Robert Bresson (REALISATEURS DE CINEMA)
49 Quai de Bourbon, 75004 Paris, France

Robert Bresson is among the most highly regarded filmmakers of all time. His works Un condamné à mort s’est échappé (1956), Pickpocket (1959) and Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) are ranked amongst the best films in cinema history. Jean-Luc Godard once wrote, “He is the French cinema, as Dostoevsky is the Russian novel and Mozart is German music.” He pursued a painting career until 1933, when he wrote his first screenplay. In 1943 he directed his first feature, Les Anges du péché. He went on to develop a spare, minimalist style that made a notable contribution to the art of cinema. He filmed entirely on location, using natural sounds rather than post production scores. He also refused to work with professional actors, preferring amateurs. He directed thirteen feature films and wrote an important essay on cinema entitled Notes sur le cinématographe. He notably received the prize for directing at the Cannes Festival in 1957 for Un condamné à mort s’est échappé, the Grand prize for creation in 1983 for L’Argent, the jury prize in 1962 for Procès de Jeanne d’Arc, the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for Le Diable probablement in 1977, and the Lion of Honor for Career in 1989 at the Venice Film Festival.

Michele Mercier (COMEDIENNES)
45 Quai de Bourbon, 75004 Paris, France

At the age of 15, actress, dancer and singer Michele Mercier made her cinematic debut alongside Maurice Chevalier in J’avais sept filles. She acted in around fifty films, where her partners included Marcello Mastroianni, Vittorio Gassman, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Gabin, Charles Aznavour, Robert Hossein, Charles Bronson, Tony Curtis and Charlton Heston. Her most famous role was that of Angélique, in the cult series of films, which started with Angélique, Marquise des Anges (1964). The film was a major hit across Continental Europe, and in 1967 was distributed in Britain. It was followed by four sequels, all starring Mercier.

Jeanne Sully (COMÉDIENNES)
33 Quai de Bourbon, 75004 Paris, France

Born In Paris, Jeanne Sully’s parents were the actors Jeanne Rémy and Jean Mounet-Sully, and her uncle was the actor Paul Mounet. She attended the Conservatoire national supérieur d’art dramatique, where she was a pupil of Raphaël Duflos. In 1924 she obtained a second prize for comedy, and in 1925 won a first prize in tragedy. She made her stage debut in 1923 at the Comédie-Française in Maurice Maeterlinck’s Monna Vanna, in the role of Fédor. In a twenty year stage career she appeared in over 30 productions, and a handful of films. She became the 394th member of the Comédie-Française in 1934.

Jean-Pierre Bernard (COMÉDIENS)
27 Quai de Bourbon, 75004 Paris, France

Actor Jean-Pierre Bernard was known internationally for his portrayal of French climber Jean-Paul Montaigne in the 1975 film The Eiger Sanction, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. He studied at the Conservatoire national supérieur d’art dramatique, making his stage debut before embarking on a parallel career in cinema. His first stage appearance was with the Guilde de Ménilmontant in Les Grenadiers de la Reine, a production that was awarded the 1er prix des Jeunes Compagnies in 1957. He acted in over 100 plays and films, working right up to his death in 2017.

Henriette Barreau (COMÉDIENNES)
27 Quai de Bourbon, 75004 Paris, France

Actress Henriette Barreau joined the Comédie-Française in 1930 and was appointed its 397th member in 1937. Although she left the theatre company in 1950 she was re-engaged as a resident shortly afterwards and stayed until 1958. She was a stage specialist who made her official debut in 1930 in Les Trois Henry, directed by Emile Fabre, the general administrator of the Comédie-Française from 1912 to 1938. She would go on to appear in around 50 plays in her 40 year career. Her story is one for all aspiring actors. She was a bank employee who through perseverance and heroism became one of the most envied members of the House of Molière. She had to give up her job at the bank to study at the Conservatoire, it was a hard life with little money and it is all the more impressive that she won first prize for comedy and the first prize for tragedy.

Maria Murano (ARTISTES LYRIQUES)
27 Quai de Bourbon, 75004 Paris, France

Opera singer Maria Murano (real name Suzanne Chauvelot) was a mezzo-soprano active from the 1950s-1980s. She joined the Opéra de Paris after the Second World War and later moved to the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux, where she played Madame Alexandra in the 1961 production of Colombe, by Jean-Michel Damase and Jean Anouilh. She teamed up again with Damase and Anouilh in 1972 for Eurydice at the Grand Théâtre. She was the companion of lawyer and politician Roland Dumas.

Germaine Rouer (COMÉDIENNES)
25 Quai de Bourbon, 75004 Paris, France

Actress Germaine Rouer studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique in Paris, where in 1919 she won first prize for tragedy and comedy. In the same year she appeared in Pierre Corneille’s Rodogune at the Théâtre national de l’Odéon in Paris. She made major international tours before being hired as a member of the Comédie-Française. Her first role with the theatre company was that of Valérie in Shakespeare’s La Tragédie de Coriolan (1933). She became an Honorary Member in 1956, and was still acting with the troupe into the 1960s. Alongside her time in the theatre she also appeared in 30 films, including in the title role in Henri Fescourt’s 1927 film La Glu.