She subsequently moved to Paris and became a student of Jean-Laurent Cochet at the Edouard VII theater, and also began acting in a number of television productions. It was while she was performing in Pirandello's Henri IV as part of Sacha Pitoëff's production at the Théâtre Moderne that Claude Jade was discovered by François Truffaut, who cast her in the role of Christine in his Stolen Kisses (1968). It earned great acclaim, and placed Claude Jade in the international spotlight, thanks to her strong performance. The American critic Pauline Kael considers, not without reason, that Claude Jade "seems a Catherine Deneuve less ethereally, more practical". The similarities between both jump at sight, in any case.

Claude Jade also reprised her role as Christine, Antoine Doinel's girlfriend and then wife, in Truffaut's movies Bed & Board and Love on the Run. In French Cinema she starred successful in Mon oncle Benjamin, The Boat on the Grass, Bonsoir... Claude Jade has also played in American (Alfred Hitchcock's Topaz), Belgian, Italian, Japanese, German and Soviet movies and was the leading star in the television series The Island of Thirty Coffins (1979). From 1998 to 2000 she was the leading actress as of Television series The Tide of Life (Cap des Pins) as "Anna Chantreuil". Her many contributions to French Culture were recognised in 1998, when she was named a Knight in the légion d'honneur. In 2000 she received the New Wave Award at West Palm Beach International Film Festival for her "trend-setting role in the world cinema". Since the late 90th she stars in several TV-series like Cap des Pins (leading role from 1998 to 2000), Une femme d'honneur, Inspecteur Moretti, Julie Lescaut, Navarro, La Crim and Groupe Flag.

Her autobiography Baisers envolés was released in March 2004.