PISIER, MARIEFRANCE

(1944-)

Actress, director, and screen-writer. Marie-France Pisier was born in Dalat, Vietnam, which was then part of French Indochina, where her father was a colonial official. She moved to Paris with her family at the age of twelve and subsequently studied law and political science. She first ventured into cinema at the age of seventeen opposite Jean-Pierre Léaud inFrançois Truffaut's sketch "Antoine et Colette" for the filmL'Amour à vingt ans(1962). She later played leading roles alongside actor and director Robert Hossein in three of his films:La Mort d'un tuer(1963),Les Yeux cernés(1964), andLe Vampire de Dùsseldorf(1965).

Pisier worked for some of France's most acclaimedauteurs, among themAlain Robbe-GrilletinTrans-Europ-Express(1966), Truffaut inBaisers volés(1968),Jacques RivetteinCéline et Julie vont en bateau(1974), andAndré TéchinéinSouvenirs d'en France(1975),Pauline s'en va(1975),Barocco(1976), andLes Soeurs Brontë(1979).Pisier costarred in Truffaut's last Antoine Doinel film,L'Amour en fuite(1979). In the 1970s she expanded her filmmaking career to include screenwriting. She went on to work on the scripts ofJacques Rivette'sCéline et Julie vont en bateau(1974) and Truffaut'sL 'Amour en fuite(1979).

In the meantime, Pisier's acting career remained her mainstay. She won her first César for Best Supporting Actress inJean-Charles Tachella'sCousin,Cousine(1976) and a second César for Best Supporting Actress inBarocco(1977). In the late 1970s, she entered English-language cinema with the leading role in Charles Jarrott'sThe Other Side of Midnight(1977). She also played in the French and English film,French Postcards(1979), directed by Willard Huyck. She costarred withNouvelle Vagueor New Wave iconJean-Paul BelmondoinHenri Verneuil'sLe Corps de mon ennemi(1976) and in Gérard Oury's very successful adventure film,L'As des as(1982).

In the early 1980s, Pisier maintained a strong international presence. She landed a leading role inFrancis Girod'sLa Banquière(1980), starred in Hungarian director George Kaczender's AnglophoneChanel solitaire(1981), acted in Moroccan director Moumen Smihi's44 ou les Récits de la nuit(1981), played in American director Paul Williams'sMiss Right(1982), costarred in German director Hans Geissendorfer'sDer Zauberberg(1982), acted inRoger Vadim'sThe Hot Touch(1982), and played a key role inYves Boisset'sLe Prix du danger(1982).

Pisier also wrote several novels, one of which,Le Bal du gouverneur, she adapted for the screen in 1990.Le Bal du gouverneur(1990) also marked Pisier's debut as a director. Like directorClaire Denis, Pisier built on her experiences in France's former colonies. Her second film wasComme un avion(2002), in which she also stars. Pisier continues to act in films, among them Raoul Ruiz'sLe Temps retrouvé(1999), Yamina Benguigui'sInch'Allah Dimanche(2001), Laurence Ferreira Barbosa'sOrdo(2003), and Christophe Honoré'sDans Paris(2006).