Mathilda May (born Karin Haïm; 8 February 1965) is a
French film actress.
Early life
May was born in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. Her father, playwright
Victor Haïm, is of
Sephardic Jewish
Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefar ...
(
Greek-Jewish and
Turkish-Jewish) descent. Her mother is the
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
ballet teacher and choreographer Margareta Hanson. At age 16 May won the "Premier Prix du Conservatoire de Danse de Paris" (First Prize of the Paris Dance Conservatory).
Career
May's film work is primarily in
French and made for the European market; she was the recipient of the
Prix Romy Schneider
The Prix Romy Schneider (Romy Schneider Award) is awarded annually to a young and upcoming actress working in the French film industry.
It is named after the actress Romy Schneider (1938–1982). The prize is awarded by a jury each year in Paris ...
in 1989. Non-French films she has appeared in include ''
Naked Tango'' (1991), ''
Becoming Colette'' (1991) and ''
The Tit and the Moon'' (1994). In the United States she is best known for her role as an alien
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
in the 1985
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
-
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes.
Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
''
Lifeforce'', directed by
Tobe Hooper
Willard Tobe Hooper (; January 25, 1943 – August 26, 2017) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work in the horror film, horror genre. The British Film Institute cited Hooper as one of the most influenti ...
, in which she is naked for most of her performance. She also appeared in the 1996 space adventure game ''
Privateer 2: The Darkening''. She played Isabella in ''
The Jackal'', a 1997 action film.
May recorded an album in 1992 called ''Joy of Love''.
May was the writer and director for the theater show ''Open Space'', which was performed in the Théâtre Jean-Vilar in the commune of
Suresnes
Suresnes () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France. Located in Hauts-de-Seine, from the centre of Paris, it had a population of 49,145 as of 2016. The nearest communes are Nanterre, Puteaux, Rueil-Malmaison, Saint-Cloud an ...
, the
Théâtre du Rond-Point
The Théâtre du Rond-Point is a theatre in Paris, located at 2bis avenue Franklin-D.-Roosevelt, 8th arrondissement.
History
The theatre began with an 1838 project of architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff for a rotunda in the Champs Elysees. Inau ...
, and the
Théâtre de Paris
The Théâtre de Paris is a theatre located at 15, rue Blanche in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. It includes a second smaller venue, the Petit Théâtre de Paris.
History
The first theatre on the site was built by the Duke of Richelieu in 1730. ...
from 2013 to 2015.
Personal life
May has been married three times: Her first husband was Paul Powell. Her second husband was
Gérard Darmon
Gérard Darmon (born 29 February 1948) is a French- Moroccan actor and singer.
Personal life
He was the second husband of actress Mathilda May (mother of his two youngest children). He has three children: Virginie (born 1968) and, by May, daug ...
, with whom she has two children, daughter Sarah (born 17 August 1994) and son Jules (born 4 March 1997). Her third husband was Philippe Kelly.
Filmography
Further reading
*
References
External links
Mathilda Mayat
Allmovie
AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne.
History
AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...
Mathilda Mayat
Yahoo! Movies
Yahoo! Movies (formerly Upcoming Movies), provided by the Yahoo! network, is home to a large collection of information on movies, past and new releases, trailers and clips, box office information, and showtimes and movie theater information. Yaho ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Mathilda
1965 births
Living people
20th-century French Sephardi Jews
21st-century French Sephardi Jews
20th-century French actresses
21st-century French actresses
French film actresses
French people of Greek-Jewish descent
French people of Turkish-Jewish descent
French people of Swedish descent
Jewish French actresses
Mizrahi Jews
Actresses from Paris
French television actresses
Most Promising Actress César Award winners