French actress Claire Maurier passed away on Sunday at the age of 97, her husband announced on Monday. Born in Céret, this icon of cinema and theater made a lasting impression since 1959 in François Truffaut’s “The 400 Blows.” She was one of the few faces to span the decades, from the success of “La Cuisine au Beurre” to “Amélie” in 2001, accumulating over sixty years of career.
Originally from the Pyrénées-Orientales, she chose the stage name Claire Maurier, starting her career in theater in the early 1950s while also appearing on television. Her breakthrough came in 1959 with a role in “The 400 Blows” by François Truffaut, a landmark of the French New Wave.
Throughout her career, she appeared in successful French films like “La Cuisine au Beurre” in 1963 and “La Cage aux Folles” in 1978. Maurier was nominated for a César Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1981 for her role in “A Bad Son.”
Transitioning to theater in the later years, Maurier starred in critically acclaimed plays like “Un air de famille.” Her role in “The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain” in 2001, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, became a cult classic.
In one of her final film roles in 2010, she played Gérard Depardieu’s mother in “My Afternoons with Margueritte.” Claire Maurier was married to actor Jean-Renaud Garcia.
