Gisèle Casadesus
Birth : 1914-06-14, Paris, France
Death : 2017-09-24
History
Gisèle Casadesus (14 June 1914 – 24 September 2017) was a French actress, who appeared in numerous theatre and film productions. She was an honorary member of the Sociétaires of the Comédie-Française, Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor, Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and Grand-Croix of the National Order of Merit. In a career spanning more than 80 years, Casadesus appeared in more than a dozen films after turning 90.
Born into a family of artists in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, Gisèle was the daughter of musician, composer and conductor Henri Casadesus and harpist Marie-Louise Beetz, her older brother was actor Christian Casadesus. After receiving first prize in acting at French National Academy of Dramatic Arts at the age of twenty, Casadeus joined the Comédie-Française in 1934. The same year, she married the actor Lucien Pascal (born Lucien Probst), with whom she had four children: Jean-Claude (1935), Martine (1939), Béatrice (1942) and Dominique (1954), all artists. She became the 400th member of the Comédie-Française 1 January 1939, and honorary member on 15 April 1967.
In cinema, Pierre Billon hired her in 1943 to play the role of Clotilde Grandlieus in Vautrin, adapted from Balzac's novel, alongside Michel Simon, and in 1946 for the role of Mary in L'Homme au chapeau rond, alongside Raimu.
In 1971 she was Countess Eguzon in La Belle Aventure, participated in Le Mouton enragé by Michel Deville, played the role of Nicole Leguen, wife of Jean Gabin in Verdict (1974) by André Cayatte, and the mother of Claude Jade in Les Robots pensants (1976).
Again with Claude Jade, she was Mamie Rose (1976), the "grand-mère au pair" in the film by Pierre Goutas, her greatest role. It is followed by her Catherine in Un crime de notre temps (1977) by Gabriel Axel. Claude Lelouch engaged her in 1996 for the role of Clara Blanc, mother of Bernard Tapie, in Hommes, femmes, mode d'emploi. In Aïe (2000), she is the mother of André Dussollier, and in Valérie Lemercier's comedy Palais Royal (2005) she plays the queen mother. She was Margueritte ("with two ts") alongside Gérard Depardieu in Jean Becker's My Afternoons with Margueritte (2010).
In 2013, aged 99, Casadesus acted alongside Anne Consigny and Marie Kremer in Sous le figuier directed by Anne-Marie Étienne. Casadesus was awarded Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour on 29 March 2013.
She was also an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and Grand-Croix of the National Order of Merit. She received an Honorary Molière Award in 2003 for her entire career.
Casadesus died in Paris, France, at the age of 103.
Source: Article "Gisèle Casadesus" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Self
Françoise
It sometimes takes little to spoil a weekend in the country. A simple misunderstanding in a supermarket parking lot, a bad reaction, and there you go, everything is awry. Nothing is going well for Christine. Jean leaves her. Her oldest friends, Sylvette and Ulrich, are no longer such good friends. Everything is falling apart at the seams. But life is always full of surprises.
Selma
Nathalie, Christophe and Joëlle are in the midst of an existential crisis. Brought together by Selma, 95 and seriously ill, they will spend a memorable summer on the banks of the Moselle. How ironic that the one whom they had intended to help to die should help them to live...
Madeleine, the 100 years old fiancée
The great restaurant reopens with new extravagent costumers and the same beloved manager.
Mamé Tezac
On the night of 16 July 1942, ten year old Sarah and her parents are being arrested and transported to the Velodrome d'Hiver in Paris where thousands of other jews are being sent to get deported. Sarah however managed to lock her little brother in a closet just before the police entered their apartment. Sixty years later, Julia Jarmond, an American journalist in Paris, gets the assignment to write an article about this raid, a black page in the history of France. She starts digging archives and through Sarah's file discovers a well kept secret about her own in-laws.
Ilva (95 ans)
A theater projectionist's daughter is involved in the Resistance in WWII, but she doesn’t share his political involvement & only believes in passion. She follows the men she loves unconditionally, suffering betrayal and hardship.
