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WP's Anny Duperey Biography

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Anny Duperey - The theater, I love it!

Enchanting Anny Duperey (»Ani Dyperε:«, after her grandfather Duperray; in real Annie Legras) is equipped with a clear look, with a cheeky snub nose, with a long elegant silhouette and with a suspicion of coolness she knows how to moderate to a point of sneering-fresh humor. Although the beautiful »tall brunette« with the big striking blue eyes owns a real talent of dramatic art, unfortunately the roles in which she is confined, in cinema as on television, often do not always allow her to state all the extent of her abilities. One just has to experience her on stage once.

Her sharp signed face, her imposing height of over 1.73 m (5 feet 8 1/8 inches), her model figure (60 kg; 132.5 lbs) and last but not least her appearance and her beauty predestinate her for the role as show-mistress in many movies - or as princess often on stage. Where especially her fair complexion shows to advantage very effective.

Although she seems very sensitive and thoughtful in her books due to her family history, nevertheless often her pleasure of life becomes evident. And one is hardly able to evade her natural behavior, her disarming frankness and her charm. At first sight cool, inapproachable, mysterious or even dangerous beauty in real s e is more some kind of natural mate. And an unparalleled bundle of energy
So she answered a question, whether she has a foible for conspicuous nail enamel, it is easier by that to hide away her fingernails dirty from gardening.
In press one has made her the following compliments among others: »Anny Duperey has a charming intelligence and an intelligent charm.« Or: »Everything is in her expression. Two bright eyes framed by dropping eyelids, full of an undefinable sorrow. With a piercing view inside you.« (Frédérique Jourdaa).

For about 18 years the actor Bernard Giraudeau († 2010) like her very well-known was Anny Duperey's life companion and she has two children, Gaël (* 1982) and Sara (* 1985), with him.
Between 1993 and 2004 she lived with 20 years younger Cris Campion, she had met during film shooting of Charlemagne. With both cohabitants she plays in several projects.
In 2006 Sara Giraudeau continues the family tradition starting her own theater career. 2011 Gaël is seen on TV as well, even together with mother and sister in La grande librairie: Au théâtre de Rond-Point on 22nd December 2011.
Since May 2011 Anny Duperey is grandmother.

Anny Duperey lives in Paris, Montparnasse (14th Arrondissement) and owns a cottage in Châtelus-Malvaleix upon the Creuse (Limousin).
Address for autographs and info: CINEART (www.cineart.fr), 36, rue de Ponthieu, 75008 PARIS, France.
Current filmography e.g. at Internet Movie Database (IMDb); search for duperey.

Curriculum vitae

Extraordinary beautiful Anny Duperey is born in Rouen on June 28th 1947 as first child of Ginette and Lucien Legras. At the age of 8½ she and her sister Patricia, eight years younger than her, loose their father and their mother, who die of suffocation caused by a wrong installed bathroom oven. For some minutes too late Anny, who sleeps next door, discovers their dead bodies. Both orphans are divided up in their parents' families and live their complete own lives.

Already very young Anny is attracted by dance and even more by theater. With special permission she is allowed to leave the College Camille St Saens two years earlier as usual to exchange to the academy of arts of her hometown. After two years of studies she wins a First Price of Comedy and at the age of seventeen she leaves Rouen with destination Paris with the firm intention to attend the academy of arts in the capital.

Black diamond of French cinema

Anny Duperey starts by following René Simon's courses of dramatic art, while earning her money in parallel as model and mannequin for fashion and advertisement. Then she finally enters the Academy. And it is just in her first year in the establishment when she is discovered by Jean Meyer, who engages her in the Théâtre Michel for The three marriages of Melanie. Anny Duperey plays then in La Mamma, at the sides of Elvire Popesco, who attest to her brilliant talent. About the same time - so the story goes - her face on the cover of a magazine catches Jean-Luc Godard's eys and he wants her by all means for a bigger role in his Nouvelle Vague movie Two or three things that I know about her. So she has her movie debut in 1966. Just one year earlier she was shortly to watch on TV in L'examen de passage.

In the direct sequel Anny Duperey plays more or less extended roles in movies of many various respected directors like e.g. Francis Rigaud Jerk à Istambul (1967), Michel Boisrond L'homme qui valait des milliards (1968) [English title: The Man who was worth Millions], André Hunebelle Sous le signe de Monte-Cristo (1968) [English title: Under the Sign of Monte-Cristo], Roger Vadim Spirits of the Dead / Metzengerstein (1968), Jean Aurel Les femmes (1969) [English title: Women or The Vixen], Pierre Richard Les malheurs d'Alfred (1971) [English title: The Troubles of Alfred], Jean Delannoy Pas folle la guêpe (1972) [English title: Not Dumb, the Bird], Jean-Claude Brialy L' Oiseau rare (1973) [English title: A rare Bird] and George Lautner Pas de problème! (1974) [English title: No Problem].
At least in the beginning of her career Alain Resnais allows her in Stavisky (1974) to escape from these mostly light comedies »à la française« and cock-and-bull stories.

