Mylène Demongeot


Mylène Demongeot was a French film, television and theatre actress and author with a career spanning seven decades and more than 100 credits in French, Italian, English and Japanese speaking productions.
Demongeot became a star at age 21 with her portrayal of Abigail Williams in The Crucible which garnered her a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles nomination and the best actress prize at the socialist Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Some other notable film roles include Elsa in Otto Preminger's Bonjour Tristesse, alongside Deborah Kerr and David Niven, and as Milady de Winter in Les Trois Mousquetaires.
A "veteran of cinema" who started as one of the blond sex symbols of the 1950s and 1960s, she managed to avoid typecasting by exploring many film genres including thrillers, westerns, comedies, swashbucklers, period films and even pepla, such as Romulus and the Sabines opposite Roger Moore or Gold for the Caesars.
Demongeot also has a cult following based on the Fantomas trilogy, as Hélène Gurn opposite Louis de Funès and Jean Marais: Fantômas, Fantômas Unleashed and Fantômas Against Scotland Yard. Thirty years later, she starred again in another one of France's most successful comedy trilogies as Madame Pic in Fabien Onteniente's Camping, Camping 2 and Camping 3.
She was twice nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the César Awards for 36 Quai des Orfèvres and French California.
In 2007, she was made a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et de Lettres of the French Republic.
In 2017, she was inducted into the Légion d'Honneur by ethologist and neurologist Boris Cyrulnik, with the rank of Chevalier.
She remained popular until her death from peritoneal cancer. At the time of her death, she was starring in Thomas Gilou's film Maison de retraite alongside Gérard Depardieu, one of the biggest box office hits of 2022 in France. Through an Élysée Palace official tribune, President Emmanuel Macron paid a long tribute to her which included : ''"we salute the career of a great figure in the French Seventh Art, who knew how to shine in all its genres to move all French people".''

Early life

Demongeot was born in September 1935 in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, the daughter and only child of Alfred Jean Demongeot, a high-ranking civil servant, born on 30 January 1897 in Nice and Claudia Troubnikova, born on 17 May 1904 in Kharkiv. Her parents, both actors themselves, had met in Shanghai, China, where her half-brother, Léonid Ivantov, from the first marriage of her mother, was born, in Harbin on 17 December 1923.
Like hundreds of other major European figures of stage and screen, she trained at the Cours Simon in Paris where her classmates included Jean-Pierre Cassel, Claude Berri and Guy Bedos. She was a classically trained pianist and her first ambition was of becoming a professional.

Career

In the United Kingdom she appeared in several comedies, including It's A Wonderful World and Upstairs and Downstairs. Several of her films were made for the Rank Organisation.
Between September 2013 and June 2014, she was a columnist member of the radio show Les Grosses Têtes by Philippe Bouvard on RTL.

Personal life

Demongeot was married to director Marc Simenon from 1968 until his death in 1999. She resided in a country house in Mayenne surrounded by animals. She was a member of the honor committee of the .
Demongeot was the victim of a financial scam set up by her account manager who stole 2 million from her, money which was used to make loans to numerous high-profile personalities, like Isabelle Adjani, Alexandre Arcady or Samy Naceri. Justice took hold of the case in June 2012 and two banks were found guilty. She recounts these years of proceedings in her book Très chers escrocs….
Demongeot died of primary peritoneal cancer on 1 December 2022, at the age of 87.

