Marie-Pierre Yvonne Tricot (5 February 1949 – 10 February 2013), known professionally as Marie-Pierre Castel, or Pony Tricot, was a French actress. She became notable for her collaboration with

Jean Rollin Jean Michel Rollin Roth Le Gentil (3 November 1938 – 15 December 2010) was a French film director, actor, and novelist best known for his work in the fantastique genre. Rollin's career, spanning over fifty years, featured early short films a ...

, appearing in a number of his films, including, '' La vampire nue'' (1970), '' Le frisson des vampires'' (1970), '' Requiem pour un vampire'' (1971), and '' Lèvres de sang'' (1975).

Career

Castel started her career working in the beauty industry, as a barber, before deciding on acting as a career choice. She made her screen debut in 1970, when she was cast in

's '' La vampire nue'', appearing alongside her twin sister,

Catherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

, in the first of several roles which she would appear with her sister. The sisters were credited under their own surname of Tricot for their debut roles, but were subsequently known under the pseudonym name of 'Castel', a surname of their relatives. This was followed by more collaborations with Rollin, including '' Le frisson des vampires'', and, in her first leading role, '' Requiem pour un Vampire'', which is perhaps her most notable performance. Both films were intended to feature Catherine, but when she fell pregnant, Rollin had to find new girls to pair Marie-Pierre with. Castel would continue to appear in a number of Rollin's films, such as, the comedy, ''Tout le monde il en a deux'', and one of his most successful works, '' Lèvres de sang'', which starred

Jean-Loup Philippe Jean-Loup Philippe (24 March 1934 – 3 February 2025) was a French actor, writer and director of film and theatre He is best known for his role in Jean Rollin's 1975 horror classic '' Lèvres de sang''. He collaborated with Rollin on several ...

and

Annie Belle Annie Sylvie Brilland (10 December 1956 – 27 January 2024) was a French actress and social worker. Her acting career began in 1974. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s she had varied roles in both French and Italian cinema, working with such direc ...

. Castel accepted work in several of Rollin's pornographic films, when the director was facing financial difficulty at the time while trying to make up the budget for his intended projects, turning to the adult film industry as a viable option; featuring in ''Phantasmes'', ''Douces pénétrations'', ''Introductions'' and in her final collaboration with Rollin, ''Suce moi vampire'', which was an extended pornographic version of ''Lèvres de sang'', with the hardcore scenes shot and inserted into the film in 1976. She has also worked with directors,

Jean-Marie Pallardy Jean-Marie Pallardy (1940 – 12 December 2024) was a French film director. Life and career Pallardy first worked as a male model in the 1960s, before opting for a career change and directing softcore erotic pictures. He also tried his hand at cr ...

and Bernard Launois. Her final acting appearance was in the 1977

Francis Girod Francis Girod (9 October 1944 – 19 November 2006) was a French film director, actor, and screenwriter. He directed 20 films between 1974 and 2006. His film ''L'enfance de l'art'' was entered into the 1988 Cannes Film Festival. In 1994 he w ...

film, '' René la canne'', starring

Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor. An icon of French cinema, considered a world star in the same way as Alain Delon or Brigitte Bardot, he has completed over 250 films since 1967, most of which as ...

Sylvia Kristel Sylvia Maria Kristel (28 September 1952 17 October 2012) was a Dutch actress and model who appeared in over 50 films. She was the eponymous character in five of the seven Emmanuelle films, including originating the role with ''Emmanuelle'' (1974) ...

and

Michel Piccoli Jacques Daniel Michel Piccoli (27 December 1925 – 12 May 2020) was a French actor, producer and film director with a career spanning 70 years. He was lauded as one of the greatest French character actors of his generation who played a wide vari ...

Death

Castel died on 10 February 2013 in

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Located between the Med ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, five days after her 64th birthday. The cause of her death was not specified.

Filmography

Notes

References

External links

*
Article/interview with Marie-Pierre Castel
from around 1971-1973 in a French magazine {{DEFAULTSORT:Castel, Marie-Pierre 1949 births 2013 deaths People from Villejuif Twin actresses French film actresses French twins 20th-century French actresses French pornographic film actresses