Born in Paris to a movie-director father and an actress mother, at age 15 she was sent to study at a specialized arts high school, after which she attended the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts of Paris.

At age 18 she obtained a small role in the small independent film . While trying to build her career over the next five years, she worked as a clerk at a Paris department store and as a painter's model.

She was 24 when she received her first big break with a role in Philip Kaufman's film trilogy, for which she won the 1993 Cesar Award for best actress. In addition, she has been nominated for the Cesar Award for Best Actress a further five times during her career.

In 1996 her role as Hana, a Canadian nurse tending to a wounded stranger during World War II, in the blockbuster film , brought her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, in an upset over expected winner Lauren Bacall whose seniority the Academy chose to overlook. Onstage, Binoche called to Bacall that Bacall was the one who really deserved the Award.

In 2000, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her starring role in the film ).

In addition to her numerous motion picture roles, Binoche has starred on Broadway. She is the highest paid film actress in the history of France.

Binoche has two children, Raphael (with Andre Halle) and Hanna (with French actor Benoit Magimel).