Quotes

Among the quotes on or from her colleagues, are found:
  • Brigitte Bardot wrote in one of her books: "Mylène was my little cinema sister, then became my combat sister, a libra like me, she has always loved animals, even going so far as to save a baby lion from set that she brought back to the hotel which hosted her during the filming".
  • Arthur Miller wrote: "Mylene Demongeot was truly beautiful, and so bursting with real sexuality as to become a generalized force whose effects on the community transcended herself."
  • Demongeot met Gary Cooper at the opening of the first escalator to be installed in a cinema, at the Rex Theatre in Paris, on 7 June 1957. She declared in a filmed interview: "Gary Cooper was sublime, there I have to say, now he, was part of the stars, Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, John Wayne, those great Americans who I've met really were unbelievable guys, there aren't any like them anymore."
  • On David Niven she said in a filmed interview: "He was like a lord, he was part of those great actors who were extraordinary like Dirk Bogarde, individuals with lots of class, elegance and humour. I only saw David get angry once. Preminger had discharged him for the day but eventually asked to get him. I said, sir, you had discharged him, he left for Deauville to gamble at the casino. So we rented a helicopter so they immediately went and grabbed him. Two hours later, he was back, full of rage. There I saw David lose his British phlegm, his politeness and class. It was royal. ."

Filmography

YearTitleRoleDirectorNotes
1953Children of LoveNicoleLéonide Moguy
1955Frou-FrouThe mistressAugusto Genina
1955School for LoveThe vocalistMarc Allégret
1955Papa, maman, ma femme et moiThe woman at the doorJean-Paul Le Chanois
1956'MichelineMaurice Cloche
1956It's A Wonderful WorldGeorgie DuboisVal GuestCredited as Mylène Nicole
1957The CrucibleAbigail WilliamsRaymond RouleauKarlovy Vary International Film Festival - Best Actress
Nominated - BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles
1957A Kiss for a KillerÉva DollanHenri Verneuil
1958That NightSylvie MalletMaurice Cazeneuve
1958Bonjour tristesseElsaOtto Preminger
1958Be Beautiful But Shut UpVirginie DumayetMarc Allégret
1959'Catherine MouginYves Ciampi
1959Women are WeakSabineMichel Boisrond
1959Bad Girls Don't CryLauraMauro Bolognini
1959The Giant of MarathonAndromedaJacques Tourneur & Mario Bava
1959Upstairs and DownstairsIngridRalph Thomas
1960Love in RomeAnna PadoanDino Risi
1960Under Ten FlagsZiziDuilio Coletti
1961The Three MusketeersMilady de WinterBernard Borderie
1961The Singer Not the SongLocha de CortinezRoy Ward Baker
1961Romulus and the SabinesRéaRichard Pottier
1962Copacabana PalaceZina von RaunacherSteno
1962I Don Giovanni della Costa AzzurraVittorio Sala
1963Girl's ApartmentMélanieMichel Deville
1963Doctor in DistressSonia & Helga StronbergRalph Thomas
1963Gold for the CaesarsPenelopeAndre de Toth & Sabatino Ciuffini
1963Because, Because of a WomanLisetteMichel Deville
1964FantômasHélène GurnAndré Hunebelle
1964Cherchez l'idoleHerselfMichel Boisrond
1965Uncle Tom's CabinHarrietGéza von Radványi
1965Fantômas se déchaîneHélène GurnHaroun Tazieff & André Hunebelle
1965OSS 117 Mission for a KillerAnna-Maria SulzaAndré Hunebelle
1966Tender ScoundrelMurielJean Becker
1967Fantômas contre Scotland YardHélène GurnAndré Hunebelle
1968The Private Navy of Sgt. O'FarrellGabbyFrank Tashlin
1968Les dossiers de l'agence OMyle HolgaMarc SimenonTV series