Margueritte
An illiterate and lonely man bonds with an older and well-read woman.
Mrs. de Broglie
Paloma is a serious and highly articulate but deeply bored 11-year-old who has decided to kill herself on her 12th birthday. Fascinated by art and philosophy, she questions and documents her life and immediate circle, drawing trenchant and often hilarious observations on the world around her. But as her appointment with death approaches, Paloma finally meets some kindred spirits in her building's grumpy janitor and an enigmatic, elegant neighbor, both of whom inspire Paloma to question her rather pessimistic outlook on life.
Mme Malakian
The Malakian clan, a family of ruthless gangsters, controls the underworld of Southern France. At its head, the violent godfather Milo Malakian rules his world with an iron fist. His son and heir, Anton, dreams of breaking free and making his own choices. But the gang's inner circle is engraved in blood. To escape, not only does Anton have to counter his own destiny, but also the man who has sworn to bring his father down.
Clémence
After the Liberation of France during the World War II, ten former Resistant fighters meet again during a dinner organized by Marie-Octobre...
Alma
Eugenia is the queen of an imaginary European country. When her husband dies, quite unexpectedly, the country is left without a king. According to the law, the new king needs to be married so that leaves out the eldest son. Her youngest son, Prince Arnaud is married to the lovely Armelle and they have two young children. They become the future rulers of the kingdom.
la dame
An unexpected phone call from a certain Kirsch sets off a crisis between Catherine and Raphaël that will affect all those around them, be they close friends or casual acquaintances.
Robert's mother
A chance meeting with Aie, a waitress with a strange name, will drive a 50 year old neurotic man, Robert, crazy.
Mrs. Mercier
The film is set in Marais, a quiet region along the banks of Loire river in 1918. Riton is afflicted with a bad-tempered wife and three unruly children. Garris lives alone with his recollections of World War I trenches. Their daily life consists of seasonal work and visits from their two pals: Tane, the local train conductor and Amédée, a dreamer and voracious reader of classics.
Mademoiselle de Chambure
Laurence is 30 years old, has a loving husband and an exciting job. But her happiness is not complete because, despite numerous attempts, she is unable to have a child. Weakened by a miscarriage, her hope is reborn the day she meets Edith, a former nurse who has developed a personal method of care based on energy control. Thanks to Edith, Laurence regains her health and finally becomes pregnant. But there is a price to pay.
Clara Blanc
Benoit Blanc loves living, he loves women, he loves daring. He is a famous businessman who suffers from stomach-ache. Fabiolini, a would-be actor, is a policeman and he too suffers from the same sickness. The two man face suffering in opposite ways: Benoit Blanc is optimistic while Fabiolini, always unsure of himself, is persuaded he is seriously ill. The two men meet by chance while doing a gastroscopy and become friends. After having known their real different conditions, they will change and will understand better their lives. Around them, other people, women and men, will see their lives changed, by chance, by love or solely by the life stream.
Grand-mère
Every year, the whole gather in the French region of Auvergne's home. During this 1944 summer, Louis falls in love with his cousin Laurence. The arrival of a British skydiver, Jack, will completely upset Laurence. Louis, jealous like crazy, will betray the skydiver who will die in front of his eyes. But his cousin François-Xavier has also seen what happened.
Nemo
An insurance investigator is visiting Paris on assignment. He is soon made the object of a seduction bet amongst three ladies. Problems arise when the girls realize they are really falling for him.
Mme Vanderwood
A young pianist is shocked when she witnesses a strange chess tournament with a robot. Could there be a gruesome secret behind this exhibition?
Mlle Salomon de Villenoix
Father Birotteau and Father Troubert, both of whom are priests at Tours, have separate lodgings in the house belonging to the crabby spinster Sophie Gamard in that city. Birotteau is an other-worldly, gentle, introspective type; Troubert, who is ten years younger than his fellow boarder, is very much of the world: he is a careerist devoured by ambition.