Anny Duperey, however, writes movie history in Yves Robert's Un éléphant ça trompe énormément (1976) [English title: Pardon mon affaire], where she cheerfully dances as dream woman dressed in red on a ventilator outlet like Marilyn Monroe in the The Seven Year Itch upskirt scene. Prompt she is nominated for the César.
Worth seeing she is also as single mother in Michael Schock's family movie Trocadero bleu citron (1978) [English title: Little Love]. Movie enthusiasts will notice her role in Claude Mulots La Rose Ecorchee (1969) [English title: The Blood Rose] - it is said to be the first horror movie with erotic touch or vice versa. [(Sorry, I'm not a pro herein, and I really don't want to become one ;-) By the way - believe it or not - she is responsible for the creeps.]

Anny Duperey, TV shooting star 1971

In the 1980s Anny Duperey appears as star or guest star, e.g. in Philippe de Broca's Psy (1980), in Alexandre Arcady's Le grand pardon (1982) [English title: The Grand Pardon] and in Henri Verneuil's Mille milliards de dollars (1982). She can give a proof of the full bandwidth of her abilities in the leading part of Marc Lobet's close to be cult crime comedy Meurtres a domicile (1982). Maybe her most impressive leading part is in Francis Leroi's suspense thriller Le Démon dans l'île (1983) [English title: Demon of the Island]. At the Avoriaz movie festival she is awarded best actress.
As proof of Anny Duperey's talent may be considered that she conspicuously often plays double roles. Just even as mother and daughter or in plots covering some decades, respectively.

Also in several European and international movies and TV productions Anny Duperey is to see, e.g. at the sides of Al Pacino and Marthe Keller in Sydney Pollack's US movie Bobby Deerfield (1978). (Quotation of the director »The wonderful, wonderful French actress«. In the making-of he additionally expresses his regret that a lot of her scenes had fallen victim to the editing.) Also remarkable is her appearance in Serge Moati's French/German movie Nuit d'Or (1976) [English title: The Golden Night] at the sides of Klaus Kinski and Maurice Ronet. She even appears in two German movies shot in Germany, Umarmungen und andere Sachen (1975) [English title: Embraces] with Sydne Rome and Jean-Pierre Leaud and well-known actors of the »Bavarian Volkstheater«(!) like Ludwig Schmid-Wildy and Car Napping - Bestellt, geklaut, geliefert (1979) [English title: Carnapping or Escapade].
But she regrets a little bit that, in general, for too long time one confined her in roles of »tall cold and sophisticated women«.
After Les comperes (1983) [English title: Com Dads] of Francis Veber and La Triche (1984) [English title: The Cheat] of Yannick Bellon she has her next movie appearance not until Germinal (1993) of Claude Berri and Tôt ou tard (1999) [English title: Sooner or later] of Anne-Marie Etienne. In 2007 she is back again in cinema in Valerié Guigabodet's Danse avec lui [English title: Dance with him] and in 2009 one can watch her in De l'autre côté du lit [English title: Changing Sides] of Pascale Pouzadoux, in Eden Is West of Constantin Costa-Gavras and in Bambou of Didier Bourdon as well and in additional movies, too. In 2012 L'amour dure trois ans of Frederic Beigbeder comes into the cinemas.

Anny Duperey (en VOGUE ;-)

But Anny Duperey's heart beats for the theater, perhaps because here she is able to show all her talent. For instance in particular as a singer and dancer in the musical Attention fragile (1978) she plays successfully at the sides of Bernard Giraudeau her life partner in those days.
Already at the age of 23 she remembers her roots and returns to academy and theater. She didn't want to see herself just as acting photo model or cover girl. In the 1970s and 1980s she has big stage successes especially under the directors Jean Mercure and her mentor Jean-Louis Barrault (»Anny Duperey is my daughter on the stage.«) also at the French State Theater. She plays in Isabella, Three Tall Ships, and a Con Man of Dario Fo, in Jarry sur la Butte of Alfred Jarry and in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. For almost a decade she impersonates Helen of Troy in Giraudoux's Tiger at the Gates and even during a tour through the USA, Canada and the USSR she attracts attention. And just falls in love with Bernard Giraudeau, who aptly plays Paris. In her autobiografieLes chats de hasard one can discern she just views Helen a little bit as her alter ego.
Until now one can attend her play on stage. So she very successfully acts in Oscar Wilde's An ideal husband (1995/6), in an adaptation of John Murrell's Sarah (2003/4) and in the one-character play Oscar et la dame rose (2005-8) by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt. In 2010/11 she and her daughter Sara Giraudeau stage in Colombe, inclusive broadcast on TV. 2010-12 she is to see in Desole pour la Moquette of Bertrand Blier.
Numerous Molière nominations state their talent.