1969The Thirteen ChairsJudyNicolas Gessner
1970The MushroomAnne CalderMarc Simenon
1971KatiaMarc Simenon
1972The Rebels LauraDenis Héroux
1972Montreal BluesPascal Gélinas
1973Enuff Is Enuff Madame De ChatiezDenis Héroux
1973Les aventures du capitaine LucknerDaphneFrançois VilliersTV series
1974Par le sang des autresThe prostituteMarc Simenon
1975Les noces de porcelaineJuliaRoger Coggio
1975Il faut vivre dangereusementLaurenceClaude Makovski
1977L'échappatoireElisabethClaude Patin
1977Recherche dans l'intérêt des famillesAlcine BriantPhilippe ArnalTV series
1978Douze heures pour mourirGermaineAbder IskerTV movie
1979Un jour un tueurCécile PallasSerge Korber
1980Kick, Raoul, la moto, les jeunes et les autresMartineMarc SimenonTV series
1981Signé FuraxMalvinaMarc Simenon
1982MarionMarion TreguierJean PignolTV series
1983Le bâtardBrigitteBertrand Van Effenterre
1983Flics de chocThe teacherJean-Pierre Desagnat
1983Surprise PartyGeneviève LambertRoger Vadim
1984Retenez Moi...Ou Je Fais Un MalheurThe bench womanMichel Gérard
1984Série noireThe BaronessJacques RouffioTV series
1986Tenue de soiréeWife in house 3Bertrand Blier
1986Paulette, la pauvre petite milliardaireMadame GulderbiltClaude Confortès
1988Big ManFernandeStenoTV Mini-Series
1989The Man Who Lived at the RitzMadame RochaiseDesmond DavisTV movie
1992Vacances au purgatoireMathildeMarc SimenonTV movie
1994La Piste du télégrapheMurielLiliane de Kermadec
1994MinderMadeleineKen HannamTV series
1995Chien et chatAnnabelle MontbrialMarc SimenonTV series
1997L'Homme idéalGuillemetteXavier Gélin
2004VictoireThe motherStéphanie Murat
2004Red LightsThe summer camp directorCédric Kahn
200436 Quai des OrfèvresManou BerlinerOlivier MarchalNominated - César Award for Best Supporting Actress
2005Tokyo TowerThe governessTakashi Minamoto
2005La tête hauteLa TineGérard Jourd'huiTV movie
2006CampingLaurette PicFabien Onteniente
2006French CaliforniaKatiaJacques FieschiNominated - César Award for Best Supporting Actress
2007Les toits de ParisThérèseHuner Saleem
2007Le fantôme du lacLouise PerreauPhilippe NiangTV movie
2009TricheuseMadame VallardinJean-François Davy
2009Oscar and the Lady in PinkLilyÉric-Emmanuel Schmitt
2010Camping 2Laurette PicFabien Onteniente
2011Si tu meurs, je te tueGenevièveHuner Saleem
2011Maman !The motherHélène de FougerollesShort
2013On My WayFanfanEmmanuelle Bercot
2013La balade de LucieThe motherSandrine RayTV movie
2013Les mauvaises têtesVirginiePierre IsoardTV movie
2014Des roses en hiverMadeleineLorenzo GabrieleTV movie
2015No LimitChristine LibératiLudovic Colbeau-JustinTV series
2016Camping 3Laurette PicFabien Onteniente
20163 Mariages et un coup de foudreMamitaGilles de MaistreTV movie
2017The MidwifeRolandeMartin Provost
2017CaïnJacqueline BenedettiBertrand ArthuysTV series
2018InfidèleGiuliaDidier Le PêcheurTV Mini-Series
2018A l'intérieurRose Da CostaVincent LannooTV series
2022Maison de RetraiteSimone TournierThomas Gilou

Theater

YearTitleAuthorDirector
1958Dangerous CornerJohn Boynton PriestleyRaymond Rouleau
1968GugusseMarcel AchardMichel Roux
1988SalomeOscar WildeFrancis Sourbié
1988Caviale e lenticchieGiulio Scarnicci & Renzo TarabusiJacques Rosny
1992The Secretary BirdWilliam Douglas-HomePierre Mondy
1992Piège pour un homme seulRobert ThomasRobert Thomas
1994ElectraJean GiraudouxRaymond Gérôme
1994Un homme presséBernard ChartreuxJean-Pierre Vincent
2000BecketJean AnouilhDidier Long
2017Love LettersA. R. GurneyStéphanie Fagadau