Mireille Darc (; 15 May 1938 – 28 August 2017) was a French

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

and actress. She appeared as a lead character in Jean-Luc Godard's 1967 film '' Weekend''. Darc was a Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

and Commander of the National Order of Merit. Alain Delon was her longtime co-star and companion.

Early years

Born Mireille Christiane Gabrielle Aimée Aigroz in Toulon, she attended the Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Toulon and moved to Paris in 1959.

Career

Darc's debut came in

Claude Barma Claude Barma (3 November 1918, in Nice – 30 August 1992, in Paris), was a French director and screenwriter, and an early creator of French television programmes. Biography After studying electrical engineering, he entered television in 1946 with ...

's television drama ''Du côté de l'enfer'' (aka, ''La Grande Brétèche'', 1960). Her first leading role came in another production for French television, Jean Prat's ''Hauteclaire'' (1961). She starred in Jean-Luc Godard's film '' Weekend (Week-end'', 1967) as Corinne, her highest profile role for international critics; as Christine in ''

The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe ''The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe'' (french: Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure noire) is a 1972 French spy comedy film directed by Yves Robert and written by Robert and Francis Veber, starring Pierre Richard, Bernard Blier, Jean Rochefort ...

(Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure noire'', 1972) and ''

The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe ''The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe'' (french: Le Retour du Grand Blond) is a 1974 French spy comedy film directed by Yves Robert. It is the sequel to '' The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe'' (1972). Veber said the film "wa ...

(Le retour du grand blond'', 1974) and alongside Alain Delon and

Louis de Funès Louis Germain David de Funès de Galarza (; 31 July 1914 – 27 January 1983) was a French actor and comedian. He is France's favourite actor, according to a series of polls conducted since the late 1960s, having played over 150 roles in fil ...

in several films: '' Pouic-Pouic'' (1963), ''High Lifers ( Les Bons Vivants'' (1965), '' Jeff'' (1969), ''

Borsalino Borsalino is the oldest Italian company specializing in the manufacture of luxury hats. Since 1857, the manufacture has been based in Alessandria, Piedmont. The founder, Giuseppe Borsalino, is remembered for creating a particular model of felt ...

'' (uncredited, 1970), ''

The Love Mates ''The Love Mates'' (french: Madly) is a 1970 French romance film starring Alain Delon and Mireille Darc. The film was a financial disappointment, with admissions of 508,452 in France.Icy Breasts (Les Seins de glace'', 1974), '' Death of a Corrupt Man (Mort d'un pourri'', 1977), ''

Man in a Hurry ''Man in a Hurry'' (french: L'Homme pressé, it, L'ultimo giorno d'amore, released in UK as ''The Hurried Man'') is a 1977 French-Italian drama film directed by Édouard Molinaro and starring Alain Delon and Mireille Darc. It is based on the nov ...

(L'Homme pressé'', 1977), and the television series ' (2003). In the 1980s, Darc's career was interrupted by open-heart surgery following a car accident, in which she was seriously injured, and her separation from Alain Delon after fifteen years together. She quit her film career, but she returned to television in the 1990s. In 2006, French President Jacques Chirac awarded Darc the

Health and death

In 2013, Darc underwent further open heart surgery, and during 2016 she suffered several hemorrhages. She died on 28 August 2017 in Paris in a coma at the age of 79.

Theatre

Filmography

Feature films

Short films

As director

French-language dubbing

Bibliography

*2008: ''Mon Père'' *2005: ''Tant que battra mon coeur'' (Autobiography) *1982: ''Jamais avant le mariage''

Decorations

* Officer of the Legion of Honour (2015), (Knight in 2006) * Commander of the National Order of Merit (2009)

References

External links

* *
Mireille Darc Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Darc, Mireille 1938 births 2017 deaths Actors from Toulon French film actresses French female models Commanders of the Ordre national du Mérite French television actresses 20th-century French actresses 21st-century French actresses Officiers of the Légion d'honneur