Tautou was born in Beaumont, Puy-de-Dôme, France. Audrey showed
an interest for comedy at an early age and started her acting
lessons at `Cours Florent'. In 1998, she participated in a Star
Search-like competition sponsored by Canal+ called "Jeunes
Premier" (The Young First) and won Best Young Actress at the
9th Béziers Festival of Young Actors. Then, she came to the
attention of Tonie Marshall who gave her a role in the César-winning
Venus Beauty Institute (1999, aka Vénus beauté (institut)).
In 2000, she won the Prix Suzanne Bianchetti as her country's
most promising young film actress.

In 2001, Tautou rose to international fame by playing the
eccentric Amélie from the romantic French comedy of the same
name. However, in her native France she was already well-known
for her work in the earlier Venus Beauty Institute.

In June 2004 she was invited to join the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). She accepted the invitation
and is still a member as of September 1, 2006.

In 2005 Tautou worked in her first full Hollywood production,
opposite Tom Hanks, in the film version of Dan Brown's best-selling
novel, The Da Vinci Code, directed by Ron Howard and released
in May 2006.

She has said that Meryl Streep, Paul Newman, Juliette Lewis,
Jodie Foster and Julianne Moore are her acting idols.

She is the eldest of four children, having a brother and two
sisters.