Catherine Hiegel (born 10 December 1946) is a French actress, comedian and director.

Personal life

Catherine Hiegel is the daughter of Pierre Hiegel, radio host, music critic, radio producer and artistic director of French houses of discs. She is also the niece of

Pierre Bellemare Pierre Bellemare (21 October 1929 – 26 May 2018) was a French writer, novelist, radio personality, television presenter, TV producer, director, and actor. Television * '' La Tête et les Jambes'' * '' La Caméra invisible'' * '' J'ai un Secr ...

Career

At ten, she played

Cosette Cosette () is a fictional character in the 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo and in the many adaptations of the story for stage, film, and television. Her birth name, Euphrasie, is only mentioned briefly. As the orphaned child of an u ...

in a radio adaptation of

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

, where her father played Jean Valjean. She sang in 1956 with

André Claveau André Claveau (, 17 December 1911 – 4 July 2003) was a popular singer in France from the 1940s to the 1960s. He won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1958 singing "Dors, mon amour" (Sleep, My Love), with music composed by Pierre Delanoë and l ...

, ''Viens danser avec papa''. On the advice of her father, she stopped school to learn comedy. She took lessons with Raymond Girard and

Jacques Charon Jacques Charon (27 February 1920 – 15 October 1975) was a French actor and film director. Born in Paris, Charon trained at the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique (CNSAD) and made his début at the Comédie-Française in 1941. Du ...

, and began her career on stage to the

Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens The Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens () is a Parisian theatre founded in 1855 by the composer Jacques Offenbach for the performance of opéra bouffe and operetta. The current theatre is located in the 2nd arrondissement at 4 rue Monsigny with an ...

with Cactus Flower, alongside

Jean Poiret Jean Poiret, born Jean Poiré (17 August 1926 – 14 March 1992), was a French actor, director, and screenwriter. He is primarily known as the author of the original play '' La Cage aux Folles''. Early career Poiret was born in Paris, and f ...

and

Sophie Desmarets Sophie Desmarets (1922–2012) was a French film actress.Davis p.145 Selected filmography * ''Battement de coeur'' (1940) - (uncredited) * ''Premier rendez-vous'' (1941) - Henriette Lefranc * ''L'homme qui joue avec le feu'' (1942) - Gabrielle * ...

. She joined the

French National Academy of Dramatic Arts French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

in the classes of

Jean Marchat Jean Marchat (1902–1966) was a French film actor who appeared in around fifty films during his career. He made his film debut in 1931 and appeared in Maurice Tourneur's '' Departure'' the same year.Waldman p.144 Selected filmography * '' Depart ...

then

Lise Delamare Lise Delamare (born Jolyse Effrey Jeanne Delamare; 9 April 1913 – 25 July 2006) was a French stage and film actress. Partial filmography * ''George and Georgette'' (1934) * ''Les précieuses ridicules'' (1934) * ''Pension Mimosas'' (1935) - ...

, and also attended classes of Jean-Laurent Cochet. She joined the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

in 1969. She worked with directors as varied as

Philippe Adrien Philippe Adrien (19 December 1939 – 15 September 2021) was a French stage director, actor and playwright. He was associated with the La Tempete company in Paris. Actor Adrien appeared in the 1959 war film, '' Green Harvest''. Playwright A ...

Patrice Chéreau Patrice Chéreau (; 2 November 1944 – 7 October 2013) was a French opera and theatre director, filmmaker, actor and producer. In France he is best known for his work for the theatre, internationally for his films '' La Reine Margot'' and ...

Dario Fo Dario Luigi Angelo Fo (; 24 March 1926 – 13 October 2016) was an Italian playwright, actor, theatre director, stage designer, songwriter, political campaigner for the Italian left wing and the recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature. I ...

Jorge Lavelli Jorge Lavelli (born 1932, Buenos Aires) is a French theater and opera director of Italian ethnicity and Argentine origin. The son of Italian immigrants in Argentina, Lavelli has lived in France since the early 1960s. He became a French citizen in ...

Jean-Paul Roussillon Jean-Paul Roussillon (5 March 1931 – 31 July 2009) was a French actor. He appeared in more than 80 films and television shows between 1954 and 2008. He starred in the film ''Playing 'In the Company of Men, which was screened in the Un Ce ...

, in the classical and contemporary repertoire. She became Dean of the troupe after the death of Christine Fersen in 2008. Catherine Hiegel is also a professor to the CNSAD for thirteen years. She have won 2

Molière Award The Molière Award recognises achievement in live French theatre and is the national theatre award of France. The awards are presented and decided by the ''Association professionnelle et artistique du théâtre'' (APAT) and supported by the Min ...

on 5 nominations.

Theater

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hiegel, Catherine Living people French film actresses French television actresses 1946 births 20th-century French actresses 21st-century French actresses People from Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis French National Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni