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Marie-France Pisier

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Marie-France Pisier
Pisier in 1992
Born(1944-05-10)10 May 1944
Died24 April 2011(2011-04-24) (aged 66)
Toulon, France
Occupation(s)Actress, screenwriter, director[citation needed]
Years active1962–2010
Spouse(s)Georges Kiejman (1973–1979, divorced)
Thierry Funck-Brentano (?-2011, her death)
ChildrenSon and daughter
RelativesGilles Pisier (brother)
Évelyne Pisier (sister)
AwardsCésar Award
Best Supporting Actress
1976 Cousin Cousine and French Provincial
1977 Barocco

Marie-France Pisier (10 May 1944 – 24 April 2011) was a French actress, screenwriter, and director. She appeared in numerous films of the French New Wave and twice earned the national César Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Early life

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Pisier was born on 10 May 1944 in Dalat (now Vietnam), where her father was serving as a colonial official in French Indochina.[1] Her younger brother, Gilles Pisier, is a mathematician and a member of the French Academy of Sciences. Her sister, political scientist Evelyn, was the first wife of Bernard Kouchner, a French politician and the co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières. The family moved to Paris when Marie-France was 12 years old.

Career

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Five years later, Pisier made her screen acting debut for director François Truffaut in his 1962 film Antoine and Colette. She had a brief but incendiary romance with the older, married Truffaut. Despite its end, she later appeared in Truffaut's Stolen Kisses (Baisers volés, 1968) and Love on the Run (L'Amour en fuite, 1979), the fifth and final film in Truffaut's series about the character Antoine Doinel. Pisier was credited as a co-writer of the screenplay.[1] In a review in The New York Times, film critic Vincent Canby praised her "ravishing performance".[2]

Pisier later collaborated on the screenplay to Jacques Rivette's Celine and Julie Go Boating (Céline et Julie vont en bateau, 1974); she also played a significant supporting role in the film. Later in the same year, she had a role in Luis Buñuel's Phantom of Liberty.[1]

Pisier gained widespread public recognition in 1975 when she appeared in Jean-Charles Tacchella's popular comedy Cousin Cousine. Her role as the volatile Karine earned her a César Award for Best Supporting Actress.[3] Her subsequent feature films included three with director André Téchiné: French Provincial (Souvenirs en France, 1975); The Bronte Sisters (Les sœurs Brontë, 1979), in which she portrayed Charlotte; and Barocco (1976), for which she won a second César for her performance alongside Isabelle Adjani and Gérard Depardieu.[3]

Pisier attempted to crack the American film industry with The Other Side of Midnight (1977), adapted from a Sidney Sheldon novel. She appeared on American television in the miniseries The French Atlantic Affair (1979), and Scruples the next year. She made two more Hollywood films, French Postcards (1979) with Debra Winger and Chanel Solitaire (1981) with Timothy Dalton.[1]

Returning to France, Pisier made her directorial debut with The Governor's Party (Le bal du gouverneur, 1990), which she adapted from her own novel. She also played Madame Verdurin in Raúl Ruiz's adaptation of Marcel Proust, Time Regained (Le temps retrouvé, 1999). Her final film as director was with Bérénice Bejo (winner of the César Award for Best Actress in The Artist) in Like An Airplane (Comme un avion, 2002).

Personal life

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Marie-France Pisier, 1973

Pisier's first marriage to Georges Kiejman ended in divorce.[1][4] She resided in Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, Var, and was married to Thierry Funck-Brentano. The couple had a son, Mathieu, and a daughter, Iris.[1]

In 1971, Pisier signed the Manifesto of the 343, publicly declaring she had an illegal abortion.[5]

Death

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Pisier died on 24 April 2011, aged 66. She was found dead in her swimming pool by Funck-Brentano and is believed to have drowned.[1][3] She was survived by her sister Évelyne, brother Gilles, and both children.[1] The local mayor announced her death to the news media and President Nicolas Sarkozy made a public statement honouring "her supreme elegance born of the most perfect simplicity".[6][1]

