Carole Hélène Marthe Andrée Achache (née Salomon-Lange; 31 May 1952 – 1 March 2016) was a French writer, photographer and actress. She was the daughter of French writer Monique Lange and the mother of French-Moroccan film director

Mona Achache Mona Achache (born 18 March 1981) is a French-Moroccan film director, screenwriter, and actress. She wrote and directed the feature films ''The Hedgehog'' (2009), '' Les Gazelles'' (2014), '' Valiant Hearts'' (2021), and '' Little Girl Blue'' ( ...

. She appeared in films such as '' The Gypsy'' (1975), '' Special Section'' (1975), '' Lumière'' (1976), '' Mr. Klein'' (1976), ''

Le Juge Fayard dit Le Shériff ''Le Juge Fayard dit Le Shériff'' ("Judge Fayard, called The Sheriff") is a 1977 French crime film written and directed by Yves Boisset. The film was inspired by the death of François Renaud. Cast * Patrick Dewaere as le juge Fayard * Auror ...

'' (1977), and ''

Death of a Corrupt Man ''Death of a Corrupt Man'' (), also known as ''The Twisted Detective'', Death of a Louse and ''Kill a Rat'', is a 1977 French political thriller directed by Georges Lautner and starring Alain Delon. The film is based on the novel by Raf Vallet. ...

'' (1977) under the name Carole Lange. She later worked as a still photographer in the films ''

Other People's Money ''Other People's Money'' is a 1991 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Norman Jewison, starring Danny DeVito, Gregory Peck, and Penelope Ann Miller. It was adapted by screenwriter Alvin Sargent from the 1989 play of the same nam ...

'' (1978), ''

A Week's Vacation ''A Week's Vacation'' () is a 1980 French drama film directed by Bertrand Tavernier. It was entered into the 1980 Cannes Film Festival. Synopsis 31 year old Laurence has reached a breaking point as a public school teacher in Lyon and at a cros ...

'' (1980), '' The Trout'' (1982), and '' Un soir au club'' (2009). As an author, Achache published five books. Achache died in Paris on 1 March 2016 at the age of 63. Her death was ruled as

suicide by hanging Suicide by hanging is the intentional killing of oneself (suicide) via suspension from an anchor-point such as an overhead beam or hook, by a rope or cord or by jumping from a height with a noose around the neck. Hanging is often considered to ...

Early life

Achache was born in Paris, France on 31 May 1952. She was the daughter of French writer Monique Lange and of French science historian Jean-Jacques Salomon, who left her mother when Achache was a child. Her mother was born Jewish and later converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. Her maternal grandfather, Robert Lange, was a French journalist and politician. American writer

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer. He is best known for William Faulkner bibliography, his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in fo ...

was her godfather. Spanish writer

Juan Goytisolo Juan Goytisolo Gay (6 January 1931 – 4 June 2017) was a Spanish poet, essayist, and novelist. He lived in Marrakesh from 1997 until his death in 2017. He was considered Spain's greatest living writer at the beginning of the 21st century, yet ...

was her step-father. When Achache was a child, she was abused by French writer

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; ; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Th ...

, who was a friend of her mother. The abuse led her to drug use and prostitution between Paris and New York in the 1970s.

Career

Film and Television

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Achache worked as an actress under the name Carole Lange in films such as

Guy Gilles Guy Gilles (born Guy Chiche; 25 August 1938 – 3 February 1996) was a French film director. Biography He directed his first short film, ''Soleil éteint'', in 1958. He changed his surname to Gilles based on the name of his mother (Gilette) to c ...

's ''Earth Light'' (1970),

José Giovanni José Giovanni (22 June 1923, Paris, France – 24 April 2004, Lausanne, Switzerland) was the pseudonym of Joseph Damiani, a French writer and film-maker of Corsican origin who became a naturalized Swiss citizen in 1986. A former collaborationi ...

's '' The Gypsy'' (1975),

Costa-Gavras Konstantinos "Kostas" Gavras (; born 12 February 1933), known professionally as Costa-Gavras, is a Greek-French film director, screenwriter, and producer who lives and works in France. He is known for political films, such as the political thril ...

's '' Special Section'' (1975),

Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. Mo ...

's '' Lumière'' (1976),

Joseph Losey Joseph Walton Losey III (; January 14, 1909 – June 22, 1984) was an American film and theatre director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Wisconsin, he studied in Germany with Bertolt Brecht and then returned to the United States. Hollywood ...

