Jarunee Suksawat


Jarunee Suksawat, also known by her French name Caroline Desneiges, is a Thai actress and businesswoman of French and Thai ancestry. She has been called "Action Queen of Thailand" and is best known for her hundreds of appearances in action movies in the 1970s and 80s.

Early life and education

Jarunee attended secondary school at Bangkapi, followed by a vocational course at Chao Phaya Commercial, finally receiving a Bachelor degree in Social Science from and a Master in Cosmetical Sciences from in Chiang Rai, Thailand.
Her family was poor and she was raised by her grandmother. Her father Ferdinand Desneiges was French, and her Thai mother was Rabiab Suksawat. Desneiges did not realise he was her father and they did not meet him until around 2000, shortly before his death.

Acting career

Jarunee starred in hundreds of films and was known as the "action movie queen", although she had no training in martial arts. She began acting in films in 1977, first in Sawasdee Khun Kroo and then in Rak Laew Raw Noi with popular actor Sorapong Chatree. She was a protégé of director Promsin Sibunruang.
In 1980, she starred in the drama film Baan Sai Thong, directed by Ruj Ronnapop and later in the sequel Pojjaman Sawangwong, seen as a breakthrough role. Before that, she said was typecast as a tomboy.
She left acting in the mid 1980s after being injured while filming, but occasionally returns to acting, including in the 2008 film Queens of Langkasuka directed by Nonzee Nimibutr, her first role in ten years. She had turned down a number of previous offers and found it difficult to return to filming.

Awards

In 2013, she received the Lotus Award for lifetime achievement from the World Film Festival of Bangkok.
Jarunee runs an alternative health and beauty products company, Thaidham Alliance. She was on the steering committee of the 2011 conference of the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists.