Claire Maurier (born Odette-Michelle-Suzanne Agramon; 27 March 1929) is a French actress who has appeared in more than 90 films since 1947.
Life and career
Maurier was born Odette-Michelle-Suzanne Agramon on 27 March 1929 in the French commune of
Céret, in the
Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales (; ; ; ), also known as Northern Catalonia, is a departments of France, department of the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France, adjacent to the northern Spain, Spanish ...
region, which is in the southwest of France.
She started her acting career in small film roles at the end of the 1940s. Her first 'main' role came when she portrayed Gilberte Doinel, the mother of the main character in
François Truffaut
François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French filmmaker, actor, and critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. He came under the tutelage of film critic Andre Bazin as a ...
's 1959 film ''
The 400 Blows''.
Another notable early role of hers was as Christiane Colombey, the bigamist wife of the main character in the 1963 film ''
La Cuisine au beurre''.
In 1978, she had a notable role in
Édouard Molinaro
Édouard Molinaro (13 May 1928 – 7 December 2013) was a French film director and screenwriter.
Biography
He was born in Bordeaux, Gironde. He is best known for his comedies with Louis de Funès (''Oscar (1967 film), Oscar'', ''Hibernatus''), ...
's film ''
La Cage aux Folles'' as Simone.
In 1981, she was nominated the
César Award Cesar or César may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* César (film), ''César'' (film), a 1936 French romantic drama
* César (film), ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt
Places
* Cesar, Portugal
* Cesar Department, Colombia
* Cesar R ...
for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for ''
A Bad Son''. She played Madeleine, a seductive older woman.
In 2001, she gained international recognition when she starred as Mme. Suzanne, the owner of the
Café des 2 Moulins, the
Montmartre
Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...
bistro where the titular character Amélie Poulain works as a waitress in
Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Jean-Pierre Jeunet (; born 3 September 1953) is a French film director and screenwriter. His films combine fantasy, realism, and science fiction to create idealized realities or to give relevance to mundane situations.
Jeunet debuted as a direc ...
's ''
Amélie
''Amélie'' (, , ) is a 2001 French-language romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume Laurant, the film is a whimsical depiction of contemporary Parisian life, set in Montmartre. It tells the story ...
'' (Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain).
The film became the highest-grossing French-language film released in the United States. The film won four
César Awards
The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...
, and was nominated for five
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
s. In 2005, she starred as Maryse Berthelot in the French comedy series ''
Faites comme chez vous!''.
In 2010, she played the neglectful mother of
Gérard Dépardieu's character Germain in
Jean Becker's film ''
My Afternoons with Margueritte''.
Filmography
Theater
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maurier, Claire
1929 births
Living people
People from Céret
French film actresses