| Jarunee Suksawat | |
| Native Name: | จารุณี สุขสวัสดิ์ |
| Native Name Lang: | th |
| Birth Date: | 12 February 1962 |
| Birth Place: | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Education: | Bachelor of Social Sciences, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Thailand |
| Years Active: | 1977 - present |
| Known For: | Thai action films (1970s–1980s) |
Jarunee Suksawat (Thai: จารุณี สุขสวัสดิ์; born February 12, 1962), also known by her French name Caroline Desneiges, is a Thai actress and businesswoman. 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.[1]
Suksawat was born to a Thai mother, Rabiab Suksawat, and a French father, Ferdinand Desneiges, who had abandoned her since she was a young age. Her grandmother helped raise Suksawat as a single mother in low-income housing.[1] Suksawat attended Bang Kapi School, followed by a vocational course at Chao Phraya Commercial, and finally receiving a Bachelor's degree in Social Science from Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University and a Master's degree in Cosmetical Sciences from Mae Fah Luang University in Chiang Rai, Thailand.
Suksawat did not meet her father until 2000, shortly before his death.
Suksawat starred in hundreds of films and was known as the "action movie queen",[1] 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.[1] She was a protégé of director Promsin Sibunruang.[2]
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.[1] Before that, she said she 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,[1] her first role in ten years. She had turned down a number of previous offers and found it difficult to return to filming.[3]
In 2013, she received the Lotus Award for lifetime achievement from the World Film Festival of Bangkok.[1]
Suksawat runs an alternative health and beauty products company, Thaidham Alliance.[1] [3] She was on the steering committee of the 2011 conference of the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists.[4]