Anémone

Anémone had a long and varied career in film and television, though from the late 1990s she mostly appeared as a character actress.

• Name — Anémone • Birth Name — Anne Bourguignon • Born — 9 August 1950 • Birthplace — Paris, France • Died — 30 April 2019 • Place of death — Poitiers, France • Occupation — Actress • Years Active — 1968–2018

Born in Paris to an upper-class "progressive" family, Anne Bourguignon decided to become an actress with little opposition from her parents. Following an education in a Catholic school where she was a rebellious student, she started at the age of 16 to mix with Parisian entertainment circles.

Bourguignon made her film debut aged 18 by starring in the underground film Anémone, directed by her then-boyfriend Philippe Garrel. Though she was credited for that film under her real name, she later decided to use its title as her stage name. Anémone next appeared in comedy plays, performing in café-théâtres. In 1975, together with several fellow actors including Martin Lamotte and Gérard Lanvin, she created the theater La Veuve Pichard in Paris. In 1977, Coluche gave Anémone her first major role in a mainstream film, by casting her as the female lead in the comedy Vous n'aurez pas l'Alsace et la Lorraine. In 1979, she worked with the theater troupe of Le Splendid, performing with them the comedy play Le père Noël est une ordure (Santa Claus is a Stinker), which enjoyed great success. During the early 1980s, Anémone played supporting, then starring roles in a series of comedy films, most of which were box-office successes. She often co-starred with members of Le Splendid with whom she became associated in the public eye. Anémone notably appeared with one or other troupe member in Je vais craquer (1980), Viens chez moi, j'habite chez une copine, Les Babas Cool (both 1981) Ma femme s'appelle reviens, Pour cent briques, t'as plus rien... and Le quart d'heure américain (all 1982). Also in 1982, she and the members of Le Splendid reprised their roles in the film version of Santa Claus is a Stinker, which came to be regarded as a comedy classic in France. Anémone's performance in that film helped her become particularly popular with French audiences. Much later, Anémone had a public falling out with the former members of Le Splendid's troupe, claiming in interviews that she had been unfairly deprived of authors' rights and royalties for both the play and film versions of Santa Claus is a Stinker. After Anémone's death, former troupe member Marie-Anne Chazel clarified that Anémone had not been a co-author of the original play, nor had she been a formal member of the troupe. In 1987, she starred in the war drama The Grand Highway, directed by Jean-Loup Hubert, for which she won the César Award for Best Actress the following year. Besides her acting work, Anémone was also known in France for her extraverted and unconventional personality. In 1994, Anémone starred in Tonie Marshall's quirky comedy Something Fishy. In later years, she mostly played supporting roles in film and on television, also returning to the theatre where she appeared in several successful plays during the 2000s and 2010s. In 2017, Anémone announced that she was retiring from acting; she later moved to a village in the Poitiers region.

For several years, Anémone was the partner of film director Philippe Galland. Their relationship began when she was six months pregnant with her son: Galland later raised the boy, Jacob, as his own son. Anémone and Galland had a daughter together, Lily. Anémone long claimed that she did not know who was her son's biological father. Much later, Jacob made a DNA test that established his father was actor and director Pascal Aubier. Jacob had long known Aubier as a friend, with both noticing their mutual resemblance and joking about it. Anémone was a committed environmentalist and regularly supported left-wing causes and candidates. In 1995, she was a candidate on an environmentalist list to the municipal elections in Paris. During the 2000s, she supported the activist organization ATTAC, also acting on occasion as a spokesperson for the group.

