Published21. February 2024, 7:47 p.m.
Mother of Tonie Marshall: Dean of French cinema, Micheline Presle is no longer
The “Diable au corps” actress died peacefully at the age of 101 in Val-de-Marne.
IMAGO/Bridgeman Images
French cinema mourns its dean: Micheline Presle, who died on Wednesday at the age of 101, will have accompanied generations of spectators and rubbed shoulders with figures of the 7th art of the 20th century, from Alain Resnais to Jacques Demy via Claude Autant-Lara.
Born in Paris in August 1922, Micheline Presle “passed away peacefully around 6 p.m. at the National House of Artists in Nogent-sur-Marne” (Val-de-Marne), her son-in-law Olivier Bomsel announced to AFP . The funeral will take place in privacy, he added.
The actress, elegant and fashion lover, will remain for many Marthe, Gérard Philipe’s playmate in “Le Diable au corps” (1947) by Claude Autant-Lara, adapted from the novel by Raymond Radiguet. Or the star of Saturday evenings in the TV series “Les Saintes Chéries”, an ORTF institution in the 1960s.
Far beyond, with his death, a page in cinema turns: his career counts a total of more than 150 films, including a few in Hollywood, letting himself be carried away by his encounters, from George Pabst to Alain Resnais via Abel Gance, Jacques Demy or Joseph Losey.
Between Danielle Darrieux and Michèle Morgan
Long one of the three favorite stars of the French, with Danielle Darrieux and Michèle Morgan, she was one of the rare established actresses who gave a lot to beginning filmmakers.
“Infinite sadness. France is orphaned by its beloved saint. At 101 years old, Micheline was beautiful, simple, lively, curious about everything, singing to delight, laughing, with a lively eye. Loving to love,” reacted the former president of the Cannes Film Festival Gilles Jacob.
“Figurehead
“Micheline Presle was an emblematic figure of French cinema,” greeted the Académie des Césars, two days before its 49th ceremony and twenty years after giving her an honorary César.
“Cinema is without a doubt the most beautiful story of my life,” the actress launched on stage at the time, after paying tribute to the “young filmmakers” to whom she said she owed her “survival” and “a lot of its joys.
With a special mention to Jacques Becker, who made him famous with “Falbalas”, just after the war, just like “Boule de suif” by Christian-Jaque.
His daughter, Tonie Marshall
Her daughter Tonie Marshall, the only director to have ever received a César, for “Venus Beauté (institut)” (1999), in which Micheline Presle appeared, died in March 2020.
Micheline Presle’s last appearance in front of the camera dates back to 2018: for her autobiographical show “Fashion Freak Show”, directed by Tonie Marshall, Jean Paul Gaultier called on her to play her grandmother in a video sequence, she -even at the origin of the couturier’s passion for fashion, when he was a child.
Outside of cinema, Micheline Presle was a member of the honorary committee of the Association for the Right to Die with Dignity. “We are losing a fervent activist (…) and a friend,” reacted the association on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
(AFP)