's '' Mr. Klein'' (1976),

Claude Sautet Claude Sautet (23 February 1924 – 22 July 2000) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was a chronicler of post-war French society. He made a total of five films with his favorite actress Romy Schneider. Biography Born in Montroug ...

's '' Mado'' (1976),

Yves Boisset Yves Félix Claude Boisset (14 March 1939 – 31 March 2025) was a French film director and screenwriter. Early life Boisset was born 14 March 1939, in Paris, France. He studied at the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC). ...

's ''

'' (1977),

Jacques Rouffio Jacques Rouffio (14 August 1928 – 8 July 2016) was a French film director and screenwriter. His 1986 film '' My Brother-in-law Killed My Sister'' was entered into the 36th Berlin International Film Festival The 36th annual Berlin Internatio ...

's ''Violette & François'' (1977),

Georges Lautner Georges Lautner (; 24 January 1926 – 22 November 2013) was a French film director and screenwriter, known primarily for his comedies created in collaboration with screenwriter Michel Audiard. Lautner's ventures into other genres were less ...

's ''

'' (1977), and Laurent Heynemann's ''The Bit Between the Teeth'' (1979). And on the television series (1979), and (1980). She also worked as a still photographer in films such as ''

'' (1978) by

Christian de Chalonge Christian de Chalonge (born 21 January 1937) is a French film director and screenwriter. He directed the film ''The Wedding Ring (1970 film), The Wedding Ring'', which starred Anna Karina. Selected filmography * ''The Wedding Ring (1970 film), T ...

, ''

'' (1980) by

Bertrand Tavernier Bertrand Tavernier (; 25 April 1941 – 25 March 2021) was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer. Life and career Tavernier was born in Lyon, France, the son of Geneviève (née Dumond) and René Tavernier, a publicist and writer, ...

, '' The Trout'' (1982) by

, and '' Un soir au club'' (2009) by Jean Achache.

Books

In 2002, Achache published her first novel, (English: ''Cortés' Indian Woman''), about

La Malinche Marina () or Malintzin (; 1500 – 1529), more popularly known as La Malinche (), was a Nahua woman from the Mexican Gulf Coast, who became known for contributing to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire (1519–1521), by acting as an int ...

, a

Nahua The Nahuas ( ) are a Uto-Nahuan ethnicity and one of the Indigenous people of Mexico, with Nahua minorities also in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. They comprise the largest Indigenous group in Mexico, as well as ...

woman who accompanied Spanish conquistador

Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca (December 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions o ...

throughout his

conquest of the Aztec Empire The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was a pivotal event in the history of the Americas, marked by the collision of the Aztec Triple Alliance and the Spanish Empire. Taking place between 1519 and 1521, this event saw the Spanish conquistad ...

and later became his mistress. Her second novel, (English: ''Trouville Beach''), was published in 2008 and follows the story of the painting of the same name by Jacques Mauny, which belonged to Achache's family and was stolen by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

around 1943. In 2011, Achache published (English: ''Daughter of''), about her relationship with her mother. Achache also published two photography books, (English: ''Work in Progress'') in 2004, and (English: ''Flowers'') in 2006.

Personal life

Achache was married to French director and screenwriter Jean Achache, with whom she had two children, a son and a daughter, film director

, born on 18 March 1981.

Death

Achache died in Paris on 1 March 2016 at the age of 63. Her death was ruled as

In popular culture

In 2023, Achache was portrayed by French actress

Marion Cotillard Marion Cotillard (; born 30 September 1975) is a French actress who has appeared in both European and Hollywood productions. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Marion Cotillard, various accolades, including an Ac ...

in the biographical

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television show, television and feature film, film, which features Drama (film and television), dramatized Historical reenactment, re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of docu ...

'' Little Girl Blue'', directed by her daughter,

Bibliography

Novels

* (2002) * (2008) * (2011)

Photography

* (2004) * (2006)

Filmography

Actress

Feature films

Television

Still photographer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Achache, Carole 1952 births 2016 deaths 2016 suicides Novelists from Paris Photographers from Paris Actresses from Paris Female suicides French film actresses French television actresses French people of Jewish descent 20th-century French actresses 20th-century French photographers 20th-century French women photographers 21st-century French photographers 21st-century French novelists 21st-century French women writers Suicides by hanging in France