Gisèle Grimm
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Gisèle Grimm (née Gisèle Paule Klavatz, born 31 March 1929) is a French actress who has appeared in French films since 1950s.


Life

Grimm was born on 31 March 1929 in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
into a modest family. Her father was an
ironworker An ironworker is a tradesman who works in the iron-working industry. Ironworkers assemble the structural framework in accordance with engineered drawings and install the metal support pieces for new buildings. They also repair and renovate o ...
, in 1938 he started work in a factory, while her mother was a
nurse Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...
at the hospital. She finished her studies at the age of 17 with a elementary certificate, with a complementary course. Faced with the need to quickly learn a trade, she began working as a
secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...
and, within a year, was promoted to the position of shorthand typist at Maritime Messengers in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. Dissatisfied with the monotony of her life and her low salary, she improved her English and, after passing a relatively easy competitive exam, was hired by the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
, prompting her move to
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
. She remained there for two and a half years, during which she joined an amateur theatre group in
Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...
during her spare time. She also managed to save enough money to attend classes with René Simon upon her return to
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
.


Career

She began her career as an intermittent theatre performer in 1954, performing under the name Gisèle Clavart with the Baret touring company in '' Occupe-toi d'Amélie'' by
Georges Feydeau Georges-Léon-Jules-Marie Feydeau (; 8 December 1862 – 5 June 1921) was a French playwright of the Belle Époque era, remembered for his farces, written between 1886 and 1914. Feydeau was born in Paris to middle-class parents and raised in a ...
, directed by
Roland Piétri Roland Piétri (1910 in Paris – 27 October 1986 in the same city), was a French actor and theatre director. Biography Roland Piétri was co-director of the Comédie des Champs-Élysées from 1944 to 1948 with Claude Sainval and for one season ( ...
. She later adopted the stage name Gisèle Grimm and became active in boulevard theatre, appearing in works by playwrights such as Jean de Létraz and Marc Camoletti. She also performed in plays by
Eugène Labiche Eugène Marin Labiche (; 6 May 181522 January 1888) was a French dramatist. He remains famous for his contribution to the vaudeville genre and his passionate and domestic pochades. In the 1860s, he reached his peak with a series of successe ...
(''Le Prix Martin'', directed by Serge Bourrier),
Tristan Bernard Tristan Bernard (7 September 1866 – 7 December 1947) was a French playwright, novelist, journalist and lawyer. Life He studied law, and after his military service, he started his career as the manager of an aluminium smelter. In the 1890s, ...
(''La Petite Femme de Loth'', directed by
Georges Vitaly Georges Vitaly, real name Vitali Garcouchenko, (15 January 1917 – 2 January 2007), was a 20th-century French actor, theater director and theater manager. The son of immigrants from the Russian Revolution, he trained as actor from 1934. In 1947 ...
), and
Sacha Guitry Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry (; 21 February 188524 July 1957) was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre (aesthetic), boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French ac ...
( ''Faisons un rêve'', on tour with
Robert Lamoureux Robert Lamoureux (4 January 1920 – 29 October 2011) was a French actor, screenwriter and film director. He appeared in more than 30 films between 1951 and 1994. He starred in the film '' The Adventures of Arsène Lupin'', which was entered ...
). Over the course of her stage career, she acted in around twenty plays, continuing until 1996–1997, including a notable performance in Oscar by Claude Magnier, directed by
Pierre Mondy Pierre Mondy (born Pierre Cuq; 10 February 1925 – 15 September 2012) was a French film and theatre actor and director. Personal life Born on 10 February 1925, he was married four times: to Claude Gensac, Pascale Roberts, Annie Fournier, and ...
. Simultaneously, Grimm appeared in numerous supporting roles in
French cinema The cinema of France comprises the film industry and its film productions, whether made within the nation of France or by French film production companies abroad. It is the oldest and largest precursor of national cinemas in Europe, with prima ...
. Her film credits include ''Cigarettes'', ''Whisky et P’tites Pépées'' alongside
Annie Cordy Léonie Juliana, Baroness Cooreman (16 June 1928 – 4 September 2020), also known by her stage name Annie Cordy, was a Belgian actress and singer. She appeared in more than 50 films from 1954 and staged many memorable appearances at Bruno Coq ...
, ''Archimède le clochard'' with
Jean Gabin Jean Gabin Alexis Moncorgé (born Jean-Alexis Moncorgé), known as Jean Gabin (; 17 May 190415 November 1976), was a French actor and singer. Considered a key figure in French cinema, he starred in several classic films, including '' Pépé le ...
, with
Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward, frequently portraying police officer ...
, ''La Provinciale'' with
Nathalie Baye Nathalie Marie Andrée Baye (; born 6 July 1948) is a French film, television, and stage actress. She began her career in 1970 and has appeared in more than 80 films. A ten-time César Award nominee, her four wins were for ''Every Man for Himsel ...
, and ''Les Galettes de Pont-Aven'', in which she portrayed the wife of
Jean-Pierre Marielle Jean-Pierre Marielle (12 April 1932 – 24 April 2019) was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films in which he played very diverse roles, from a banal citizen (''Les Galettes de Pont-Aven''), to a World War II hero (''Les Milles ...
. She was also active on television, often cast as elegant
aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...
women in films and series such as ''Aurore et Victorien'' (1975), ''Joséphine ou la Comédie des ambitions'' (1979), and ''Le Tourbillon des jours'' (1979).


