The saga of the noble Angelica tied millions of viewers to television screens even in the former Czechoslovakia. French actress this role brought her international fame, but also defined her as an actress for a long time. Michèle Mercier (86), born Jocelyne Yvonne Renée Mercier, was born on January 1, 1939 in Nice.
She began her artistic career as a ballerina at the Opéra de Nice, where she became a soloist. She later moved to Paris, where she danced and studied acting at the same time. She made her film debut in 1957 and gradually appeared in more than 50 films. Her most famous role is the character of Angelica in a series of films such as Angelica, Marquise of Angels (1964) and its sequels.
After the success with Angelika, she tried to expand her acting repertoire. She worked with directors such as François Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Melville and Dino Risi and starred alongside Jean-Paul Belmond, Marcello Mastroianni and Charles Bronson. In the 1970s, she tried to pursue a career in the USA, but without significant success. She later returned to Europe and devoted herself to theater and television
Michèle also published several autobiographies where she tried to separate her personality from the iconic figure. In 2006, she was awarded the title of Knight of the Order of Art and Literature and in 2022 in Cannes they opened a park in her honor. In recent years, however, he has not appeared in public much.
In an interview with in 2012, Mercier returned to a surprising episode in her life – the moment when she in the late 1950s, the Iranian ruler Mohammad Reza Pahlavi himself proposed. As she said at the time, he “stared at her photo” that he saw in the newspaper shortly after their breakup. He arrived in Rome for several weeks and a large reception was held in his honor at the Hotel Excelsior.
When she arrived at the event, the crowd parted in front of her and she walked the long red carpet straight to the monarch. “We talked a bit and he wanted to see me again,” she said. Shortly after, she was invited to a luxurious dinner with the family of the Iranian monarch. “We danced the waltz, and then the young men began placing boxes of various sizes full of incredible jewelry in front of me,” zoomed in. Shah put necklaces on her neck and bracelets on her wrists, to show her what he could offer her.
However, Mercier refused the gifts. “I told him I couldn’t accept them. If I did, it would mean I was marrying him tomorrow.” added. The monarch replied that she should think about it. The actress then openly told him that she is still in love with her first great love – the singer Gianni Esposito, whom she did not marry in the end.
Her first husband was assistant director André Smagghe, to whom she was married for six years. Their divorce in 1967 was allegedly due to the alcohol he had Smagghe to raid. Subsequently fell in love with the racer Claude Bourillotov. However, he disappeared from her life forever after he robbed her. Actor Vittorio Gassman entered her life in the third grade. who was prone to violence and aggression. Although other men also revolved around her, Mercier eventually chose a childless and lonely life.
