
  • Chant de guerre parisien (1991, directed by Laetitia Masson)
  • Monsieur (1990, directed by Jean-Philippe Toussaint) – Mme Ponz-Romanov
  • L'Orchestre rouge (1989, directed by Jacques Rouffio) – Margaret
  • Marie cherchait l'amour (1989, directed by Sylvie Matton)
  • Résidence surveillée (1987, directed by Frédéric Compain)
  • L'amoureuse (1987, directed by Jacques Doillon) – Elsa
  • Hôtel de France (1986, directed by Patrice Chéreau) – Katia, the Waitress
  • Jeux d'artifices (1986, directed by Virginie Thévenet) – Eva
  • Grenouilles (1985, directed by Adolfo Arrieta) – Kati
  • Les Nanas (1984, directed by Annick Lanoë) – Miss France
  • La Nuit porte-jarretelles (1984, directed by Virginie Thévenet)
  • Meurtres à domicile (1981, directed by Marc Lobet) – Pauline
  • L'amant de poche (1978, directed by Bernard Queysanne) – Martine
  • Maladolescenza (1977, directed by Pier Giuseppe Murgia) – Silvia
  • Le locataire (1976, directed by Roman Polanski) – Bettina, Mme Gaderian's Daughter
  • Spermula (1976, directed by Charles Matton)

As director

Theatrical work

References
  1. "Irina Ionesco: from erotica to fashion at 74". 12 June 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  2. "Les parents terribles d'Eva Ionesco". 2 September 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  3. Armstrong, Lisa. "Christian Louboutin: the fun and fetishism". Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  4. ZAHM, OLIVIER. "SIMON LIBERATI". Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  5. Zahm, Olivier. "purple MAGAZINE — Purple #31 The Paris issue". Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  6. Eva Ionesco, tombée des nus – Libération – Anne Diatkine – 22 July 2010
  7. Der Spiegel – 23 May 1977
  8. Willsher, Kim (8 August 2015). "Irina Ionesco: the grande dame, her 'Lolita' pictures, and a true Paris scandal". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  9. Anne Diatkine, Isabelle Huppert dans "My little princess", ELLE France, 24 June 2011
  10. Rooney, David. "My Little Princess: Cannes 2011 Review".
  11. "Child Playboy star Eva Ionesco sues her photographer mother over 'stolen childhood'". The Telegraph. 20 December 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  12. Fedorova, Anastasiia (9 February 2016). "an intimate portrait of lukas ionesco". Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  13. Simon Liberati, « Eva Ionesco : une petite princesse au Soleil levant », Libération, 3 June 2014.
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