  The unicellular biflagellate green alga {\it Chlamydomonas reinhardtii} has
been an important model system in biology for decades, and in recent years it
has started to attract growing attention also within the biophysics community.
Here we provide a concise review of some of the aspects of {\it Chlamydomonas}
biology and biophysics most immediately relevant to physicists that might be
interested in starting to work with this versatile microorganism.
