Mélanie Laurent is a French actress, director, and writer, perhaps best known to international audiences for her role in Inglourious Basterds.

Laurent was born in Paris, the daughter of Annick, a ballerina, and Pierre Laurent, a voiceover actor. Laurent is Jewish, and has both Ashkenazi and Tunisian Sephardic ancestry. Her grandfather survived deportation by the Nazis.

Laurent had a long relationship with fellow French actor Julien Boisselier. She describes recording artist Damien Rice and Tarantino as her two "masters".