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Mathilda May

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Mathilda May
May in 2010
Born
Karin Haïm

(1965-02-08) 8 February 1965 (age 59)
Paris, France
EducationConservatoire de Paris
Years active1984–present
Spouses
  • Paul Powell
    ​
    (m. 1991⁠–⁠1993)​
  • ​
    (m. 1994⁠–⁠1999)​
  • Philippe Kelly
    ​
    (m. 2000⁠–⁠2006)​
  • Sly Johnson[1]
Children2
FatherVictor Haïm

Mathilda May (born Karin Haïm;[2] 8 February 1965) is a French film actress and director. Her most well-known roles include portraying Space Girl in Lifeforce (1985) and Jeanne Gardella in Toutes peines confondues (1992).

Her father is Victor Haïm (born Victor Lévy) the French playwright, actor, screenwriter, director and drama teacher, of whom his works have been translated and performed in several countries.

Early life

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May was born in Paris, France. Her father, playwright,[3] screenwriter, and actor Victor Haïm, is of Sephardic Jewish (Greek and Turkish) descent. Her mother is the Swedish ballet teacher and choreographer Margareta Hanson.[4] She studied under Christiane Vaussard at the Conservatoire de Paris, graduating at age 16.[5]

Career

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May's film work is primarily in French and made for the European market; she was the recipient of the César Award for Most Promising Actress in 1988[6] and the Prix Romy Schneider in 1989. Non-French films she has appeared in include Naked Tango (1990), Becoming Colette (1991) and The Tit and the Moon (1994). In the United States, she is best known for her role as an alien vampire in the science fiction-horror film Lifeforce (1985), directed by Tobe Hooper. She also appeared in the 1996 space adventure game Privateer 2: The Darkening. She played Isabella in The Jackal, a 1997 action film.

May recorded an album in 1992 called Joy of Love.[7][8]

May was the writer and director for the theater show Open Space, which was performed in the Théâtre Jean-Vilar in the commune of Suresnes, the Théâtre du Rond-Point, and the Théâtre de Paris from 2013 to 2015.[9][10][11] Open Space was a show without words and the story was presented by movement, music, and sound. May described the show as:

It will be choreographed without it being dance, and musical without an instrument.[12]

Personal life

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May has been married four times. Her first husband was Paul Powell. Her second husband was Gérard Darmon, with whom she has two children, daughter Sarah (born 17 August 1994) and son Jules (born 4 March 1997). Her third husband was Philippe Kelly. Her fourth husband was Sly Johnson.

