Maria Pacôme (18 July 1923 – 1 December 2018) was a
French
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 Franc ...
actress and playwright.
Biography
Born on 18 July 1923 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. ...
, Maria Pacôme was the daughter of Maurice Pacôme and Germaine Hivonait. Her father was deported to
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or s ...
and her brother was shot for being a Communist. When her father came back, Pacôme often found herself defending her mother against her father's violence.
Maria began her higher education at Le Cours Simon in 1941, when she was 18. She was classmates with
Michèle Morgan,
Danièle Delorme, and her future spouse,
Maurice Ronet. Pacôme married Ronet in 1950. She would set aside her career until their divorce in 1956.
Theatre
She began her stage acting career in 1956 with ''La Reine et les Insurgés'', written by
Ugo Betti and directed by Michel Vitold. In 1958, she acted in ''Oscar'', written by . She acted alongside
Pierre Mondy
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
and
Jean-Paul Belmondo
Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor and producer. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward. His best known credits ...
in the play. Pacôme also appeared in ''
N'écoutez pas, mesdames !
''N'écoutez pas, mesdames !'' (Don't Listen, Ladies!) is a three-act comedy by Sacha Guitry, premiered at the Théâtre de la Madeleine on 23 May 1942.
Original cast
* Sacha Guitry : Daniel Bacheley
* Hélène Perdrière : Madeleine Bacheley ...
'' by
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. He was the son of a leading French actor, Lucien Guitry, and follo ...
in 1962, ''Les Grosses Têtes'' by
Jean Poiret and
Michel Serrault in 1969, and ''Joyeuses Pâques'' by Poiret in 1981.
Movies
Pacôme's first appearance on the big screen came in 1959 with ''Voulez-vous danser avec moi ?'' (''
Come Dance with Me''), directed by
Michel Boisrond. She later took on numerous supporting roles, most notably in ''The Troops of St. Tropez'', ''
Up to His Ears'', and ''
Le Distrait''. Afterwards, she achieved leading roles in ''La situation est grave… mais pas désespérée'' by
Jacques Besnard
Jacques Besnard (Also known as Jacques Treyens; born 15 July 1929 in Le Petit-Quevilly - died 9 November 2013 in Boutigny-Prouais) was a French film director, assistant director, producer, actor and screenwriter. Best known for ''Le Grand Resta ...
, ''Les Sous-doués'' by
Claude Zidi, and ''The Crisis'' (''La Crise'') by
Coline Serreau.
Author and Playwright
Pacôme wrote seven plays: ''Apprends-moi Céline'', ''Le Jardin d'Éponine'', ''On m'appelle Émilie'', ''Les Seins de Lola'', ''Et moi et moi'', ''Les Désarrois de Gilda Rumeur'', and ''L'Éloge de ma paresse''.
She wrote her memoirs, titled ''Maria sans Pacôme'', in 2007.
Television
Pacôme appeared in several TV movies, most notably starring in ''Docteur Sylvestre''.
In 2006, she played the role of Hortense Bertin in the drama ''Les Secrets du volcan'', directed by Michaëla Watteaux.
In 2011, she was the voice actor for the character "Granny" in the movie ''
Titeuf''.
Death
Maria Pacôme died on 1 December 2018 in
Ballainvilliers
Ballainvilliers () is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France.
Inhabitants of Ballainvilliers are known as ''Ballainvillois'' in French.
See also
*Communes of the Essonne department
The following is a list of ...
, France following a tumor near the amygdala.
Her burial at the
Père Lachaise Cemetery on 10 December 2018 was attended by celebrities such as
Daniel Auteuil and
Bernard Le Coq.
Filmography
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pacôme, Maria
1923 births
2018 deaths
Actresses from Paris
Deaths from cancer in France
French actresses
French dramatists and playwrights