The world of cinema is in mourning. The actress Claire Maurier died this Sunday, May 3, 2026 at the age of 97, her husband announcedAFP. A fan of supporting roles, Claire Maurier has spent more than seven decades in cinema, theater and television, establishing herself as an essential figure in the seventh art. Born Odette Agramon in 1929 in Céret (Pyrénées-Orientales), she chose the stage name Claire Maurier and began her career in the theater at the beginning of the 1950s while filming for television.
In 1950, she entered the world of cinema through the big door by filming with François Truffaut. Under the direction of the filmmaker, she plays Gilberte Doinel, the fickle and complex mother of Antoine Doinel in The Four Hundred Blowsone of the most emblematic films of the New Wave.
An actress who navigated between auteur cinema and popular films
If Truffaut offered her her first major role, Claire Maurier also chose to act in popular comedies. In 1963, she played opposite Fernandel and Bourvil in Cooking with buttera phenomenal success of French cinema in the early 1960s. In 1971, we found her alongside the illustrious Louis de Funès in Jo. In the 1980s, she reached heights thanks to her role as Madeleine in The Crazy Cagewhich remained engraved in the memories.
This comedy released in 1978, adapted from a play, was a hit even abroad, and particularly in the United States. In 1981, she received a nomination for the César for best actress in a supporting role. for his role in A bad son by Claude Sautet, alongside Patrick Dewaere and Brigitte Fossey.
The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain
After a break to devote herself to theater, where she played in particular in A family resemblancethe play written by Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri, we find it in 2001 in The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulaindirected by Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
She plays a former equestrian dancer who has become a café owner in Montmartre who employs Amélie Poulain, played by Audrey Tautou. This role thus allowed a new generation of spectators to discover Claire Maurier. One of his last roles dates back to 2010, in the film La Tête en friche by Jean Becker, in which she responded to Gérard Depardieu. An admirable career.
