Born in Boulogne-Billancourt in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in a family from Russian, Jewish Egyptian, German and Italian ancestry,[2][3] Marina Foïs was discovered in 1986 for her comedy work in The School for Wives, at the age of 16.

She then joined The Royal Imperial Green Rabbit Company, which later became Les Robins des Bois, composed of students from the Cours Florent taught by Isabelle Nanty.

The troupe caught the attention of Dominique Farrugia in 1996 and went on to act and direct in the Comédie+ show La Grosse Émission for two years.

During that period, Foïs co-wrote sketches with Pierre-François Martin-Laval, playing a number of various characters, like the dim-witted Sophie Pétoncule and the pedantic director Marie-Mûre.

Giulia Foïs is a journalist at Libération and a former columnist in the program Arrêt sur images presented by Daniel Schneidermann on France 5, and a current news anchor on I-Télé.