Nora Arnezeder was born on May 8, 1989, in Paris, France. Her father is Austrian, and her mother is Egyptian-Jewish. She spent a year in Bali at the age of 14 before returning to Paris to study dance and singing at the Cours Florent drama school.
Arnezeder began her acting career in French television and film. She gained early recognition for her role as Chloé in the French romantic drama Paris 36 (Faubourg 36) released in 2008. For her performance, she won the Lumières Award for Most Promising Actress. She also sang the song “Loin de Paname” for the film’s soundtrack.
Arnezeder’s career expanded internationally with roles in English-language films. She played the female lead in the 2012 action thriller Safe House, alongside Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. She also appeared in The Words (2012) with Bradley Cooper. In 2013, she starred in Maniac, a remake of the 1980 slasher film.
Arnezeder has also worked in television. She portrayed Ana Moreau in the Amazon series Mozart in the Jungle (2014-2018). She played Leela Lomax in the CBS series Zoo (2016). She starred as Eve in the Netflix series Army of Thieves (2021), a prequel to Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead. She also appeared in The Offer (2022), a miniseries about the making of The Godfather, where she portrayed Francoise Glazer.