Claire Maurier

Odette-Michelle-Suzanne Agramon (27 March 1929 – 3 May 2026), known professionally as Claire Maurier, was a French actress who appeared in more than 90 films between 1947 and 2013.

Life and career Maurier was born Odette-Michelle-Suzanne Agramon on 27 March 1929 in the commune of Céret, in the Pyrénées-Orientales region, which is in the southwest of France.

Maurier started her acting career in small film roles at the end of the 1940s. Her first main role came when she portrayed Gilberte Doinel, the mother of the main character in François Truffaut's 1959 film The 400 Blows. Another notable early role of hers was as Christiane Colombey, the bigamist wife of the main character in the 1963 film La Cuisine au beurre.

In 1978, Maurier had a notable role in Édouard Molinaro's film La Cage aux Folles as Simone. In 1981, she was nominated the César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for A Bad Son. She played Madeleine, a seductive older woman.

In 2001, Maurier gained international recognition when she starred as Mme. Suzanne, the owner of the Café des 2 Moulins, the Montmartre bistro where the titular character Amélie Poulain works as a waitress in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amélie (Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain).

Filmography

Theatre Year Title Author Director Notes 1952 Sans cérémonie Jacques Vilfrid & Jean Girault Pierre Mondy 1954 Lysistrata Aristophanes & Maurice Donnay Raymond Hermantier 1955 Elle est folle, Carole Jean de Létraz Simone de Létraz 1956 Virginie Michel André Christian-Gérard 1957 Le monsieur qui a perdu ses clefs Michel Perrin Raymond Gérôme 1959 De sept heures à sept heures , Philippe Georges & R. C. Sherriff 1960 Le Comportement des époux Bredburry François Billetdoux François Billetdoux 1962 Château en Suède Françoise Sagan André Barsacq 1968 La brune que voilà Robert Lamoureux Robert Lamoureux 1969 Cash-Cash Anthony Marriott & Alistair Foot Michel Vocoret 1970 Une poignée d'orties Marc-Gilbert Sauvajon Jacques-Henri Duval 1971 Sweet Bird of Youth Tennessee Williams André Barsacq (2) 1972 Duos sur canapé Marc Camoletti Marc Camoletti 1976 Le coeur sous le paillasson Kay Bannerman & Harold Brooke Jean-Luc Moreau 1978 Les Filles Jean Marsan Jean Marsan 1979 C'est à c't'heure ci que tu rentres ? Michel Fermaud Jean-Luc Moreau (2) 1981 L'amant de Bornéo Roger Ferdinand & José Germain José Germain 1981–84 La vie est trop courte André Roussin Michel Fagadau 1985–86 La Berlue Jean-Jacques Bricaire & René Clermont 1990–92 Steel Magnolias Robert Harling Stéphane Hillel 1992 Marie Tudor Victor Hugo Jean-Renaud Garcia 1993 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Tennessee Williams Michel Fagadau (2) 1994 Family Resemblances Jean-Pierre Bacri & Agnès Jaoui Nominated - Molière Award for Best Supporting Actress 2004 Crise de mères Martial Courcier Éric Le Roch 2006–08 Toc toc Laurent Baffie Laurent Baffie