In 1985, she wrote and starred in her first one-woman show called Welcome to the Club, directed by Rémi Chenylle [fr], drawing eleven portraits of characters.

She had a supporting role in Merci la vie by Bertrand Blier, alongside Charlotte Gainsbourg, Anouk Grinberg, Michel Blanc, Jean Carmet, Annie Girardot, Jean-Louis Trintignant and Gérard Depardieu.

She played Rose in La Fille de l'air by Maroun Bagdadi, with Béatrice Dalle, Hippolyte Girardot and Jean-Claude Dreyfus.

Jacob was in three shorts: Tout petit déjà by David Carayon, O mon amour with Artus de Penguern and Cocon by Martin Provost.

She appeared in the short Stella plage with Dominique Pinon and in the TV movie L'Éternel Mari by Denys Granier-Deferre, with Roger Hanin and Macha Méril.

She had the leading role in Les Braqueuses by Jean-Paul Salomé, with Clémentine Célarié and in Oh God, Women Are So Loving by Magali Clément, with Mathieu Carrière.

[3] In 1995, she worked for the third time with director Étienne Chatiliez in the big success Happiness Is in the Field, alongside Michel Serrault, Eddy Mitchell, Sabine Azéma and Carmen Maura.

She played the diva Carla Milo in Les Grands Ducs by Patrice Leconte, with Jean-Pierre Marielle, Philippe Noiret, Jean Rochefort and Michel Blanc.

She starred in the movie Oui by Alexandre Jardin, with Dany Boon, Jean-Marie Bigard and Claire Keim, and in Let's Hope it Lasts with Ticky Holgado and Gérard Darmon.

She also had the leading role in two TV movies: Maintenant ou jamais with Daniel Russo, Samy Naceri and Chantal Lauby and La vie à trois with Aurélien Recoing.

She had the leading role in two TV movies: La Double Vie de Jeanne with Micheline Presle and Christine Citti, and Les faux-fuyants, with Arielle Dombasle and Nicolas Vaude.

She starred in the movie God Is Great and I'm Not with Audrey Tautou, Édouard Baer, Julie Depardieu, Philippe Laudenbach and Thierry Neuvic.

Jacob also lent her voice to the animated TV miniseries Corto Maltese, with Richard Berry, Patrick Bouchitey and Marie Trintignant.

In 2003, she appeared in Who Killed Bambi?, directed by Gilles Marchand, with Sophie Quinton, Laurent Lucas, Yasmine Belmadi, Valérie Donzelli and Joséphine de Meaux.

She starred in two TV movies: L'adieu, with Thomas Jouannet, Mélanie Doutey, Gilles Lellouche, Jean Benguigui, and Cécile Cassel, and L'île atlantique by Gérard Mordillat [fr].

[6] In 2004, she was in The First Time I Turned Twenty by Lorraine Lévy, with Marilou Berry, Serge Riaboukine, Pierre Arditi, Raphaël Personnaz and Michel Vuillermoz.

She had roles in three TV movies: Une vie by Élisabeth Rappeneau, with Wladimir Yordanoff and Barbara Schulz, Louise, with Huguette Oligny and Désiré Landru with Patrick Timsit and Danièle Lebrun.

She starred in four TV movies: Comment lui dire by Laurent Firode, Mes parents chéris with Adriana Asti and Michel Aumont, L'enfant d'une autre with Arly Jover and Olivier Marchal and Le Soldat rose with Matthieu Chedid, Louis Chedid, Alain Souchon, Vanessa Paradis and Francis Cabrel.

She also appeared in the TV miniseries Le Cri with Francis Renaud, Jacques Bonnaffé, Dominique Blanc, Yolande Moreau and François Morel.

[9] In 2007, she came back to the theater after a seven year break with the play Jusqu'à ce que la mort nous sépare by Rémi de Vos [fr], directed by Éric Vigner, at the Théâtre du Rond-Point.

She starred in the drama Behind the Walls, directed by Christian Faure, with Carole Bouquet, François Damiens, Michel Jonasz, Guillaume Gouix and Pascal N'Zonzi.

She played in 48 heures par jour by Catherine Castel, with Aure Atika, Antoine de Caunes, Victoria Abril, Bernadette Lafont and Aurore Clément.

She also had the leading part in the TV movie La Maison Tellier, directed by Élisabeth Rappeneau, with Bruno Lochet and Sophie Quinton.

[13] In 2009, she appeared in the short L'arbre à clous, directed by Fabrice Couchard, which was presented at the Brussels International Independent Film Festival.

She had roles in two TV movies: Notre Dame des Barjots with Zabou Breitman and Pierre Cassignard and He's the One... Or Not with Delphine Chanéac and Sagamore Stévenin.

[19] In 2011, she had a supporting role in Roses à crédit, directed by Amos Gitai, with Léa Seydoux, Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, Pierre Arditi, Arielle Dombasle, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Florence Thomassin, André Wilms, Ariane Ascaride and Elsa Zylberstein.

She starred in the horror movie Livid directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, with Félix Moati, Marie-Claude Pietragalla and Béatrice Dalle.

She also made an advertisement for LCL S.A.[25] In 2014, she played two supporting roles in two movies: L'Ex de ma vie with Géraldine Nakache and Kim Rossi Stuart, and Lili Rose with Mehdi Dehbi.

The character portrayed by Catherine Jacob was said to strongly resemble Marine Le Pen, and members of the political party saw the film as an affront.

Steeve Briois, the FN mayor of Hénin-Beaumont tweeted: "Poor Marine Le Pen, who is caricatured by this tobacco pot of Catherine Jacob.