Far from the noisy streets of Manhattan and the bright lights of Hollywood, this is the picturesque French village where the now snubbed Oscar favorite Timothée Chalamet comes to relax. Surrounded by mountains, lush forests and fresh-water streams, bucolic Le Chambon-sur-Lignon is the ancestorial home of the A Complete Unknown actor's French family. Born and raised in New York City, the 29-year-old is proud of his Gallic roots and spent summers as a child here visiting his grandparents and playing with his French cousins. And it was here that he brought his celebrity girlfriend Kylie Jenner for a discreet, romantic European getaway in August 2023, in the early stages of his love affair with the youngest of the Kardashian sisters. 'Everyone in Chambon knows the Chalamet family and are proud of what Timothée has achieved as an actor, but this is the place he comes to relax so we leave him alone,' Town Hall official Christine Salques told DailyMail.com. 'He comes here to relax and take in the peace and quiet of rural France. 'And we allow him to do that. No one wants to pounce on him and make him feel uncomfortable.' One of five children, Timothée's father Marc, grew up in this pretty hill-top village where his father Roger was the pastor at a Protestant church and his Canadian mother Jean taught French to missionaries heading to Africa. But Monsieur Chalamet left this tight-knit community to seek his fortune as a journalist in New York where he built a family with his Broadway dancer and French literature student wife Nicole Flender. But the proud Frenchman made sure his children, Pauline and then Timothée, learned the language of Jean-Paul Sartre and Brigitte Bardot. And during the Summer holidays, the youngsters were able to explore the forests, build dens and climb trees and paddled in the streams that characterized the countryside of this remote part of central France with his cousins - under the watchful eyes of their grandparents. 'For my son, who was born in New York, in a city where playing outside is not really possible, Le Chambon-sur-Lignon was another world. 'The place for real holidays in the countryside and the mountains. The ideal place,' The actor's father Marc Chalamet said in an interview with the French society magazine Paris Match last month. 'We lived in the middle of Manhattan, where there is noise all the time, like police sirens. He had to get used to the silence again. He found it disturbing, especially when he was seven or eight years old.' But Timothée adapted to the culture shock and would race around the village, collecting pastries – croissants and pain au chocolates – for a traditional French breakfast and would pick up a daily copy of France's sports newspaper, L'Equipe. A neighbor explained: 'He was a very cute, funny little boy who ran everywhere. He spoke French and played football just like all the other kids.' His love of football – or soccer as it is known in the USA – has stayed with Timothée and the actor is lifelong fan of the local team AS Saint-Etienne, enabling him to slip back into French culture with ease. Childhood friend Koralie Faraza told DailyMail.com: 'When he was little Timothée's grandmother used to take us to the swimming pool. 'We used to jump in the water and splash about. 'He also used to play football at the local pitch down by the river.' Koralie now runs the Sixieme Sens café in the center of Chambon. She added: 'Timothée came into the shop in the summer with his girlfriend Kylie to buy ice-creams. 'I didn't recognize him. 'He has grown into a really handsome man, his aura radiated throughout the café. And his girlfriend is very beautiful, stunning. 'The ice cream machine was playing up due to the hot weather and they had to wait for ten minutes, but they didn't mind.' A few yards away is the village bookshop, owned by Marie Manevil who has known the Chalamet family for decades. She told DailyMail.com: 'Timothée speaks French well and so does his sister. 'They have been coming to Chambon since they were young children, first to visit their grandparents and then later just to relax. 'The Chalamet are a lovely family, simple and kind, and very attached to their roots here in Chambon.' The 75-year-old added: 'He was last here two summers ago, with his girlfriend, a very pretty American girl. He would speak French and translate for her.' However, the blossoming celebrity couple were able to wander around the village with ease without fear of being 'pounced upon' by fans. Babette Bouirhol, from the clothes shop Vetement Hardy, explained: 'Timothée and his girlfriend were very discreet. 'They would wear big summer hats when they walked down to the beach. They were here for four or five days in the summer. 'And while everyone knew who he is, no one wanted to bother them. 'It was very hot so they would go down to the river to cool off.' Kylie was able to do a bit of shopping, buying sandals and soft toys for her children at a gift shop by the river bridge. And Timothée bought jewelry for his lover, cementing their relationship just weeks before they made their public debut at a Beyonce concert on September 4, 2023. Anina Marcon, owner of the La Pierre de Lune, jewelry shop, told DailyMail.com: 'Timothée came into the shop with his girlfriend, Kylie. 'He was speaking French and she was speaking English. 'He bought her some jewelry. I am not going to say what he bought – whether it was a ring or not – that is their private business. 'Timothée's family are from here. His father is well known in the village.' Butcher's wife Audrey Domingues added: 'Timothée and his girlfriend Kylie enjoyed their time here. They were here for four or five days relaxing. I saw them walking down to the river. They seemed very happy. 'He is from a lovely family, normal, straight-forward. They come in to buy their meat – steak, chicken, the usual stuff. 'I hope he does well at the Oscars. But whatever happens, he will always be welcome here.' Timothée's starring role as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, which landed him a Best Actor Oscar nomination and is known in French as Un Parfait Inconnu, has top billing at the village's tiny community cinema, located above the library and next to the post office. Unfortunately, Timothée lost last night to Adrien Brody for his role in The Brutalist. But the village where he hails from has many accolades awarded for their bravery in sheltering some 5,000 Jewish refugees from the occupying Nazis during World War II - earning the village a 'Diploma of the Righteous' at Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. Mayor Jean-Michel Eyraud explained: 'Le Chambon-sur-Lignon has a reputation that has existed for years, which has been forged in its welcome. 'We are a village of the Righteous: more than 90 medals have been awarded since the end of the Second World War. 'Le Chambon and its inhabitants have received the diploma of honor from Yad Vashem. 'There are only two villages in the world that have received this distinction: Nieuwlande in the Netherlands and Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, in France.