Anémone died of lung cancer on 30 April 2019, at the age of 68.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1968 — Anémone — Anémone — (first film role) • 1969 — Je, tu, elles... — Second applicant for the nanny position • 1970 — La maison • 1975 — Incorrigible — A prostitute — Uncredited • Les Cinq Dernières Minutes — Various — TV series (3 episodes) • 1976 — Attention les yeux! — Eva • L'ordinateur des pompes funèbres — A secretary • Cours après moi... que je t'attrape — The usher • Pardon Mon Affaire — The concierge • 1977 — Le couple témoin — Claudine • Vous n'aurez pas l'Alsace et la Lorraine — Cousin Lucienne • 1978 — Dirty Dreamer — Colette • Vas-y maman — The script • Les héritiers — Josée — TV series (1 episode) • Le temps d'une République — Juliette — TV series (1 episode) • Thomas Guérin... retraité — Emmanuelle — TV movie • Cinéma 16 — Manou — TV series (1 episode) • 1979 — Café follies — Gigi — TV movie • O Madiana — Danièle • French Postcards — Christine • Rien ne va plus — Interviewed girl • 1980 — Les 400 coups de Virginie — Marie-Ghyslaine — TV Mini-Series (1 episode) • Certaines nouvelles — Marie-Annick • Médecins de nuit — Pregnant woman — TV series (1 episode) • Je vais craquer — Liliane • The Wonderful Day — Deocadie • 1981 — Viens chez moi, j'habite chez une copine — Adrienne • La guerre des insectes — Anaïs — TV movie • La gueule du loup — Viviane • Les Babas Cool — Alexandra • 1982 — Ma femme s'appelle reviens — Nadine Foulon • Pour cent briques, t'as plus rien... — Nicole • Le Père Noël est une ordure — Thérèse • Le quart d'heure américain — Bonnie • Merci Bernard — Various — TV series • 1983 — Un homme à ma taille — Babette • 1985 — Le Père Noël est une ordure — Thérèse — TV movie • Les Nanas — Odile • Tranches de vie — Cécile / Hélène • Death in a French Garden — Edwige Ledieu — Nominated - César Award for Best Supporting Actress • Le mariage du siècle — Princess Charlotte • 1986 — I Love You — Barbara • 1987 — The Grand Highway — Marcelle — César Award for Best Actress • Poule et frites — Béatrice • La sauteuse (de l'ange) — La mère — Short • 1988 — Envoyez les violons — Isabelle Fournier • Sans peur et sans reproche — Rose • 1989 — Les baisers de secours — Minouchette • Twisted Obsession — Marianne • Zanzibar — Woman in orange • 1990 — Maman — Lulu • Après après-demain — Isabelle • 1991 — Les enfants volants — Suzanne • 1992 — La Belle Histoire — Madame Desjardins • Loulou Graffiti — Juliette • Jeux de mort — Short • Le Petit Prince a dit — Melanie — Nominated - César Award for Best Actress • Ma soeur, mon amour — Laura Bécancour • 1993 — Coup de jeune — Muriel • Poisson-lune — Anne • 1994 — Aux petits bonheurs — Helene • Something Fishy — Maxime Chabrier — Nominated - César Award for Best Actress • 3000 scénarios contre un virus — The mother — TV series (1 episode) • 1996 — L'échappée belle — Jeanine • Enfants de salaud — Sylvette • Les Bidochon — Raymonde Bidochon • Le cri de la soie — Cécile • 1997 — La cible — Clara • Marquise — La Voisin • 1998 — Lautrec — Adèle de Toulouse-Lautrec — Nominated - César Award for Best Supporting Actress • 1999 — L'homme de ma vie — Solange • 2000 — Passeurs de rêves — Catherine • 2001 — Voyance et manigance — Jacqueline • Step by Step • 2002 — Ma femme s'appelle Maurice — Claire Trouabal • 2004 — C'est pas moi, c'est l'autre — Carlotta Luciani • 2005 — La ravisseuse — Léonce • Voisins, voisines — Madame Gonzales • Vénus & Apollon — Anne-Marie Bourguignon — TV series (1 episode) • 2006 — La jungle — Mathias's mother • Bataille natale — Françoise Darcy — TV movie • 2007 — Mon homme — The commissioner — Short • 2009 — Le choix de Myriam — Simone — TV movie • Fais pas ci, fais pas ça — Madame Fernet — TV series (4 episodes) • Little Nicholas — Mademoiselle Navarin • 2010 — Les amours secrètes — Margot • Sable noir — Marie — TV series (1 episode) • Les Bougon — Aunt Louise — TV series (1 episode) • Pauline et François — Hélène • Mademoiselle Drot — Madame Chambart-Martin — TV movie • 2011 — Le grand restaurant II — The widow — TV movie • 2012 — Bocuse — Micheline — Short • Nuts — Dr. Vorov • 2013 — Mortel été — Madame Spinelli — TV movie • La Minute Vieille — TV series (1 episode) • Como Quien No Quiere La Cosa — Mrs. Lesoufache • Malevil — Madame Menou — TV movie • 2014 — Jacky in Women's Kingdom — The General • Un si joli mensonge — Louise — TV movie • Le grimoire d'Arkandias — Marion Boucher • 2015 — I'm All Yours — The grandmother • Rosalie Blum — Simone Machot • The Roommates Party — Madame Abramovitch • 2018 — Family Business — Tante Bertille — (final film role)

Anémone was recorded at birth as Anne Madeleine Louise Bourguignon. She also worked under the name Anémone. The authorities additionally record the heading Anne Bourguignon. Her recorded language was French. She was the child of André Bourguignon.