A slight, attractive leading lady, born to French parents in Indochina, Pisier moved to Paris with her family at the age of 12 and began acting in films five years later. Her debut was in the Francois Truffaut-directed segment of the omnibus "L'Amour a vingt ans/Love at Twenty" (1962) and she late appeared in Truffaut's "Baiser voles/Stolen Kisses" (1968) and "L'Amour en fuite/Love on the Run" (1980), which she also co-wrote. Pisier had made her screenwriting debut with "Celine et Julie vont en bateau/Celine and Julie Go Boating" (1973), in which she also co-starred. She gained widespread public recognition in 1975 as the star of the popular comedy "Cousin, Cousine"--a role which earned her a Best Actress Cesar. Subsequent features include three with director Andre Techine, "Souvenirs en France/French Provincial" (1975), "Barocco" (1976) and "The Bronte Sisters" (1978), in which she portrayed Charlotte.
Pisier attempted to crack the American film industry with "The Other Side of Midnight" (1977), a dull misfire adapted from a Sidney Sheldon novel. She did not fare well with either her TV credits (the 1979 ABC miniseries "The French Atlantic Affair" and 1980's "Scruples") or her second Hollywood film "French Postcards" (1979). Returning to France, she continued to work; in 1990, Pisier made her directorial debut with "Le Bal du gouverneur/The Governor's Party", which she adapted from her own novel. Still gorgeous, she also offered a marvelous turn as the vulgar Madame Verdurin in "Time Regained/Le Temps retrouve" (1999) Raul Ruiz's adaptation of Proust.