Mylène Demongeot
So after a little June
11 poll, Mylène Demongeot has
been declared our winner. Rest assured that Michèle Mercier will
not be forgotten, one of the reason being that we need more redheads!
We also need more blondes, so why not invited Mylène along for
a little nostalgic ride? Sometimes compared to Brigitte Bardot, Ms. Demongeot
has carved her own path along the way, not satisfied to merely being
viewed as a sex kitten. She has been active on the international scene,
making her a familiar name around the world. These days, her official
site is up and running and you won’t believe how good she still
looks.
Born in 1935, 1936 or 1938? Not sure, but who cares? What is official is the day: September 29. Starting life as Marie-Hélène Demongeot, she was still a wee girl when one of her eye began to display a little squint, to the cruel amusement of other children, so she began to wear glasses very young. Living in Paris during WWII, she found it a traumatic experience to witness all these German soldiers around…. but soon enough, American soldiers giving her chocolate were more than welcome!
After the war, Mylène became a regular at the Opera, alongside
her father. The acting bug is thusly implanted, as she bega to go to
the movies as many times as physically possible, becoming a big fan of
Deana Durbin, among others. But she’s still considered an ugly
duckling, not very inspired by classical studies. Remaining an art fan,
piano lessons are enjoyed. Still, there is school trouble for bad behavior.
In her late teens, she can finally be operated on for her funny eye.
This changes all: finally able to look into the eyes of others, she blooms
into a beautiful girl and enjoys her first date.
Soon after, she’s discovered right on the street, being offered to be a model right there on the spot. And this is the real start, soon employed for ads, beauty shots, etc. Logically, drama courses are scheduled next. She makes her film debut in 1953 for Les enfants de l’amour, followed by some silly comedies. For Les sorcières de Salem in 1957, she gives quite an impression, playing a seductive little minx alongside Yves Montant. At that point, her measurements were 36"-21"-36" and her height 5' 7¼", so everything was going very well. Equally at ease in comedy or drama, Mylène became know to play manipulative seductresses, in any time period. She married photographer Henri Coste in 1958, an union that would last ten years.
She began an international career, mainly alongside David Niven in Bonjour
Tristesse, no small feat. Mylène was quite a sight to behold in
a couple of peplum films, starring with Steve Reeves in The
Giant of Marathon and Roger Moore in Romulus
and the Sabines. Another popular
role was as Milady de Winter in a 1961 adaptation of the Three
Musketeers.
All that gave her the status of top European sex-symbol, but here was
not your typical dumb blonde.
She took part of the Fantomas series, playing in all three episodes, which enjoyed world-wide success. A second wedding to director Marc Simenon occured in 1968, and they will collaborate together on films in the upcoming years. Mylène would work in Québec in the early seventies, appearing in hits like Quelques arpents de neige. Things would slow down some time later, as her new image of wise madam began to emerge, still seductive, still one step ahead of everyone. She also began to produce more and enjoyed a successfull writing career, with many theater projects. Simenon died accidentaly in 1999.
She
was named Commander in the Order of Arts and Letters for her achievements
in acting. Mylène Demongeot is also, like her good friend Brigitte
Bardot, an ardent animal activist. It’s interesting to note that
an actress that started in sexy roles could become involved in more experimental
cinema, and actually got nominated for two César as Best Supporting
Actress. A very impressive career for this talented lady, who learned
how to impose herself in a business where you've got to constantly reinvent
yourself to still gain the favor of the public eye.
