A citizen of the United States, France and Spain, Hélène Cardona is fluent in English, French, Spanish, German, Greek and Italian. Born in Paris of a Greek mother and Spanish father and raised all over Europe, she studied English Philology and Literature in Cambridge, England; Spanish at the International Universities of Santander and Baeza, Spain; and German at the Goethe Institute in Bremen, Germany. She attended Hamilton College, New York, where she also taught French and Spanish, and the Sorbonne, Paris, where she wrote her thesis on Henry James for her Master's in American Literature.
A graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, she also trained with Ellen Burstyn, Sandra Seacat, Sondra Lee and Susan Batson at the Actors' Studio (New York). She performed at the Players Club, The Actors' Studio, and with The Naked Angels and Ubu Theater Companies in New York. She played Françoise "Fuffi" Drou in Lasse Hallström's Le chocolat (2000), Candy in Lawrence Kasdan's Mumford (1999), Mrs. Russell in Stealing Roses (2012). Among her many voice characters are Happy Feet 2 (2011), Les Muppets, le retour (2011), and Opération Muppets (2014). She voiced the role of the French Food Critic in Les recettes du bonheur (2014), a BBC Reporter in La planète des singes: L'affrontement (2014) and World War Z (2013), the French Announcer in Jurassic World (2015), and the Android Robotic Computer Voice in Heroes Reborn (2015). For Un amour à New York (2001), she co-wrote with Peter Chelsom and Alan Silvestri the song Lucienne, which she also sang. Producing credits include the award-winning documentary Femme (2013) and Pablo Neruda: The Poet's Calling. She has lived in Paris, France; Geneva, Switzerland; Cambridge and London, England; Llandudno, Wales; Monte-Carlo, Monaco; Bremen, Germany; Madrid, Tarragona and Santander, Spain; New York City and Santa Monica, and travels extensively.
She is the author of Life in Suspension (Salmon Poetry, 2016); Dreaming My Animal Selves (Salmon Poetry, 2013), winner of the USA Best Book Award in Poetry, the Pinnacle Book Award for Best Bilingual Poetry Book, the Readers' Favorite Book Award in Poetry, and Finalist for the International Book Award in Poetry and the The Julie Suk Book Award; Beyond Elsewhere (White Pine Press, 2016), recipient of a Hemingway Grant, her translation of Gabriel Arnou-Laujeac; Ce que nous portons (Editions du Cygne, 2014), her translation of Dorianne Laux; and The Astonished Universe (Red Hen Press, 2006). She co-wrote with John M. FitzGerald the screenplay Primate, based on his novel, and writes children stories.
She has worked as a translator/interpreter for the Canadian Embassy, the French Chamber of Commerce and works as a translator and language coach for the film and music industry. She is also a teacher, dream analyst, animal lover and animal activist.
Helene is a yoga practitioner, dancer and equestrian.
Member of BAFTA/LA, SAG-AFTRA, PEN American, PEN Center USA, Poetry Society of America, American Academy of Poets, AWP.
