Michelle Mercier - the legendary "Angelica ..."

Michelle Mercier - French actress, born January 1, 1939 (age 75), Nice, France

Mercier became world famous for the role of Angelica in the 1964-1968 historical series based on the novel by Anna and Serge Golon. After Angelica, the actress tried to get away from the stereotype imposed on her by the cinematic alter ego. On the crest of success, she appeared on the screen as a prostitute in the movie "Thunder from Heaven" with Jean Gabin, and in "The Second Truth" by Christian-Jacques played a murderer. But after the end of the last episode of "Angelica" all appearances of Mercier on the screen will be barely noticeable. Mercier herself in her declining years speaks of her star role ambiguously:
“On the one hand, she brought me incredible popularity, on the other, the directors stopped seeing me as anyone else except Angelica. So Angelica for me is fate, a triumph, and a kind of "curse".
In total, Mercier starred in 55 films and three TV series. Nevertheless, she continues to appear at film festivals with retrospectives of films about Angelica.
In 2006, the French government awarded the actress with the Order of Arts and Letters