Iconic face of French cinema, actress Claire Maurier has died

Claire Maurier, known for her role as the owner of the café in the movie “Amélie” by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, passed away on Sunday, May 3, at the age of 97.

Born Odette Agramon in 1929 in Ceret (Pyrénées-Orientales), she adopted the stage name Claire Maurier and began her career in theater in the early 1950s while also working in television. She landed small roles in films, including in Edouard Molinaro’s first film “Le Dos au mur” in 1957, with whom she would collaborate on several more movies.

Her career took off in 1959 with the role of Jean-Pierre Léaud’s mother in François Truffaut’s “Les Quatre cents coups,” one of the iconic films of the French New Wave. In 1963, she starred alongside Fernandel and Bourvil in “La cuisine au beurre,” a huge success in French cinema in the early 1960s.

Her career slowed down later, but in the late 1970s, she had a new success with Edouard Molinaro in “La Cage aux folles.” The 1978 comedy was a hit, even internationally, and Maurier played Simone, the ex-partner of Renato Baldi, the owner of a cabaret in Saint-Tropez.

She received a César nomination in 1981 for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in Claude Sautet’s “Un mauvais fils,” alongside Patrick Dewaere and Brigitte Fossey.

Claire Maurier then shifted her focus to theater, starring in plays such as “Un air de famille” by Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri. She also reprised her role as a toxic mother in the film adaptation of the play by Cédric Klapisch, which was a critical and commercial success.

In 2001, Maurier appeared in another cult film, “Amélie,” directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, where she played a former equestrian dancer turned café owner in Montmartre who employs Amélie Poulain.

One of her last film roles was in 2010, playing Gerard Depardieu’s mother in Jean Becker’s “La Tête en friche.” She was married to actor Jean-Renaud Garcia.