Claire Maurier (born Odette-Michelle-Suzanne Agramon; March 27, 1929) is a French actress who has appeared in more than 90 films since 1947.
Life and career
Maurier was born Odette-Michelle-Suzanne Agramon on March 27, 1929 in the French commune of
Céret
Céret (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. It is the capital of the historic Catalan comarca of Vallespir.
Geography
The town lies in the foothills of the Pyrénées mountains, in southern France. ...
, in the
Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales (; ca, Pirineus Orientals ; oc, Pirenèus Orientals ; ), also known as Northern Catalonia, is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France, adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. ...
region, which is in the southwest of France.
She started her acting career in small film roles at the end of the 1940s. Her first 'main' role came when she portrayed Gilberte Doinel, the mother of the main character in
François Truffaut
François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. After a career of more tha ...
's 1959 film ''
The 400 Blows
''The 400 Blows'' (french: Les Quatre Cents Coups) is a 1959 French coming-of-age drama film, and the directorial debut of François Truffaut. The film, shot in DyaliScope, stars Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, and Claire Maurier. One of ...
''. Another notable early role of hers was as Christiane Colombey, the bigamist wife of the main character in the 1963 film ''
La Cuisine au beurre''.
In 1978, she had a notable role in
Édouard Molinaro
Édouard Molinaro (13 May 1928 – 7 December 2013) was a French film director and screenwriter.
Biography
He was born in Bordeaux, Gironde.
He is best known for his comedies with Louis de Funès (''Oscar'', ''Hibernatus''), '' My Uncle Benja ...
's film ''
La Cage aux Folles'' as Simone. In 1981, she was nominated the
César Award Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol
* ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt
* César Award, a French film award
Places
* Cesar, Portugal
* C ...
for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for ''
A Bad Son
''A Bad Son'' (french: Un mauvais fils) is a 1980 French drama film directed by Claude Sautet. It tells the story of a young man who is sent back to France after a sentence for narcotics in the USA and tries to restart his life, but has difficulty ...
''. She played Madeleine, a seductive older woman.
In 2001, she gained international recognition when she starred as Mme. Suzanne, the owner of the
Café des 2 Moulins, the
Montmartre
Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...
bistro where the titular character Amélie Poulain works as a waitress in
Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Jean-Pierre Jeunet (; born 3 September 1953) is a French film director, producer and screenwriter. His films combine fantasy, realism and science fiction to create idealized realities or to give relevance to mundane situations.
Debuting as a di ...
's ''
Amélie
''Amélie'' (also known as ''Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain''; ; en, The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain, italic=yes) is a 2001 French-language romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume L ...
'' (Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain). The film became the highest-grossing French-language film released in the United States. The film won four
César Awards
The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...
, and was nominated for five
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
s. In 2005, she starred as Maryse Berthelot in the French comedy series ''
Faites comme chez vous !''.
In 2010, she played the neglectful mother of
Gérard Dépardieu
Gérard ( French: ) is a French masculine given name and surname of Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful constit ...
's character Germain in
Jean Becker's film ''
My Afternoons with Margueritte
''My Afternoons with Margueritte'' (French: ''La Tête en friche'') is a 2010 French film directed by Jean Becker, based on the book of the same name by Marie-Sabine Roger. It stars Gérard Depardieu, Gisèle Casadesus, Claire Maurier, Maurane, a ...
''.
Filmography
Theater
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maurier, Claire
1929 births
Living people
People from Céret
French film actresses