Filmography

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Actress

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Year Title Role Director Notes
1961 Qui ose nous accuser? Serge Komor
1962 Antoine and Colette Colette François Truffaut From Love at Twenty
The Devil and the Ten Commandments Julien Duvivier
1963 Les Saintes-Nitouches Angelica Pierre Montazel
1964 Les Yeux cernés Klara Robert Hossein
La mort d'un tueur Maria / Claudia Robert Hossein
Les amoureux du France Sylvia Pierre Grimblat & François Reichenbach
1965 The Vampire of Düsseldorf Anna Robert Hossein
1966 Maigret a Pigalle Mario Landi
Trans-Europ-Express Eva Alain Robbe-Grillet
1967 Non sta bene rubare il tesoro Flo Mario di Nardo
1968 Stolen Kisses Colette Tazzi François Truffaut
L'écume des jours Alise Charles Belmont
1969 Paulina Is Leaving Isabelle André Téchiné
Nous n'irons plus au bois Lise Georges Dumoulin
1972 Le journal d'un suicidé The young anarchist Stanislav Stanojevic
La mort d'un champion Jane Herbin Abder Isker TV movie
Pot-Bouille Berthe Josserand Yves-André Hubert TV Mini-Series
1972-1973 Les gens de Mogador Ludivine Peyrissac Vernet Robert Mazoyer TV series (13 episodes)
1973 Féminin-féminin Françoise Henri Calef & João Correa
Juliette? Philippe Pilard Short
Témoignages Paul Siegrist TV series (1 episode)
Les aventures du capitaine Luckner Kim François Villiers TV series (1 episode)
1974 The Phantom of Liberty Mrs. Calmette Luis Buñuel
Celine and Julie Go Boating Sophie Jacques Rivette
1975 Cousin Cousine Karine Jean-Charles Tacchella César Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated - National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated - New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
French Provincial Régina Pedret André Téchiné
1976 Barocco Nelly André Téchiné César Award for Best Supporting Actress
Surreal Estate Agathe Eduardo de Gregorio
Body of My Enemy Gilberte Liégard Henri Verneuil
1977 Les apprentis sorciers Madame Umlaut Edgardo Cozarinsky
The Other Side of Midnight Noelle Page Charles Jarrott
1978 Le temps d'une République Louise Fontas Michel Mitrani TV series (1 episode)
1979 Love on the Run Colette Tazzi François Truffaut Also co-writer
French Postcards Madame Catherine Tessier Willard Huyck
The Brontë Sisters Charlotte Brontë André Téchiné
The French Atlantic Affair Lisa Douglas Heyes TV Mini-Series
1980 The Lady Banker Colette Lecoudray Francis Girod
Scruples Valentine O'Neill Alan J. Levi TV Mini-Series
1981 The Hot Touch Dr. Simpson Roger Vadim Nominated - Genie Award for Best Performance by a Foreign Actress
Chanel Solitaire Coco Chanel George Kaczender
44 ou les récits de la nuit Moumen Smihi
1982 Ace of Aces Gaby Delcourt Gérard Oury
The Magic Mountain Claudia Chauchat Hans W. Geißendörfer
Boulevard des assassins Hélène Mariani Boramy Tioulong
1983 L'ami de Vincent Milena Pierre Granier-Deferre
Le prix du danger Laurence Ballard Yves Boisset
Der Stille Ozean Florence Xaver Schwarzenberger TV movie
Le crime de Pierre Lacaze Colette Ribert Jean Delannoy TV movie
1985 Parking Claude Perséphone Jacques Demy
Miss Right BeBe Paul Williams
Les Nanas Christine Annick Lanoë
1986 L'inconnue de Vienne Florence Bernard Stora TV movie
1986-1987 Le Tiroir secret Nathalie Duthilleul Michel Boisrond, Édouard Molinaro, ... TV Mini-Series
1988 The Abyss Martha André Delvaux
1989 Olympe de nos amours Olympe Serge Moati TV movie
1991 La note bleue George Sand Andrzej Żuławski
1992 Une maman dans la ville Sabine Miguel Courtois TV movie
1994 Seven Sundays Marion Jean-Charles Tacchella
Pourquoi maman est dans mon lit? Véronique Patrick Malakian
Printemps de feu Caroline Clairval Claude Boissol TV movie
La couleur du mensonge Alice Hugues de Laugardière TV movie
1995 La fidèle infidèle Claire Jean-Louis Benoît TV movie
1996 Notre homme Violaine Élisabeth Rappeneau TV movie
1997 Marion Audrey Manuel Poirier
La vérité est un vilain défaut Monique Jean-Paul Salomé TV movie
1998 The Ice Rink Producer Jean-Philippe Toussaint
Les marmottes Marie-Claire Jean-Denis Robert & Daniel Vigne TV Mini-Series
1999 Why Not Me? Irene Stéphane Giusti
Time Regained Madame Verdurin Raúl Ruiz
Les boeuf-carottes Judge Roesh Claude-Michel Rome TV series (1 episode)
2000 Love Torn in a Dream Mother Raúl Ruiz
Sur un air d'autoroute Dr. Rouget Thierry Boscheron
Un jeune Français Léna Michel Sibra TV movie
2001 Inch'Allah Dimanche Madame Manant Yamina Benguigui
2002 Comme un avion Claire Forestier Marie-France Pisier
2004 Ordo Louise's mother Laurence Ferreira Barbosa
2005 Vénus & Apollon Madame Pommerand Pascal Lahmani TV series (3 episodes)
2006 Paid Gislaine Laurence Lamers
Dans Paris The mother Christophe Honoré
Pardonnez-moi Lola Maïwenn
Un ami parfait The widow Francis Girod
Les enfants, j'adore! Jacqueline Didier Albert TV movie
2007 Dombais et fils Cléopâtre Laurent Jaoui TV movie
2008 Miroir, mon beau miroir Marie-Line Serge Meynard TV movie
Clara Sheller Iris Alain Berliner TV series (1 episode)
2009 Paradis criminel Anne Lermercier Serge Meynard TV movie
Revivre Léa Goldenberg Haim Bouzaglo TV Mini-Series
2010 Bacon on the Side Nicole Lacroix Anne Depétrini
Le chasseur Natacha Delaunay Nicolas Cuche TV Mini-Series