Personal life

She was the mother of Ariane Grimm (1967–1985), a young diarist whose early writings and personal journals were brought to the attention of the academic community through the studies and publications of
Philippe Lejeune Philippe Lejeune (; born 13 August 1938) is a French professor and essayist, known as a specialist in autobiography. He is the author of numerous works on the subject of autobiography and personal journals. He is a cofounder of the ''Association ...
, a renowned scholar in the field of autobiography. Arianne died at the age of 18 in a motorbike accident. In 2005, Gisèle Grimm launched a website, dedicated to preserving and promoting the work of her daughter.


Filmography

* ''
Julie Lescaut ''Julie Lescaut'' is a French police television series created by Alexis Lecaye. It was broadcast from 1992 to 2014 on TF1 (France), La Une-RTBF (Belgium) and TSR (Switzerland). It details the investigations of Police Superintendent Julie Lesca ...
'' (1998) - Therese Forgars * ''Aldo Tous Risques'' (1991) * ''Le Mari de l'ambassadeur'' (1991) - Gisele * ''Marie Pervenche'' (1987) - Madame Cochet * ''Marriage of the century'' (1985) - Mortimer * ''Allo Beatrice'' (1984) - Arlette * ''Medecins de nuit'' (1983) - Madame Lombard * ''Miss'' (1979) - Madame Martin * ''Victims of Vice'' (1978) - Madame Pandolini * ''Gloria'' (1977) * ''La Bonzesse'' (1974) * ''La Demoiselle d'Avignon'' (1972) * ''Jerk à Istanbul'' (1967) * '' La Bourse et la vie'' (1966) * ''Traffics dans l'ombre'' (1964) - Madame Giunelli * ''
OSS 117 OSS 117 is the codename for Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, a fictional secret agent created by French writer Jean Bruce (and continued by his widow Josette following Bruce's accidental death). Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath is described as being an Am ...
'' (1963) - Giselle * ''Ballade pour un voyou'' (1963) * ''L'assassin est dans l'annuaire'' (1962) - Annette * ''Leon Morin, Priest'' (1961) - Lucienne * ''Le travail c'est la liberte'' (1959) * '' Les yeux de l'amour'' (1959) * 125 rue Montmarte (1959) * ''Archimède, le clochard'' (1959) * '' A Woman like Satan'' (1958) * ''Un drôle de dimanche'' (1958) * '' Cigarettes, whisky et p'tites pépées'' (1958) - Elisabeth * ''Prisons de femmes'' (1958) * ''Je reviendrai à Kandara'' (1956) - Henriette


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grimm, Gisele 1929 births Living people 20th-century French actresses French film actresses French television actresses French stage actresses Actresses from Paris