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Michèle Mercier is a Actor and Scriptwriter French born on 1 january 1939 at Nice (France)

Michèle Mercier

Michèle Mercier
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Birth name Jocelyne Yvonne Renée Mercier
Nationality France
Birth 1 january 1939 (85 years) at Nice (France)
Awards Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres‎

Michèle Mercier, (born 1 January 1939 as Jocelyne Yvonne Renée Mercier) is a French actress. In the course of her career she has worked with leading directors like François Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Melville, Jacques Deray, Dino Risi, Mario Monicelli, Mario Bava, Peter Collinson and Ken Annakin. Her leading men have included Marcello Mastroianni, Vittorio Gassman, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Gabin, Charles Aznavour, Robert Hossein, Charles Bronson, Tony Curtis and Charlton Heston. Although she appeared in more than fifty films, it is for her role as "Angélique" that she is best known in the world.

Biography

The daughter of a French pharmacist father and an Italian mother, she initially wanted to be a dancer. The circumstances of war made this difficult and her parents saw it as only a whim; however, her determination won through and she joined the "ballet-rats", as the dancers of the chorus are termed. She was soon advanced to soloist in the Nice Opéra. At 15 she met Maurice Chevalier, who predicted that she would be a success.

She moved to Paris aged 17, and first joined the troupe of Roland Petit, then the company of the "Ballets of the Eiffel Tower". Parallel to her career as dancer, Mercier studied acting under Solange Sicard. For her film début her birth name seemed too long and old-fashioned. It was suggested she take the name Michèle - which happened to be name of her younger sister, who had died at the age of five from typhoid fever. However, she adopted the name as a tribute to the actress Michèle Morgan.

After some romantic comedies and a small role in François Truffaut's Tirez sur le pianiste ("Shoot The Pianist", 1960), she worked in England and made some, mainly small-budget, films in Italy, usually playing women of easy virtue.

She needed a role which could make her a star. It was in 1963, when it was decided to make a movie of the sensational novel "Angélique", that Michèle got her chance. Many actresses were approached to play the role of Angélique. Producer Francis Cosne wanted Brigitte Bardot for the part. She refused. Annette Stroyberg was considered next, but judged not sufficiently well-known. Catherine Deneuve was too pale, Jane Fonda spoke French with an American accent, and Virna Lisi was busy in Hollywood. The most serious actress considered was Marina Vlady. She almost signed a contract, but Mercier won the role after trying out for it - she did not appreciate this very much since she was being treated like a beginner at a time when she was already well known in Italy. At the time she was contacted to play Angélique, she had already acted in over twenty films. During the next four years she made five sequels which enjoyed astonishing success. However the role of Angélique, "the Marquise of the Angels", was both a blessing and a curse. It catapulted her to almost instant stardom, rivalling Brigitte Bardot in celebrity and popularity, but the character of Angélique overshadowed all other aspects of her career. By the end of the 1960s, the names Angélique and Michèle Mercier were synonymous.

In 1991 she was a member of the jury at the 17th Moscow International Film Festival.

Attempting to break free from the character Michèle played against Jean Gabin in The Thunder of God directed by Denys de la Patellière. She then appeared with Robert Hossein in La Seconde Vérité directed by Christian-Jaque. Mercier then left France and tried to restart her career in the United States, unfortunately without much success.

After 14-year layoff she returned in the 1998 film La Rumbera, directed by Piero Vivarelli. In 1999, having been swindled out of several million francs in a business venture, Mercier had serious financial problems. She even planned to sell the famous wedding gown of Angélique. The actress confessed in Nice Matin: "I am ruined, I'll be obliged to sell part of my paintings, my furniture, my properties, my jewels and the costumes of Angélique". In 2002 at the Cannes Film Festival she presented her second book of memoirs. Mercier was made a chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres on the 6th of March 2006.

Best films

Angelique and the Sultan (1968)
(Actress)
Angelique: The Road To Versailles (1965)
(Actress)
Angelique and the King (1966)
(Actress)
The Other Truth (1966)
(Actress)
Angelique (1964)
(Actress)
The Thunder of God (1965)
(Actress)

Usually with

Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Michèle Mercier (48 films)