Filmmaker

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Year Title Notes
1974 Celine and Julie Go Boating As a writer
1979 Love on the Run As a writer
1990 Le bal du gouverneur As a director & writer
2002 Comme un avion As a director & writer

Theater

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Year Title Author Director
1993 Ce qui arrive et ce qu'on attend Jean-Marie Besset Patrice Kerbrat
1995 Le Pain dur & Le Père humilié Paul Claudel Marcel Maréchal
2002 Liaison transatlantique Fabrice Rozié Sandrine Dumas
2005 Chère Maître Peter Eyre Sandrine Dumas
Liaison transatlantique Fabrice Rozié Sandrine Dumas
2006 N'écoutez pas, mesdames ! Sacha Guitry Patrice Kerbrat
2007-2009 Le Nouveau Testament Sacha Guitry Daniel Benoin
2009 Other People's Money Jerry Sterner Daniel Benoin
2009-2010 In Search of Lost Time Marcel Proust Marie-France Pisier

Author

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Year Book Publisher
1984 Le Bal du gouverneur Éditions Grasset
1986 Je n'ai aimé que vous
1992 La Belle Imposture
1997 Le Deuil du printemps

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Grimes, William (26 April 2011). "Marie-France Pisier, New Wave Darling, Dies at 66". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  2. ^ Canby, Vincent (6 April 1979). "NYT Critics' Pick: Love on the Run". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  3. ^ a b c "French New Wave muse Marie-France Pisier found dead". Paris. Agence France-Presse. 24 April 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  4. ^ Actrice, Marie-France Pisier était aussi romancière Archived 30 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "manifeste des 343". 23 April 2001. Archived from the original on 23 April 2001. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  6. ^ "Mort de l'actrice Marie-France Pisier" (in French). Télévision Française 1. 2011. Archived from the original on 26 April 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2011. L'actrice Marie-France Pisier, âgée de 66 ans, est décédée dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche à Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer (Var) où elle résidait, a-t-on appris auprès de la mairie de la commune.
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