Micheline Presle
Born: 1922-08-22 in Paris, France
Died: 2024-02-21
Known For: Acting
Biography
Micheline Presle (born Micheline Nicole Julia Émilienne Chassagne; August 22, 1922 – February 21, 2024) was a French actress. She was sometimes billed as Micheline Prelle. Starting in 1939, she starred in over 50 French and English language films that were made in Hollywood and in France. Born in Paris, she wanted to be an actress from an early age. She took acting classes in her early teens and made her film debut at the age of fifteen in the 1937 production of La Fessée. In 1938, she was awarded the Prix Suzanne Bianchetti as the most promising young actress in French cinema. Her rise to European stardom, in films such as Devil in the Flesh, led to offers from Hollywood and in 1950, she was signed by 20th Century Fox. 20th Century Fox executives changed Presle's last name to Prell. It was later changed to Prelle after a soap company brought out Prell shampoo. Her first Hollywood production was a starring role opposite John Garfield in the film Under My Skin directed by Jean Negulesco. That same year director Fritz Lang cast her opposite Tyrone Power in the war drama American Guerrilla in the Philippines. In 1950, she became the second wife of American actor William Marshall with whom she had a daughter, Tonie. William Marshall had teamed up with actor Errol Flynn and his production company and in 1951 he directed Flynn and her in the film Adventures of Captain Fabian. Presle's marriage did not last and she returned to France, divorcing Marshall in 1954. Her career flourished in French films and in 1957 she was a guest on the American Ed Sullivan Show. In 1959 she performed in the United Kingdom English-language production of Blind Date directed by Joseph Losey. She returned to Hollywood in 1962 for the role of Sandra Dee's mother in the Universal Studios film If a Man Answers which also featured Dee's husband, singer Bobby Darin. The following year, Presle acted again in English in The Prize starring Paul Newman. She did not make another English film, but after performing in more than 50 films in French, in 1989 she appeared in the French-made bilingual production I Want to Go Home, for which she was nominated for the César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. In 1971, Presle signed the Manifesto of the 343, publicly declaring she had an illegal abortion. Presle died in Nogent-sur-Marne on 21 February 2024, at the age of 101, at the Maison des Artistes, a retirement home for artists, which receives partial government support. Her death was confirmed by Olivier Bomsel, her son-in-law, without specifying the cause. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Filmography
2019
- Danielle Darrieux : Il est poli d'être gai ! as Self (archive footage)
2018
2013
- Rue Mandar as la tante
- I Will Show My Breasts as Jeanne
2012
- Bankable as Granny
- Just Like Brothers as Grandmother
2011
- Hitler in Hollywood as Micheline Presle
2010
- Thelma, Louise et Chantal as Huguette
2009
- A Man and His Dog as Femme
- Going South as La grand-mère
2008
- A Day at the Museum as Liliane
2007
- Vous êtes de la police ? as Jane Latour-Jackson
2005
- Grabuge! as Gisèle Lenoir
2004
- Le Voyageur sans bagage as Mme Renaud
- Les Anges 1943, histoire d'un film as Self (voice)
2003
- Chouchou as La mère de Stanislas
- France Boutique as Nicole
- Saltimbank as Mrs. Saltim
- Anna in Corsica as Marie
2002
- La Vie au grand air as Claire Lacombe
2001
- Charming Fellow as Bélise
- Transfixed as Violette Ancelin
- Tender Souls as Juliette
- Vertiges de l'amour as La mère de Vincent
2000
- The Heart at Work as Madeleine
- Un enfant, un secret as Marthe
1999
- Venus Beauty Institute as Tante Maryse
- Bad Company as Mamie
- The Journey to Paris as Madame Dubosc
- Letter to my brother Guy Gilles, filmmaker who passed away too soon as Self
1998
- Vivement dimanche as Self
- The Count of Monte Cristo as Madame de Saint-Méran
- H as Elle-même (l'actrice)
- Grève party as Madame Raymonde
1996
- A Chef in Love as Marcelle Ichak
- Should Not!... as la "mère" de Bernard
- The Voyage of Penelope as Hermine
- Diary of a Seducer as Diane
1995
- Les Miserables as Mother Superior
1994
- Something Fishy as Mrs. Loussine
- Casque bleu as Gisèle
1993
- Fanfan as Maude
- My Name is Victor as Luce
- Point d'orgue as Avril Espart
1991
- The Other Eye as Self
- Epiphany Sunday as Germaine et Marie-Louise
- Seul face au crime as Maria
- Les Disparus de Saint-Agil as Mme Donnadieu
1990
- Après après-demain as La voisine
- Fathers' Day as Mireille Miran
1989
- I Want to Go Home as Isabelle Gauthier
- In inniger Feindschaft as Gloria Maieul
1988
- Mignon Has Left as Prof. Girelli
- Lark, I'll Pluck You! as Lady with jewels
1987
- Sacrée soirée as Self
- Matin Bonheur as Self
1986
- Qui trop embrasse... as La mère de Christian
- Good Weather, But Stormy Late This Afternoon as Jacqueline
1985
- The Ray Bradbury Theater as Grandma
1984
- The Blood of Others as Denise
- Les Fausses Confidences as Mme Argente
- Thieves After Dark as Genevieve
- The Dog as Simone
1983
- Archipelago of Love as The mother (segment "Remue-ménage")
- At the Top of the Stairs as Mathilde
1982
- Champs-Elysées as Self
1980
- It All Depends on Girls as Betty
- Certaines nouvelles as Hélène
1979
- Tales of the Unexpected as Madame Lagrue
- I've Got You, You've Got Me by the Chin Hairs as Mlle Chagrin
- Démons de midi as Rose
- We Forget Everything! as Madame Courdevey
- Out of Whack as Carmen
- S'il vous plaît... la mer ?
