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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 60)
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, whose 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 Tobe Hooper science fiction/horror-film Lifeforce (1985), in which she is naked for most of her performance. 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; the story was presented by movement, music, and sound. May said of the show:

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
Les Rois du gag Alexandra Claude Zidi
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 La passerelle Cora Elbaz Jean-Claude Sussfeld
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 Tit and the Moon Estrellita Bigas Luna
1996 Celluloide Cameo Carlo Lizzani
1997 The Jackal Isabella Zanconia Michael Caton-Jones
1999 Entrevue Alix Marie-Pierre Huster Short
2000 Là-bas... mon pays Nelly Azera Alexandre Arcady
2004 Love Express Anne-Charlotte Elena Hazanov
2007 New délire Fanny's voice Éric Le Roch
A Girl Cut in Two Capucine Jamet Claude Chabrol (2)
2012 The Players Ariane Jean Dujardin
2019 Je ne rêve que de vous Cora Madou Laurent Heynemann
2021 Le Chemin du bonheur Sarah Glücksmann Nicolas Steil

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1985 Giorno dopo giorno TV series
1986 Les louves Agnès Miniseries
Se un giorno busserai alla mia porta TV film
1988 The Secret of the Sahara Myriam Miniseries
Piazza Navona Jeanne Episode 6
L'heure Simenon Edmée Episode 10
1994 The Whipping Boy Betsy TV film
1996 Noces cruelles Sandra
La ferme du crocodile Sandrine Jaussier
1998 Only Love Silvia Rinaldi
2000 Les redoutables Military woman Episode 6
2001 De toute urgence Julie TV film
Caméra Café The Boss's wife 1 episode
2002 Fabio Montale Hélène Pessayre 2 episodes
Perlasca – Un eroe Italiano Contessa Eleonora TV film
2003 Soyez prudents...
Soraya
2005 L'homme pressé Irène Debord
L'homme qui voulait passer à la télé Mélanie
2009 Au siècle de Maupassant Thérèse de Marsanne 1 episode
2010 Les nuits d'Alice Angélique TV film
2011 Une vie française Anna Blick
2012 Clash Laure Rossignol 3 episodes
2013 La croisière Françoise 1 episode
Délit de fuite Cécile TV film
2014 Crossing Lines Audrey St. Marie 1 episode
2015 On se retrouvera Hélène Janson TV film
2016 Mystère à l'Opéra Éva Fontaine
2018 Access Valérie Couderq 11 episodes
2020 Coup de foudre à Bangkok Sandrine Lafore TV film
2023 Daron Coco

Video Games

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Year Title Notes
1996 Privateer 2: The Darkening Melissa Banks

Awards and accolades

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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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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mathilda May.
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