AllMovie

Though Japanese audiences are undoubtedly familiar with French actress Julie Dreyfus thanks to her status as a gaijin tarento (foreign talent) in Nippon, it wasn't until her breakthrough role Quentin Tarantino's 2003 revenge epic Kill Bill that the talented, multilingual actress would become a familiar face to stateside audiences. A native of Paris, the future actress was initially drawn to work in interior design and architecture while still a student, though her striking beauty, ability to speak French, Japanese, and English and formidable talent in front of the camera soon found her following a notably different and unexpected career path. With early work as a photographer and television reporter in Japan providing her with exposure on the small screen, it wasn't long before Dreyfus was edging ever closer to drama. After roles in such television series as Strange Discoveries, Ryu's Bar, and Sense and Nonsense provided audiences with a taste of her dramatic capabilities, numerous television dramas such as Don't Steal My Heart and Interactive Suspense were quick to follow. Two years after making her feature debut in the 1992 Japanese film Faraway Sunset, Dreyfus received her first taste of international exposure with a supporting role in Rintaro Mayuzumi's acclaimed biographical drama Rampo. Her English-language debut came with the same year's family comedy A Feast at Midnight, and it wasn't long after that she set her sights on stateside productions in hopes of expanding her talents beyond Japan. A role in the short-lived television series The Crow: Stairway to Heaven did indeed provide her with more international recognition in 1998, and following a role in the 2000 feature Bathory, Dreyfus essayed a supporting role in the French movie Jean Moulin (2002). It was the following year, however, that proved to be Dreyfus' international breakthrough, and her impressive performance as feared assassin O-Ren Ishii's (Lucy Liu) dedicated right-hand woman, Sofie Fatale, in Kill Bill forever insured that she would no longer be confused with a certain Seinfeld starlet with whom she shares a nearly identical namesake. In addition to her career in front of the camera, Julie Dreyfus is also a published author.