Catherine Revest
Gabriel Axel's penetrating study of the aftermath of a crime. Bernard and Catherine lead a quiet life in retirement, enjoying their occasional sorties to the theatre or the cinema. One night, coming home on the Metro, they are jostled and jeered by a group of young hooligans who follow them out on to the street. Catherine dies. And Bernard, left alone, begins to question all the values he had previously taken for granted.
Le sénateur
Ludovique wanted to spend her holidays with her husband Jean,alone together. But she will have to stand her whole family and relations.
Marquise de Lapalmmes
A virtuous young woman becomes the target of the schemes of an amoral womanizer who is in the habit of wooing women and killing their lovers and husbands in duels. When she finally succumbs to him, she discovers his true nature, and her newly awakened joy in passion turns to dust.
Rose
Madame Leguen
A desperate woman, whose son is on trial for murder, blackmails the judge and kidnaps his wife.
Mrs. Lourceuil
Nicolas Mallet, an inconspicuous and shy bank employee, one day successfully invites Marie-Paul, a young woman he hadn’t known before, in the streets of Paris to a café and sleeps with her the next day. When he tells his surprised friend Claude about the incident, the disillusioned and handicapped writer starts to guide him, leading Nicolas on a dazzling social ascent.
La seconde cliente de Karma
Jeanne, Comtesse de Penthièvre
A chronicle of the life of Bertrand du Guesclin, grand officer of the French army in the 14th century.
Florence
Between eleven o’clock and midnight one evening, a notorious trafficker Jérôme Vidauban is shot whilst walking in a tunnel in Paris. The case is assigned to Inspector Carrel, who is Vidauban’s perfect double. Using his resemblance to the arch criminal, Carrel manages to infiltrate in Vidauban’s circle of acquaintances and contacts. He becomes embroiled in a bizarre web of intrigue and discovers no shortage of possible murder suspects, all of whom appear to be surprised to see him still alive.
Simone Fournier
Jacques Audoin falls in love with a pianist, Evelyne Clery, and marries her. In reality, he had wanted to approach her, because he imagined that she had witnessed the murder of the lover of his first wife. Evelyne learns what has happened and, revolted by what she thinks is her husband's plot, commits suicide. Jacques confesses his crime.
Geneviève de Cerlin
On his way to Paris, Casanova keeps on collecting female conquests, does not shy away from duels and gets into many a colorful adventure. Once in the capital, the fearless knight saves the honor of a great lady, conquers the niece of his implacable enemy but courts disaster for love of Coraline, a faithless opera dancer.
Marie
An adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "Le Eternel Mari", a somber story of marital infidelity, revenge and near madness, and starring Raimu in his last film appearance.
Joséphine de Beauharnais
During the Directory, a handful of royalists tried to get the Dauphin Louis XVII to escape from the Temple.
Nadine
A sporty and chivalrous young man creates, with some comrades, a society whose goal is to protect honest people against rogues. He finds himself thrown into unforeseen adventures, at the end of which he will discover love.
Germaine Horp
A child is rejected by his father and sister when his mother dies giving birth to him. The family is falling apart; the father takes to drinking, the child is placed with a nurse. However, the little girl will take the initiative to bring the child back to the family home which she decides to take care of, thus encouraging the father to change his behavior.
Clotilde de Grandlieu
A famous convict Jacques Collin, alias Trompe la mort, or abbot Carlos Herrera, also called Vautrin, escapes from prison. Chance makes him meet Lucien de Rubempré, an impetuous and eternal lover who, when he is dismissed, collapses. Moved by this fragility, he takes him under his wing, and will do everything possible to ensure that his creature reaches happiness, even if it means imagining the worst shenanigans and other scams, with the help of a band of clever villains.
Geneviève
A scandalised Frenchman returns from Africa where he has been involved in illegal trading of mines (resulting in the deaths of many African miners). His bourgeois family are wary of the shame that he will bring so he must try to redeem himself and his family's name.
