Maria Pacôme

Maria Pacôme (; 18 July 1923 – 1 December 2018) was a French actress and playwright.

Biography Born on 18 July 1923 in Paris, Maria Pacôme was the daughter of Maurice Pacôme and Germaine Hivonait. Her father was deported to Buchenwald concentration camp and her brother was shot for being a Communist. When her father came back, Pacôme often found herself defending her mother against her father's violence.

Maria began her higher education at Cours Simon in 1941, when she was 18. She was classmates with Michèle Morgan, Danièle Delorme, and her future spouse, Maurice Ronet. Pacôme married Ronet in 1950. She would set aside her career until their divorce in 1956.

Theatre She began her stage acting career in 1956 with La Reine et les Insurgés, written by Ugo Betti and directed by Michel Vitold. In 1958, she acted in Oscar, written by . She acted alongside Pierre Mondy and Jean-Paul Belmondo in the play. Pacôme also appeared in N'écoutez pas, mesdames ! by Sacha Guitry in 1962, Les Grosses Têtes by Jean Poiret and Michel Serrault in 1969, and Joyeuses Pâques by Poiret in 1981.

Movies Pacôme's first appearance on the big screen came in 1959 with Voulez-vous danser avec moi ? (Come Dance with Me), directed by Michel Boisrond. She later took on numerous supporting roles, most notably in The Troops of St. Tropez, Up to His Ears, and Le Distrait. Afterwards, she achieved leading roles in La situation est grave… mais pas désespérée by Jacques Besnard, Les Sous-doués by Claude Zidi, and The Crisis (La Crise) by Coline Serreau.

Author and Playwright Pacôme wrote seven plays: Apprends-moi Céline, Le Jardin d'Éponine, On m'appelle Émilie, Les Seins de Lola, Et moi et moi, Les Désarrois de Gilda Rumeur, and L'Éloge de ma paresse.

She wrote her memoirs, titled Maria sans Pacôme, in 2007.

Television Pacôme appeared in several TV movies, most notably starring in Docteur Sylvestre.

In 2006, she played the role of Hortense Bertin in the drama Les Secrets du volcan, directed by Michaëla Watteaux.

In 2011, she was the voice actor for the character "Granny" in the movie Titeuf.

Death

Maria Pacôme died on 1 December 2018 in Ballainvilliers, France following a tumor near the amygdala.

Her burial at the Père Lachaise Cemetery on 10 December 2018 was attended by celebrities such as Daniel Auteuil and Bernard Le Coq.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes1959 Come Dance with Me Daisy 1960 The Love Game Une cliente 1961 Le Tracassin Madame Gonzalès 1962 Un clair de lune à Maubeuge La journaliste 1964 Constance aux enfers Marie-Cecile 1964 Rien ne va plus La comtesse 1964 Une souris chez les hommes Tante Emma 1964 Que personne ne sorte Pauline – la cuisinière 1964 The Troops of St. Tropez Mme Lareine Leroy 1964 The Gorillas Josépha Dépelouze 1965 Up to His Ears Suzy Ponchabert 1966 Les combinards Lucienne 1966 Tender Scoundrel Germaine 1968 A Strange Kind of Colonel Aurélia 1969 La maison de campagne Véronique 1970 Distracted Glycia Malaquet 1974 Bons baisers... à lundi Myrette 1975 Pas de problème! Madame Michalon 1976 La situation est grave... mais pas désespérée Vicomtesse Sophie de Valrude 1976 Silence... on tourne La mère d'Elisabeth 1977 Le dernier baiser L'inconnue 1980 Les sous-doués Lucie Jumaucourt 1992 La Crise Mme Barelle 1996 Le bel été 1914 Maria 1997 Une femme très très très amoureuse Emma 2003 Mauvais esprit Belle-maman 2011 Titeuf Mémé Voice2012 Arrête de pleurer Pénélope Lise (final film role)