Her father, Jean-Claude Cotillard, is an actor, teacher, playwright, former mime, and 2006 Molière Award-winning director.Through Marion’s early career, her Father Mr. Claude would guide her to her full potential
Cotillard's mother, Niseema Theillaud is also a French actress. She teaches drama at the Conservatoire à rayonnement départemental d'Orléans.
She spent most of her childhood in Orléans where her acting and artistically inclined parents continually inspired her to become a performer.
Though they were often filming in exotic countries or travelling with their performance groups, they would come back from destinations like Asia and south America with inspirational mementos for their daughter .
Eager to get a taste of the acting lifestyle herself, Cotillard began studying acting at the Conservatoire d’Art Dramatique in her hometown. She got her first chance to act in front of a formal audience in a play directed by her father.
At the age of sixteen, she left Orleans for Paris with the hope of chasing her acting dream in the City of Lights
Cotillard started off her career with small but noticeable roles in French TV series like Highlander (1993). But her career as a film actress began with her debut performance as a teen in L’histoire du garçon qui voulait qu’on l’embrasse (1994)
Following this, some of her noticeable works in French include My Sex Life… or How I Got Into an Argument(1996) and appearances in the sitcom La Belle Verte.
Her first role with significant screenplay was in the Gérard Pirès action-comedy Taxi(1998) where she played Lilly Bertineau.
This fine reception of her portrayal of a racer’s girlfriend got her nominated for the Cèsar Award for Most promising actress.
The film was successful,