Display filmography as list

Actress

Aznavour by Charles
Origin France
Genres Documentary, Musical
Actors Romain Duris, Michel Klochendler, Charles Aznavour, Lino Ventura, Édith Piaf, Michèle Mercier
Roles Self - Actress (archive footage)
Rating71% 3.573413.573413.573413.573413.57341
Montage d'images réalisées par Charles Aznavour tout au long de sa vie, notamment lors de ses tournées, commenté par Romain Duris.
Celles qui aimaient Richard Wagner
Directed by Jean-Louis Guillermou
Origin France
Genres Documentary
Themes Films about music and musicians, Films about classical music and musicians
Actors Jean-François Balmer, Michèle Mercier, Elisabeth Duda, Erick Deshors, Christian Vadim, Robin Renucci
Roles Brigitte
Rating61% 3.074343.074343.074343.074343.07434
L'intrigue joue sur deux périodes spatiotemporelles : en 2011 à Paris, et dans les années 1842-1883 dans l’Europe parcourue par le compositeur : Allemagne, Suisse, Italie. Une jeune femme éprouve un amour exacerbé pour Wagner. Ce personnage décalé est la clé d'entrée dans l’univers wagnérien. Grâce à Judith, des personnages identiques se retrouvent dans les deux périodes.
Le Viager
Le Viager (1972)
, 1h38
Directed by Pierre Tchernia
Origin France
Genres Thriller, Comedy
Themes Films about families, La provence, Vieillesse
Actors Michel Serrault, Michel Galabru, Claude Brasseur, Rosy Varte, Jean-Pierre Darras, Odette Laure
Roles la jeune femme au bal
Rating68% 3.4353.4353.4353.4353.435
En 1930 à Paris, Léon Galipeau, médecin généraliste à la compétence discutable, ausculte Louis Martinet, célibataire de 59 ans. Persuadé que son patient, usé, n'a que deux ans tout au plus à vivre, Galipeau convainc son frère Émile d'acquérir en viager la maison de campagne que possède Martinet dans un petit village de pêcheurs alors méconnu : Saint-Tropez. Confiants dans leur affaire, les deux frères acceptent même d'indexer la rente viagère sur le cours d'une valeur, pensent-ils, sans avenir : l'aluminium.
The Call of the Wild, 1h40
Directed by Ken Annakin
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure, Western
Themes Films about animals, Films about dogs, Mise en scène d'un mammifère
Actors Charlton Heston, Michèle Mercier, Raimund Harmstorf, George Eastman, Maria Rohm, Juan Luis Galiardo
Roles Calliope Laurent
Rating59% 2.951972.951972.951972.951972.95197
John Thornton (Charlton Heston) a prospector in the 1897 Klondike Gold Rush is trying to eke out a living in the harsh conditions of the bitterly cold Yukon region of Canada, with Buck the German Shepherd dog he befriends. Thornton struggles against unscrupulous rivals and natural hazards in the extreme conditions and is greatly helped by Buck who has his own story to tell: he was abducted from a family home and taken north to become a working sled dog. Man and dog forge a true bond of friendship, working together to survive life in the treacherous frozen North. Thornton is killed by Yeehat Indians, but Buck kills the men to avenge John Thornton. At the end of the film, Buck comes to the White River to mourn the place where he died.
Web of the Spider, 1h49
Directed by Antonio Margheriti
Origin Italie
Genres Thriller, Horror
Actors Anthony Franciosa, Klaus Kinski, Michèle Mercier, Silvano Tranquilli, Raf Baldassarre, Peter Carsten
Roles Elisabeth Blackwood
Rating56% 2.8075252.8075252.8075252.8075252.807525
The film is narrated by a troubled Edgar Allan Poe (Klaus Kinski). It begins with Poe's attempts to confirm a ghost story by examining the ghosts' tombs; however, he doesn't go too far to avoid being haunted and killed. Later, a journalist named Alan Foster (Anthony Franciosa) visits Poe to drive him out of madness, but he is forced to challenge the horror writer on the authenticity of his stories.
L'amour de gré ou de force
Directed by Massimo Franciosa
Origin Italie
Genres Comedy
Actors Michèle Mercier, Carlo Giuffrè, Yanti Somer, Marina Malfatti, Venantino Venantini, Jacques Herlin
Roles Arabella
Rating61% 3.082433.082433.082433.082433.08243
