Fanny Marguerite Judith Ardant (Saumur, 22 March 1949) is a French actress. Ardant was born in Saumur Maine-et-Loire, France, to a military attaché father. She grew up in Monaco until age 17 when she moved to Aix-en-Provence to study at the Institut d'études politiques d'Aix-en-Provence. In her early twenties her interest turned to acting and in 1974 she made her first appearance on stage.
By the early 1980s she was a major motion picture star, gaining international recognition for her role opposite Gérard Depardieu in "The Woman Next Door". The film, directed by François Truffaut, brought Ardant her first César Award nomination for best actress in 1982.