Irène Némirovsky (1903–1942) was a novelist of Ukrainian Jewish origin born in Kiev Ukraine under the Russian Empire; she lived more than half her life in France, and wrote in French, but was denied French citizenship. Arrested as a Jew under the racial laws –which did not take into account her conversion to Roman Catholicism– she died at Auschwitz at the age of 39. Successful in her day, she is now best known for the posthumously published Suite française.
Irène Marie Jacob is a dual French-Swiss actress considered one of the preeminent French actresses of her generation. Jacob gained international recognition and acclaim through her work with Polish film director Krzysztof Kieślowski. She won the 1991 Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for the Kieślowski film The Double Life of Véronique, and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for his 1994 film Three Colors: Red. Her other film appearances include The Secret Garden, Beyond the Clouds, U.S. Marshals, and Eternity.
I like the English version of Irene but I prefer the French version. It has "Rene" in it which means "queen" in French (the way it's pronounced not the way it's spelt) and it sounds more mature than Irene.