Maria Pacôme (; 18 July 1923 – 1 December 2018) was a French actress and playwright.

Biography

Born on 18

July July is the seventh month of the year in the Julian calendar, Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. It was named by the Roman Senate in honour of Roman general Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., being the month of his birth. Before the ...

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

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 ...

, Maria Pacôme was the daughter of Maurice Pacôme and Germaine Hivonait. Her father was deported to

Buchenwald concentration camp Buchenwald (; 'beech forest') was a German Nazi concentration camp established on Ettersberg hill near Weimar, Nazi Germany, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within the Altreich (pre-1938 ...

and her brother was shot for being a

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

. When her father came back, Pacôme often found herself defending her mother against her father's violence. Maria began her higher education at Cours Simon in 1941, when she was 18. She was classmates with

Michèle Morgan Michèle Morgan (; born Simone Renée Roussel; 29 February 1920 – 20 December 2016) was a French film actress, who was a leading lady for three decades in both French cinema and Hollywood features. She is considered one of the greatest Fren ...

Danièle Delorme Gabrielle Danièle Marguerite Andrée Girard (9 October 1926 – 17 October 2015), known by her stage name Danièle Delorme (), was a French actress and film producer, famous for her roles in films directed by Marc Allégret, Julien Duvivier an ...

, and her future spouse,

Maurice Ronet Maurice Ronet (; 13 April 1927 – 14 March 1983) was a French film actor, director, and writer. Early life Maurice Ronet was born Maurice Julien Marie Robinet in Nice, Alpes Maritimes. He was the only child of professional stage actors Émile ...

. 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 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 ...

and

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 ...

in the play. Pacôme also appeared in '' N'écoutez pas, mesdames !'' 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 (aesthetic), boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French ac ...

in 1962, ''Les Grosses Têtes'' by

Jean Poiret Jean Poiret, born Jean Poiré (17 August 1926 – 14 March 1992), was a French actor, director, and screenwriter. He is primarily known as the author of the original play ''La Cage aux Folles (play), La Cage aux Folles''. Early career Poire ...

and

Michel Serrault Michel Serrault (24 January 1928 – 29 July 2007) was a French stage and film actor who appeared from 1954 until 2007 in more than 130 films. Life and career His first professional job was in a touring production in Germany of Molière's '' Les ...

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 Michel Jacques Boisrond (9 October 1921 – 10 November 2002) was a French film director and screenwriter. His work spanned five decades, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Career A former apprentice of Jean Delannoy, Jean Cocteau, and René Clair ...

. She later took on numerous supporting roles, most notably in ''The Troops of St. Tropez'', '' Up to His Ears'', and ''

Le Distrait ''Le Distrait'' (, alternative English title: ''The Daydreamer'') is a 1970 French comedy film directed by Pierre Richard, starring Pierre Richard, Marie-Christine Barrault and Bernard Blier. The film combines elements of slapstick, horror and ...

''. 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, film producer, producer, actor and screenwriter. Best known for ''L ...

, ''Les Sous-doués'' by

Claude Zidi Claude Zidi (born 25 July 1934) is a French film director and screenwriter noted for his mainstream burlesque comedies. Born in Paris, he started as a cameraman and then a cinematographer, and he made his directorial and screenwriting debut in 1 ...

, and ''The Crisis'' (''La Crise'') by

Coline Serreau Coline Serreau (born 29 October 1947) is a French people, French actress, film director and writer. Early life and education She was born in Paris,

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, France following a tumor near the amygdala. Her burial at the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...

on 10 December 2018 was attended by celebrities such as

Daniel Auteuil Daniel Auteuil (; born 24 January 1950) is a French actor and director who has appeared in a wide range of film genres, including period dramas, romantic comedies, and crime thrillers. In 1996 he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Fest ...

and

Bernard Le Coq Bernard Le Coq (born 25 September 1950) is a French actor. He has appeared in more than one hundred and fifty films since 1967. His first big role Bernard Le Coq has played as Annie Girardot's son and Claude Jade's brother in the family drama '' ...

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pacôme, Maria 1923 births 2018 deaths Actresses from Paris Deaths from cancer in France French actresses French dramatists and playwrights