Born in Paris, France, Isabelle Townsend is brought up speaking both English and French by her Belgian mother and British father, a writer.
Between 1979-1982, Isabelle studies French and English literature at the University of la Sorbonne in Paris, and Italian renaissance at Ecole du Louvre.
Upon completing her studies, Isabelle begins her modeling career between Paris, Milan and New York, working with major photographers including Bruce Weber, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Horst P. Horst, Peter Lindbergh and Arthur Elgort.
In 1986, Isabelle signs an exclusive contract with American designer Ralph Lauren which turns into a five-year collaboration with Ralph and photographer Bruce Weber.
During this period, Isabelle begins her drama studies in New York.
In 1991, Isabelle begins her film career with a supporting role in Joel and Ethan Coen’s Barton Fink which wins the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1993, while war is raging in Yugoslavia, she plays Moshinka, the leading role in Are they still shooting? directed by Tomislav Novakovic.
In 1994, returning to her hometown of Paris, Isabelle plays Sally, a British au pair, in the leading role in Grossesse Nerveuse, a T.V Film for France 2, directed by Denis Rabaglia.
In 1995 & 1996, Isabelle is cast in a recurring role in US TNT TV series The Lazarus Man, starring Robert Urich.
Isabelle turns to Theatre with French stage appearances which include The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend and L’Inattendu by Fabrice Melquiot, both directed by Romain Bonnin for the Theatre du Jeu de Paume in Aix-en-Provence. In New York she plays in Monster by David Copeland and The Philosopher’s Stone by Mihaly Kerenyi.
In 1997, Isabelle returns to the big screen with the leading role in a short film The Deep End, directed by Jennifer Atkins . In the same year, she becomes a member of The 42nd Street Workshop Theatre Company and The Barrow Group in New York.
In 1998, Isabelle appears in The Last Days of Disco, directed by Whit Stillman and plays in another leading role in a short film, A River in India, directed by Columbia University film student Annette Apitz.
Isabelle is cast by Ed Harris to portray the painter Mercedes Matter in his 1999 film Pollock. Based on Tony Greco ‘s acting class in L.A., Isabelle appears in the 2002 IFCT Toronto Best Documentary Award, Inner Voices, directed by Peter Lindbergh.
Isabelle continues her acting career while taking modeling assignments. She is featured in the 2003 advertising campaigns for Kookai, photographed by Peter Lindbergh, and Banana Republic, photographed by Koto Bolofo.
In 2003, Isabelle is given “carte blanche” by theatre director Dominique Bluzet to create an interactive project in English for French schools. She tours with Alice in the Sky with Diamonds, a contemporary adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, in schools of the Marseilles and Aix-en-provence region. With the success of this production, Marcel Rufo (a psychiatrist & icon in his craft) asks Isabelle to perform in his hospital for children (E.M.A).
Isabelle continues to work on theatrical adaptations from classics such as, in 2005, William Golding ‘s Lord of the Flies.
In 2006, she becomes the face of Patek Philippe, a campaign photographed by Peter Lindbergh.
Between 2009 and 2011, she returns to Marseilles and Aix for the Theatre du Gymnase and Jeu de Paume, with her adaptation of “Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone”: “Potter goes to Hollywood”, a new one-woman show in English.
From 2012, she tours in more schools in the south as well as in the suburbs of Paris with her new adaptation of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S Lewis.
In 2013, Isabelle joins Irina Brook ’s Dream Theatre company and plays Euphrosine in “L’Île des Esclaves” by Pierre Marivaux, directed by Irina Brook . The play is part of “The island Trilogy” presented at the Spoleto Festival of the same year. The show tours in Italy, France and in Tbilissi, Georgia.
In January 2015, Isabelle plays in “Shakespeare’s Sister ou La Vie Matérielle” adapted and directed by Irina Brook at the Theatre National de Nice.
In 2016, the play tours in Corsica and in France.
From 2016 to 2019, Isabelle tours in a new comedy in English for the stage called “Coronation Chicken”, written by Chris Mooney and directed by Emily Wilson.
In 2018, Isabelle embarks on a project related to one of her father’s books “The Postman of Nagasaki ”. She co-writes and co-produces a documentary with film maker Mika Kawase. “The Postman from Nagasaki ” premiers at the Hiroshima International Film Festival in November 2021 and is released in movie theatres in Japan in August 2022.
