Odette-Michelle-Suzanne Agramon (27 March 1929 – 3 May 2026), known professionally as Claire Maurier, was a French actress who appeared in more than 90 films between 1947 and 2013.
Life and career Maurier was born Odette-Michelle-Suzanne Agramon on 27 March 1929 in the commune of Céret, in the Pyrénées-Orientales region, which is in the southwest of France.
Maurier started her acting career in small film roles at the end of the 1940s. Her first main role came when she portrayed Gilberte Doinel, the mother of the main character in François Truffaut's 1959 film The 400 Blows. Another notable early role of hers was as Christiane Colombey, the bigamist wife of the main character in the 1963 film La Cuisine au beurre.
In 1978, Maurier had a notable role in Édouard Molinaro's film La Cage aux Folles as Simone. In 1981, she was nominated the César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for A Bad Son. She played Madeleine, a seductive older woman.
In 2001, Maurier gained international recognition when she starred as Mme. Suzanne, the owner of the Café des 2 Moulins, the Montmartre bistro where the titular character Amélie Poulain works as a waitress in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amélie (Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain). The film became the highest-grossing French-language film released in the United States. The film won four César Awards, and was nominated for five Academy Awards. In 2005, she starred as Maryse Berthelot in the French comedy series Faites comme chez vous!
In 2010, Maurier played the neglectful mother of Gérard Dépardieu's character Germain in Jean Becker's film My Afternoons with Margueritte.
Maurier died on 3 May 2026, at the age of 97.
Filmography Year Title Role Director Notes1947 Un sourire dans la nature The woman Émile Couzinet Short1951 That Rascal Anatole Germaine de la Boëtie Émile Couzinet (2)1952 Rayés des vivants A girl Maurice Cloche1953 The Beauty of Cadiz Alexandrine Dupont Raymond Bernard & Eusebio Fernández Ardavín A Caprice of Darling Caroline Jeannette Jean-Devaivre Les vacances finissent demain Anne-Marie Yvan Noé1956 The Adventures of Gil Blas Paquita Ricardo Muñoz Suay & René Jolivet Ce soir les jupons volent The model Dimitri Kirsanoff L'amour est quelque part Lili Énigmes de l'histoire Stellio Lorenzi TV Series (1 Episode) Trente-Six Chandelles Nana TV Series (1 Episode)1957 La Parisienne Caroline Herblay Michel Boisrond1958 Back to the Wall Ghislaine Édouard Molinaro Les Cinq Dernières Minutes Geneviève Bourgoin Claude Loursais TV Series (1 Episode)1959 The 400 Blows Gilberte Doinel François Truffaut En votre âme et conscience Jean Prat TV Series (1 Episode)1960 A Mistress for the Summer Viviane Édouard Molinaro (2) Une gueule comme la mienne Claire Médina-Etiévant Frédéric Dard Les canailles June Chalmers Maurice Labro1961Daniella by Night Esmerelda Max Pécas Les livreurs Bedelia Jean Girault Fuga desesperada Marina Larsen Robert Vernay & José Antonio de la Loma On vous écrira François Chatel TV Movie La caméra explore le temps Albine de Montholon Guy Lessertisseur TV Series (1 Episode)1962 Douce violence Claire Max Pécas (2) Les Cinq Dernières Minutes Hélène Claude Loursais (2) TV Series (1 Episode) L'inspecteur Leclerc enquête Madame Garnier / Meyer Marcel Bluwal & Jean Laviron TV Series (2 Episodes)1963 La Cuisine au Beurre Christiane Colombey Gilles Grangier1964 Requiem pour un caïd Jeannette Sorel Maurice Cloche (2) 325 000 Francs Cordélia Jean Prat (2) TV Movie Vol 272 Laura Jean-Jacques Vierne & Michio Koga TV Mini-Series1965 Marvelous Angelique Ninon de l'Enclos Bernard Borderie When the Pheasants Pass Micheline Camus Édouard Molinaro (3) The Duchess Carlo Rim, & TV Mini-Series Bob Morane Elsa Robert Vernay (2) TV Series (1 Episode)1966 Sacrés fantômes Stellio Lorenzi (2) TV Movie Les fables de La Fontaine Eva Hervé Bromberger TV Series (1 Episode) Vive la vie Esther Joseph Drimal TV Series (1 Episode)1968 Bouclage Cécile TV Movie Le théâtre de la jeunesse Sister Marguerite Eric Le Hung & Jacques Trébouta TV Series (1 Episode)1969 A Very Curious Girl Irène Nelly Kaplan Laure Sabine Moshé Mizrahi TV Series (1 Episode) Allô police Françoise Vernon Adonis Kyrou TV Series (1 Episode)1970 Le service des affaires classées Catherine Yannick Andréi TV Series (1 Episode)1971 Quentin Durward Marion Gilles Grangier (2) TV Series (1 Episode)1973 The Hostage Gang Nelly Cerutti Édouard Molinaro (4) L'espion dormant Doris TV Movie Témoignages Madame Léonore Jean-Marie Périer TV Series (1 Episode) Le provocateur Suzanne Ternant Bernard Toublanc-Michel TV