Ysabelle Lacamp

Ysabelle Lacamp (November 7, 1954 – June 26, 2023) was a multifaceted French talent renowned for her contributions as a novelist, singer, and actress. Born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, she was the daughter of esteemed journalist and author Max Olivier-Lacamp, a recipient of the prestigious prix Renaudot in 1969, and Pyong-You Hyun, who hailed from Korea.

Lacamp pursued her academic interests in Chinese and Korean at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, later complementing her education with a degree in Oriental languages in Paris. Her acting career launched in 1975 with her role in the film Emmanuelle, followed by notable performances in Le Marginal (1983) alongside Jean-Paul Belmondo and in Le Joli Cœur with Francis Perrin. She featured in various television series, including Les Enquêtes du Commissaire Maigret and Les Cinq Dernières Minutes, and lent her voice to dubbing projects.

In addition to her acting, Lacamp ventured into music, releasing a 45 rpm single titled Baby Bop in 1987. She also hosted the cultural program Hors la ville on France 3 Limousin Poitou-Charentes and co-organized the esteemed literary meetings “Racines du ciel” in Ajaccio for seven years.

As a novelist, her debut work, Le Baiser du dragon, came out in 1986 and became a bestseller. Lacamp served as a juror for the Jean-Jacques-Rousseau Prize for autobiography and was honored with the Cabri d'or from the Académie cévenole in 2003. She passed away in Paris from cancer at the age of 68.