1978
- Ciné regards as Self
- Your Turn, My Turn as Valentine Vatrin
1977
- The Devil in the Box as Madame Aubert
1976
- Nea as Helen Ashby
- La Vie de Marianne as Mme. de Miran
- Don't Bite, We Love You as Psychologist
1975
- Apostrophes as Self
- Midi Première as Self
- Les Rendez-vous du dimanche as Self
- The Broken Mirror as Mother
- The Butcher, the Star and the Orphan as Star Belladonna
1974
- La Gueule de l’emploi as Micheline Presle
- Two Big Girls in Pyjamas as Laurence
1973
- A Slightly Pregnant Man as Dr Delavigne
1972
- Devil in the Brain as Countess Claudia Osio De Blanc
1971
- Samedi soir as Self
- The Legend of Frenchie King as Aunt Amelie
1970
- Donkey Skin as The Red Queen
- Earth Light as L'Antiquaire
- Le Bal du comte d'Orgel as Madame de Séryeuse
1969
- À la recherche de Jean Grémillon as Self
1967
- The Nun as Mme de Moni
1966
- King of Hearts as Madame Eva aka Madame Eglantine
1965
- Les Saintes Chéries as Ève Lagarde
- Hail! Mafia as Daisy
1964
- Male Hunt as Isabelle Lartois
- Dark Purpose as Monique Bouvier
- Les Pieds nickelés as Paméla Van Der Mèche
1963
- The Prize as Denise Marceau
- Teuf-teuf
- The Bamboo Stroke as Angèle Brissac
1962
- Combat! as Annette
- The Seven Deadly Sins as Madame Duparc - la Mère de Bernard (segment "La luxure")
- The Devil and the Ten Commandments as Micheline Allan
- Lust as Madame Duparc - la Mère de Bernard
- Imperial Venus as Josephine
- If a Man Answers as Germaine Stacy
- Law of Men as Sophie Givier
1961
- Seduction Of The South as La marchesa
- The Assassin as Adalgisa De Matteis
- Five Day Lover as Madeleine
- Time Out for Love as Michele
- The Red and the Black as Madame de Rénal
1960
- The Baron of the Locks as Perle Germain-Joubert
- Mistress of the World - Part I as Madame Latour
- Mistress of the World - Part II as Mrs. Latour
- A Mistress for the Summer as Paule
1959
- Bobosse as Régine / Simone
- Blind Date as Jacqueline Cousteau
1958
- Les Cinq Dernières Minutes as Rachelle
- Christine as Baroness Lena Eggersdorf
- Women Are Talkative as Nicole
1957
- Demoniac as Hélène Vanaux
1956
- Her Bridal Night as Judith Aurigault
- Castle of the Banned Lovers as Lucrezia Cenci
1955
- Napoleon as Queen Hortense de Beauharnais
- Thirteen at the Table as Madeleine Villardier
1954
- House of Ricordi as Virginia Marchi
- The Impure Ones as Michèle
1953
- Royal Affairs in Versailles as Mrs. de Pompadour
- It Happened in the Park as Valeria Valenzano (segment "Gli Amanti")
- The Love of a Woman as Marie Prieur
- La Dame aux camélias as Marguerite Gauthier
1951
- Adventures of Captain Fabian as Lea Mariotte
1950
- American Guerrilla in the Philippines as Jeanne Martinez
- Under My Skin as Paule Manet
- The Last Days of Pompeii as Hélène
1949
- All Roads Lead to Rome as Laura Lee
1948
- The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
1947
- Devil in the Flesh as Marthe Grangier
- The Chips Are Down as Eve Charlier
1945
- Paris Frills as Micheline Lafaurie
- Angel and Sinner as Élisabeth Rousset, aka "Boule de suif"
1944
- Twilight as Félicie Nanteuil
1943
- Secrets of a Ballerina as Clara Biondi
- Le soleil a toujours raison as Micheline
1942
- Fantastic Night as Irène
- The Beautiful Adventure as Françoise Pimbrache
1941
- Parade in 7 Nights as Irène Morillon
- Foolish Husbands as Adélaïde Barbier
1940
- They Were Twelve Women as Lucie
- The French Way as Claire Ancelot
- Comedy of Happiness as Lydia
1939
- Four Flights to Love as Janine Mercier / Jeannette Leblan
- Vous seule que j'aime
- Petite peste
- Girls in Distress as Jacqueline Presle
1938
- I Sing as (uncredited)
1937
- The Spanking as (uncredited)