Series (1 Episode) Les Mohicans de Paris Léonore Gilles Grangier (3) TV Series (1 Episode)1974 Impossible Is Not French Mauricette Brisset Robert Lamoureux La conciliation ou anatomie d'un otage Cécile (2) TV Movie Jean Pinot, médecin d'aujourd'hui Sophie Rambaud Michel Fermaud TV Series (1 Episode)1975 Erreurs judiciaires Maïté Legrand Jean Laviron (2) TV Series (1 Episode)1976 Trois de coeur Baroness Crowns TV Series (1 Episode)1977 Banlieue Sud-Est Gilles Grangier (4) TV Mini-Series1978 La Cage aux Folles Simone Deblon Édouard Molinaro (5) The Little Wheedlers Sophie's mother Jean-Marie Poiré Cinéma 16 Armance Dupon TV Series (1 Episode)1979 La ville des silences Muriel Jean Marboeuf Les trois mousquetaires Anne of Austria Pierre Neel TV Movie Les amours de la belle époque Mathilde Agnès Delarive (2) TV Series (1 Episode) Cinéma 16 Valérie Krebbs Jean Marboeuf (2) TV Series (1 Episode)1980 A Bad Son Madeleine Claude Sautet Nominated - César Award for Best Supporting Actress Il n'y a plus de héros au numéro que vous demandez The antiquarian Pierre Chabartier TV Movie1981 Ange, gardien Madame de Castro Joseph Drimal (2) TV Movie Pause-café The director Serge Leroy TV Series (1 Episode)1983 Itinéraire bis Marthe Christian Drillaud Vous habitez chez vos parents? Alice Martell Michel Fermaud (2) Dessin sur un trottoir Josepha Maurice Cloche (3) TV Movie Merci Sylvestre The psy Serge Korber TV Series (1 Episode)1985 Blanche et Marie The neighbor Jacques Renard Les Cinq Dernières Minutes Jeanne Vermont TV Series (1 Episode) Le vent du large Constance Marlène Bertin TV Series (1 Episode)1987 La liberté Stéphanie Madame Darsonville Marlène Bertin (2) TV Series (1 Episode)1988 Loft story Suzy & TV Series (2 Episodes)1989 Cinéma 16 Clotilde (2) TV Series (1 Episode)1994 Chêques en boîte Odette Nicolas Gessner TV Movie1996 Family Resemblances Madame Ménard Cédric Klapisch Les chiens ne font pas des chats Mamouchka Ariel Zeitoun TV Movie1998 Riches, belles, etc. The tawny woman Bunny Godillot Jean-Michel The mother Short1999 L'homme de ma vie Nelly 2001 Amélie Madame Suzanne Jean-Pierre Jeunet Un homme à défendre Denise Cassenti TV Movie2003 The Car Keys The old lady Laurent Baffie La petite prairie aux bouleaux Ginette Marceline Loridan-Ivens2004 Nuit noire The mother Daniel Colas Illustre inconnue Jocelyne Marc Fitoussi Short2005 Granny Boom Grandma Christiane Lehérissey TV Movie Faites comme chez vous Maryse Berthelot Several TV Series (19 Episodes)2006 Les ambitieux Madame Zahn Catherine Corsini Le héros de la famille Colette 2007 La Vie d'artiste Jocelyne Marc Fitoussi (2) Supergranny.com Françoise Christiane Lehérissey (2) TV Movie2009 Section de recherches Tatiana de Clausade TV Series (1 Episode)2010 My Afternoons with Margueritte Jacqueline Jean Becker Coursier The expert 2012 La guerre du Royal Palace Hortense Verdier TV Movie2013 La Famille Katz Milly Arnauld Mercadier TV Series (6 Episodes)
Theatre Year Title Author Director Notes 1952 Sans cérémonie Jacques Vilfrid & Jean Girault Pierre Mondy 1954 Lysistrata Aristophanes & Maurice Donnay Raymond Hermantier 1955 Elle est folle, Carole Jean de Létraz Simone de Létraz 1956 Virginie Michel André Christian-Gérard 1957 Le monsieur qui a perdu ses clefs Michel Perrin Raymond Gérôme 1959 De sept heures à sept heures , Philippe Georges & R. C. Sherriff 1960 Le Comportement des époux Bredburry François Billetdoux François Billetdoux 1962 Château en Suède Françoise Sagan André Barsacq 1968 La brune que voilà Robert Lamoureux Robert Lamoureux 1969 Cash-Cash Anthony Marriott & Alistair Foot Michel Vocoret 1970 Une poignée d'orties Marc-Gilbert Sauvajon Jacques-Henri Duval 1971 Sweet Bird of Youth Tennessee Williams André Barsacq (2) 1972 Duos sur canapé Marc Camoletti Marc Camoletti 1976 Le coeur sous le paillasson Kay Bannerman & Harold Brooke Jean-Luc Moreau 1978 Les Filles Jean Marsan Jean Marsan 1979 C'est à c't'heure ci que tu rentres ? Michel Fermaud Jean-Luc Moreau (2) 1981 L'amant de Bornéo Roger Ferdinand & José Germain José Germain 1981–84 La vie est trop courte André Roussin Michel Fagadau 1985–86 La Berlue Jean-Jacques Bricaire & René Clermont 1990–92 Steel Magnolias Robert Harling Stéphane Hillel 1992 Marie Tudor Victor Hugo Jean-Renaud Garcia 1993 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Tennessee Williams Michel Fagadau (2) 1994 Family Resemblances Jean-Pierre Bacri & Agnès Jaoui Nominated - Molière Award for Best Supporting Actress 2004 Crise de mères Martial Courcier Éric Le Roch 2006–08 Toc toc Laurent Baffie Laurent Baffie
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