Filmography

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Year Title Role Director Notes
1984 Nemo Alice Arnaud Sélignac
1985 Lifeforce Space Girl Tobe Hooper
Giorno dopo giorno Salvatore Nocita TV series
Les Rois du gag Alexandra Claude Zidi
1986 Les louves Agnès Peter Duffell TV film
Se un giorno busserai alla mia porta Claudia Bandini Luigi Perelli TV miniseries
1987 La vie dissolue de Gérard Floque Pauline Georges Lautner
The Cry of the Owl Juliette Claude Chabrol César Award for Most Promising Actress
1988 The Secret of the Sahara Myriam Alberto Negrin TV miniseries
La passerelle Cora Elbaz Jean-Claude Sussfeld
Piazza Navona Jeanne Roger Guillot TV series (Episode 6)
L'heure Simenon Edmée Josef Rusnak TV series (Episode 10)
Three Seats for the 26th Marion Jacques Demy
1990 Naked Tango Alba/Stéphanie Leonard Schrader
1991 Isabelle Eberhardt Isabelle Eberhardt Ian Pringle
Scream of Stone Katharina Werner Herzog
Becoming Colette Sidonie Gabrielle Colette Danny Huston
1992 Toutes peines confondues Jeanne Gardella Michel Deville
1994 Le voleur et la menteuse Suzanne Henson Paul Boujenah
Dead Tired Herself Michel Blanc
The Whipping Boy Betsy Syd Macartney TV film
The Tit and the Moon Estrellita Bigas Luna
1996 Celluloide Cameo Carlo Lizzani
Noces cruelles Sandra Bertrand Van Effenterre TV film
La ferme du crocodile Sandrine Jaussier Didier Albert TV film
Privateer 2: The Darkening Melissa Banks Steve Hilliker
Erin Roberts 		Video game
1997 The Jackal Isabella Zanconia Michael Caton-Jones
1998 Only Love Silvia Rinaldi John Erman TV film
1999 Entrevue Alix Marie-Pierre Huster Short
2000 Là-bas... mon pays Nelly Azera Alexandre Arcady
Les redoutables Military woman Thierry Barthes
Pierre Jamin 		TV series (Episode 6)
2001 De toute urgence Julie Philippe Triboit TV film
Caméra Café The Boss's wife TV series (Season 1, Episode 43)
2002 Fabio Montale Hélène Pessayre José Pinheiro TV miniseries (Episodes 2–3)
Perlasca – Un eroe Italiano Contessa Eleonora Alberto Negrin (2) TV film
2003 Soyez prudents... Lionel Gédébé TV series
Soraya [it] Shams Pahlavi Lodovico Gasparini TV film
2004 Love Express Anne-Charlotte Elena Hazanov
2005 L'homme pressé Irène Debord Sébastien Grall TV film
L'homme qui voulait passer à la télé Mélanie Amar Arhab
Fabrice Michelin 		TV film
2007 New délire Fanny's voice Éric Le Roch
A Girl Cut in Two Capucine Jamet Claude Chabrol (2)
2009 Au siècle de Maupassant Thérèse de Marsanne Gérard Jourd'hui TV series (Season 2, Episode 2)
2010 Les nuits d'Alice Angélique Williams Crépin TV film
2011 Une vie française Anna Blick Jean-Pierre Sinapi TV film
2012 The Players Ariane Jean Dujardin
Clash Laure Rossignol Pascal Lahmani TV series (Episodes 1, 5–6)
2013 La croisière Françoise Pascal Lahmani (2) TV series (Episode 6)
Délit de fuite Cécile Thierry Binisti TV film
2014 Crossing Lines Audrey St. Marie Stephen Woolfenden TV series (Season 2, Episode 9)
2015 On se retrouvera Hélène Janson Joyce Buñuel TV film
2016 Mystère à l'Opéra Éva Fontaine Léa Fazer TV film
2018 Access Valérie Couderq Varante Soudjian
Frédéric Scotlande 		TV series (Episodes 1–6, 8–12)
2019 Je ne rêve que de vous Cora Madou Laurent Heynemann
2020 Coup de foudre à Bangkok Sandrine Lafore Chris Briant TV film
2021 Le Chemin du bonheur Sarah Glücksmann Nicolas Steil
2023 Daron Coco Frank Bellocq TV series

Award and accolades

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  • The César Award (the national film award of France): 1988 Best Young Female Newcomer for The Cry of the Owl

References

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  1. ^ Ouadhi, Sonia (8 February 2022). "Mathilda May fête ses 57 ans : qui est son compagnon le chanteur Sly Johnson ?". Voici (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  2. ^ May, Mathilda (2018). "Prologue". V.O. (in French). Paris: Éditions Plon. ISBN 978-2-259-26450-1.
  3. ^ C.R.I.S, Association. "Actualités de Victor Haïm, actualités, textes, spectacles, vidéos, tous ses liens avec la scène - theatre-contemporain.net". theatre-contemporain.net (in French).
  4. ^ Gurtler, Matthias; Simon-Michel, Joséphine (15 January 2008). "CV de stars: Mathilda May". VSD (in French). Archived from the original on 1 March 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Mathilda May : "je renoue avec moi-même"". Danser canal historique (in French). 29 January 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  6. ^ "The Cry of the Owl (translated from French)".
  7. ^ "Mathilda May – Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Mathilda May – Mathilda May". Discogs. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  9. ^ Blanchard, Sandrine (16 October 2013). "La petite entreprise de Mathilda May". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  10. ^ Patricelli, Sonia (9 June 2015). "Mathilda May, dans l'enfer de l'open space". France 24 (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  11. ^ "A ne pas rater : Open Space, le spectacle burlesque mis en scène par Mathilda May". Paris Select Book (in French). 24 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Open Space". Théâtre de Suresnes Jean Vilar (in French). 10 October 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  13. ^ "Le Banquet - Théâtre de Paris | THEATREonline". www.theatreonline.com. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  14. ^ Palmares 1987 - 2023.docx (lesmolieres.com)
  15. ^ "La SACD dévoile les 35 lauréats des Prix SACD 2020". SACD (in French). 12 June 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2024.

Further reading

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