Anny Duperey is very successful as writer, too. Not only in France. Already her first book L'Admiroir (1976) is awarded with the Prix de l'Académie française. She continues with Le Nez de Mazarin (1986) [English title: The Cardinal's Nose (1992)], the very striking autobiography Le voile noir (1992), Je vous écris (1993), Les chats de hasard (1999), the novels Allons plus loin, veux-tu? (2002), Une soirée (2005), the letter dialog with Nina Vidrovitch De la vie dans son art de l'art dans sa vie (2008) and in 2011 Le poil et la plume. Also complemented by some anthologies. For instance the illustrated book Chats (2008).
Additionally she writes scripts for movies.

Anny Duperey - complete personal

Besides Anny Duperey has devoted herself to black-and-white photography like her gifted father Lucien Legras and has created a lot of images of her colleagues worth to see. But concerning exhibitions she is reserved. She is also a talented painter.
Temporary she has impressed in circus at trapeze and as rope-dancer. Just to watch on TV e.g. in Circus of the Stars in 1976 and even in 1994 on the occasion of an episode of Une famille formidable.

In addition to acting and writing Anny Duperey intensely commits herself in social field, e.g. as patroness of the French SOS Children's Villages and for Rire Médicine (psychological care for children in hospitals), too. Also she supports SOS-PAPA (fathers' rights in divorce) and temporarily she acted as patroness.
Since 1997 she is cevalier de la legion d'honneur - in 2012 she is promoted to officier rank.
Due to her various engagements and her frank and gentle nature she is an appreciated guest for TV and radio interviews and for festivals as well. For instance as moderator of the 49th Gala de l'Union des Artistes on French TV 2010.

Autograph hunters claim Anny Dupereyr to be one of the most or even the most kind and likeable French celebrity. It is told she even signs early act photos amused and with a smile. In general it seems she has no trouble with, because in some movies and photo sessions she shows rather a lot of her skin. Or in her own words of the 1970s: »Nude yes, porn no way.«.
Because she speaks English fluently even international autograph requests cause no trouble.

Due to her a bit husky, expressive and melodious voice Anny Duperey is a wanted speaker for French audio-books, not only as story teller for Grimm Brothers' fairy tales and Walt Disney's children stories, but also for demanding literature and (better: therefore ;-) for her own business on Les chats de hasard.

Anny Duperey, up-to-date

The actress very well-known and extraordinary popular in France, and this cross-generational, in parallel right from the beginning continues an awarded career on television. Less in series, but in TV-movies and in mini series. For instance one can watch Anny Duperey in the third episode of Claude Guillemots La Brigade des Malefices: Voir Vénus et mourir (1970), in Nina Companeez's 6-episode series Un ours pas comme les autres (1978), in Robert Mazoyer's 5-episode series Un Château au soleil (1988), in Christopher Franck's La seconde (1989), in Clive Donner's trilogy Charlemagne (1993), in Christian Faures L'enfant perdu (1997), in Joël Santoni's trilogy La Vocation d'Adrienne (1997-2000), in Didier Albert's trilogy Marseille (1998), in Michaëla Watteaux's et al. 5-episode series Chère Marianne (1999-2001), in Nina Companeez's two-parter Un Pique-Nique chez Osiris (2001), in a double role in Joyce Buñuel's Le voyage de la grande-duchesse (2003), in Daniel Janneau's Une vie en retour (2005), in Nicolas Mercier's 5-episode series Clara Sheller second serial (2008) and in Christian Duguay's Coco Chanel (2008) just to list some even broadcasted or available outside of France.
Most successfully, however, since 1992 she plays in the loose trilogy episodes of Joël Santoni's Une famille formidable in movie length. The sixth season for instance reaches more than 40(!)% rating on French TV in 2006 - just cult status. At the turn of the year 2011/2012 the ninth series is shown on French TV the first time. The 20th anniversary!
Several times her performance in different roles has been awarded with the 7 d'Or TV prize.

In interviews, however, she likes to describe her career as »zig zag« and remarks that cinema had suddenly »forgotten« her in the mid eighties. But perhaps due to her beauty she has just been underestimated as actress.

That all has given Anny Duperey the reputation in France to be the most versatile artist, a socially active popular figure, who cuts a fine figure both on stage as in front of the camera as actress, dancer and singer. In classical and in modern plays, in comedies and in thrillers.
Also she has gained reputation as writer. Extracts of Le voile noir were a part of the test paper in the French exam in 2002 and are to find in the French school reader.
Even a filled yellow rose is named after her since 2007.