Genevieve Bujold spent her early years in Montreal's Hochelaga Convent, a restrictive environment that stifled self-expression. The only opportunities for creative expression were limited to giving welcoming speeches to visiting clergy, leaving her feeling trapped and desperate for a way out.
As a child, Bujold felt like she was stuck in a long, dark tunnel, struggling to convince herself that there was light at the end. This sense of desperation was heightened when she was caught reading a forbidden novel, which led to her being handed her ticket out of the convent.
She then enrolled in Montreal's free Conservatoire d'Art Dramatique, where she was trained in classical French drama. Shortly before graduation, she was offered a part in a professional production of Beaumarchais' "The Barber of Seville."
In 1965, while on a theatrical tour of Paris with Rideau Vert, Bujold was recommended to director Alain Resnais by his mother, who cast her opposite Yves Montand in "The War Is Over" (1966). She then went on to make two other French films, Philippe de Broca's cult classic "King of Hearts" (1966) and Louis Malle's "The Thief of Paris" (1967).
During this time, she was also active in Canadian television, where she met and married director Paul Almond in 1967. They had one child and divorced in 1974. Two notable performances - as Saint Joan on television and Anne Boleyn in her Hollywood debut "Anne of the Thousand Days" (1969) - introduced Bujold to American audiences and earned her Emmy and Oscar nominations respectively.
After "Anne," Bujold opted out of a planned "Mary, Queen of Scots" (1971),citing creative differences and prompting Universal to sue her for $750,000. Rather than pay the fine, she went to Greece to film "The Trojan Women" (1971) with Katharine Hepburn.
Her performance as Cassandra in "The Trojan Women" was met with critical acclaim, with critic Pauline Kael predicting "prodigies ahead." To appease Universal, Bujold eventually returned to Hollywood to make "Earthquake" (1974),co-starring Charlton Heston, which was a box office hit.
The 1970s and 1980s saw a variety of films, including "Obsession" (1976),"Coma" (1978),"The Last Flight of Noah's Ark" (1980),and "Tightrope" (1984). Despite the varying quality of these films, Bujold managed to deliver performances that combined her trademark intensity and vulnerability.
In the 1980s, she found herself drawn to director Alan Rudolph's unique style and joined his film family for three movies, including the memorable "Choose Me" (1984). More recent highlights include her intense performance in David Cronenberg's "Dead Ringers" (1988) and a lovely turn in the autumnal romance "Les noces de papier" (1990).
