Nora Hamzawi

Hamzawi was born in Cannes and grew up in Paris. Her family is of Syrian origin.^[1]

After completing her baccalauréat, she briefly enrolled in law school before leaving after a few weeks. She then studied communication at Paris Descartes University and later at CELSA. Alongside her studies, she trained in acting at Cours Florent and the Atelier Fanny Vallon.^[2]

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Hamzawi began performing stand-up in 2009 with her first one-woman show. She was noticed the same year at the Just for Laughs festival in Nantes. Early in her career, she also worked as a writer for the television series Scènes de ménages on M6.

Between 2011 and 2012, she appeared on On n'demande qu'à en rire, a comedy show hosted by Laurent Ruquier on France 2. Her participation was marked by a tense experience with the format and its competitive judging, including criticism from actor Jean Benguigui.^[3] She later described the show as formative but ultimately pushed her to focus on her own writing and stage work.

From 2013 to 2015, she performed the short segment Oh-Oh de Nora as part of Le Before du Grand Journal on Canal+. She subsequently became a regular columnist on Le Grand Journal.

In 2016, she joined the talk show Quotidien on TMC, hosted by Yann Barthès, where she presented a recurring segment titled Nora a la réponse, humorously answering children's questions.

In parallel, she worked on radio at France Inter between 2013 and 2017, notably on On va tous y passer and La Bande originale.

Hamzawi has developed a series of solo shows built around autobiographical material, combining self-deprecation, anxiety and observations of everyday life.

After several early productions, she toured widely across France with her shows from the 2010s onward. Since 2024, she has been performing a new stand-up show in Paris and on tour, including dates outside France, notably in Switzerland, Belgium and Canada.

Her work is often described as a form of “therapy through laughter”, addressing topics such as relationships, mental health and social expectations.^[4]

Her stage work includes:

• Nora One Woman Show (2009), Théâtre Le Bout, Paris
• Le Show inutile (2010), Théâtre de La Loge, Paris
• Harmonie hormonale (2012), La Comédie des Trois-Bornes
• Nora Hamzawi (2013–2018), touring show across France
• Nora Hamzawi (since 2024), performed in Paris and on tour

Several of her shows have been recorded and broadcast on French television, notably on TMC, and later made available on streaming platforms.

Hamzawi has published several books based on her stage material and personal reflections, including 30 ans (10 ans de thérapie) (2016) and 35 ans (dont 15 avant Internet) (2021).

In 2025, she released Couple. Splendeurs et misères de la vie à deux (“Couple: Splendors and Miseries of Life as a Pair”), a photo-novel created with photographer Stéphan Gladieu : book explores intimate relationships through staged scenes and humor.

Alongside her work in stand-up, Hamzawi has developed a parallel career as an actress.

She has appeared in films by directors such as Nicolas Pariser (Alice et le Maire), Laetitia Masson (Un hiver en été) and Pascal Bonitzer (Le Tableau volé).

She has also collaborated several times with Olivier Assayas, notably in Doubles vies (2018), for which she received the Swann d’Or for Best Female Revelation at the Cabourg Film Festival. In 2022, she appeared in Assayas’s television series Irma Vep.

In 2025, she was announced among the cast of Paradoxes, a six-part science-fiction comedy series produced by Arte and Mediawan, combining live action and generative AI.^[5]

In March 2026, Hamzawi launched the podcast En apparence, focusing on body image, self-perception and social norms. Early guests included humorist Marine Leonardi [fr], cartoonist Pénélope Bagieu, comedian Jérémy Ferrari, fashion television presenter Cristina Córdula and actor Vincent Lacoste.

The show quickly entered audience rankings in France: according to data from the ACPM (Alliance for Press and Media Figures), more than 33 million podcast downloads were recorded across certified programmes in March 2026, including En apparence among new entries.^[6]

• Doubles vies (2018)
• Alice and the Mayor (Alice et le Maire) (2019)
• Éléonore (2020)
• Irma Vep (2022)
• Auction (Le Tableau volé) (2024)
• Suspended Time (Hors du temps) (2024)

• 30 ans (10 ans de thérapie) (2016)
• 35 ans (dont 15 avant Internet) (2021)
• Public imaginaire (2021)
• Couple. Splendeurs et misères de la vie à deux (2025)

• 2013: SACD Prize, L'Humour en Capitales
• 2017: SACEM Grand Prize for Humour
• 2019: Swann d’Or for Best Female Revelation (Doubles vies)