Séparé et sur le point de divorcer de son épouse Valeria, Bruno vit avec Arabella. Cependant, alors qu'il est à Milan pour affaires, il rencontre par hasard la Finlandaise Jane, et tombe amoureux d'elle. Pour retrouver les faveurs de Bruno, Arabella entreprend une lutte féroce: elle dépense l'argent de Bruno grâce à un chéquier qu'elle lui a dérobé. Le début d'une déroute financière pour Bruno, qui, après avoir essayé en vain de se sauver du naufrage, reste seul et ruiné...
You Can't Win 'Em All, 1h37
Directed by Peter Collinson
Origin United-kingdom
Genres War, Comedy, Action, Adventure
Themes Transport films, Aviation films, Rail transport films, Political films, Buddy films
Actors Tony Curtis, Charles Bronson, Fikret Hakan, Michèle Mercier, Grégoire Aslan, Patrick Magee
Roles Aila
Rating57% 2.8531652.8531652.8531652.8531652.853165
Les aventures d'un vétéran britannique (Charles Bronson) de la Grande Guerre et d'un armateur américain (Tony Curtis) en Turquie, durant la guerre civile turque et la guerre gréco-turque de 1919-1922.
A Golden Widow, 1h25
Directed by Michel Audiard
Origin France
Genres Comedy
Actors Michèle Mercier, Claude Rich, André Pousse, Jacques Dufilho, Sim, Roger Carel
Roles Delphine Berger
Rating49% 2.49612.49612.49612.49612.4961
Une femme cherche à faire éliminer son mari pour toucher un héritage de 100 000 000 de dollars qu'elle n'aura qu'à l'unique condition qu'elle devienne veuve.
Cemetery Without Crosses, 1h30
Directed by Robert Hossein
Origin France
Genres Western
Actors Robert Hossein, Michèle Mercier, Serge Marquand, Pierre Hatet, Philippe Baronnet, Pierre Collet
Roles Maria Caine
Rating66% 3.344033.344033.344033.344033.34403
This western finds Manuel (Robert Hossein) visiting his friends only to discover the husband has been murdered in a feud between two rival families.
Angelique and the Sultan, 1h35
Directed by Bernard Borderie
Origin France
Genres Adventure, Historical, Romance
Themes Films about slavery
Actors Michèle Mercier, Robert Hossein, Jean-Claude Pascal, Helmuth Schneider, Ettore Manni, Aly Ben Ayed
Roles Angelique de Peyrac
Rating63% 3.154373.154373.154373.154373.15437
Une fois que Joffrey a sauvé son navire des flammes, il poursuit d'Escrainville, qui a enlevé Angélique, sur la Méditerranée. Mais quand il arraisonne son navire, Angélique n'est plus à bord. À Alger, Escrainville l'a vendue à Mezzo Morte, qui compte la proposer pour le harem du sultan de Mikenez. Pour sauver Angélique, Joffrey se fait abandonner dans une barque par son équipage, et se fait volontairement prendre par un navire à destination d'Alger, où il est contraint à l'esclavage. Il parvient à s'échapper de la prison où il est conduit, à l'aide de complicités.
Emma Hamilton, 1h40
Directed by Christian-Jaque
Origin France
Genres Drama, Historical, Romance
Actors Richard Johnson, John Mills, Michèle Mercier, Robert Hundar, Harald Leipnitz, Howard Ross
Roles Emma Lyon-Hamilton
Rating57% 2.896112.896112.896112.896112.89611
Une jeune fille du peuple monte tous les échelons de l'ascension sociale et devient la femme de l'ambassadeur de Naples, William Hamilton. À Naples où elle a été envoyée pour apprendre à être une Lady, elle devient l'amie intime de la Reine Marie-Caroline, grâce à qui, elle fait connaissance de l'officier, devenu amiral Nelson. Ils deviennent amants mais l'amiral meurt à la Bataille de Trafalgar. Lady Hamilton le pleure.
Untamable Angelique, 1h25
Directed by Bernard Borderie
Origin France
Genres Adventure, Historical
Themes Films about slavery, Seafaring films, Transport films, Pirate films
Actors Michèle Mercier, Robert Hossein, Roger Pigaut, Ettore Manni, Sieghardt Rupp, Arturo Dominici
Roles Angélique de Peyrac
Rating65% 3.2507553.2507553.2507553.2507553.250755
Angélique ayant appris que son premier mari, Joffrey de Peyrac, est toujours en vie, elle part à sa recherche dans le Sud de la France, en compagnie de son fidèle alchimiste Savary. Ils pensent l'avoir trouvé sur une île où un lépreux évoque un pirate appelé le Rescator, avant de se suicider pour échapper aux hommes du duc de Vivonne. Angélique contraint ce dernier, qui veut la ramener au roi de France Louis XIV, de la conduire en bateau en Sardaigne, sous la menace de révéler que la sœur du duc, madame de Montespan, est en relation avec des cercles occultistes (voir Angélique et le Roy).