Françoise Fabian
Michelle Cortès (born 10 May 1933), known professionally as Françoise Fabian, is a French film actress. She has appeared in more than 100 films since 1956. In 1971, Fabian signed the Manifesto of the 343, publicly declaring having had an abortion.
Françoise Fabian

Georges Biard · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Françoise Fabian
- Born
- 10 May 1933
- Birthplace
- Algiers, French Algeria
- Birth Name
- Michelle Cortès
- Occupation
- Actress
- Full name
- Michelle Cortès.
- Nationality
- France.
- Education
- Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique and Cours Simon.
- Known for
- The Thief of Paris, My Night at Maud's, Raphael, or The Debauched One, La bonne année, Trois places pour le 26, Season's Beatings, Me and Myself and Mum.
- Honours
- Knight of the Legion of Honour, Officer of the Legion of Honour, Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, Silver Shell for Best Actress, David di Donatello Award for Lifetime Achievement and Commander of the Legion of Honour.
- Languages
- French.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Michelle Cortès (born 10 May 1933), known professionally as Françoise Fabian, is a French film actress. She has appeared in more than 100 films since 1956. In 1971, Fabian signed the Manifesto of the 343, publicly declaring having had an abortion.
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Note VALÉORINE
Françoise Fabian (born 1933) is a French actress and singer. The actress was born Michelle Cortès in Algiers. Françoise Fabian studied at Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique and Cours Simon.
Works include La bonne année, Me, Myself and Mum, My Night at Maud's and Raphael, or The Debauched One, among others. Languages used include French. The actress received Commander of the Legion of Honour, Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres and David di Donatello Award for Lifetime Achievement, among others.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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wikidata · Q456668 · wikipedia · Françoise Fabian
In this article
Biography
Biography
Françoise Fabian studied at Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique and Cours Simon. The recorded working language is French. Works named in the authority record are The Thief of Paris, My Night at Maud's, Raphael, or The Debauched One, La bonne année, Trois places pour le 26 and Season's Beatings. Distinctions recorded are Knight of the Legion of Honour, Officer of the Legion of Honour, Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres and Silver Shell for Best Actress.

L'actrice française Françoise Fabian, marraine du festival de Dinard 2009.
Julienmorvan
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Françoise Fabian • Born — 10 May 1933 • Birthplace — Algiers, French Algeria • Birth Name — Michelle Cortès • Citizenship — France • Occupation — Actress • Years Active — 1956–present
Filmography
Filmography
• Year — Title — Role — Director — Notes • 1956 — Mémoires d'un flic — The Countess — Pierre Foucaud André Hunebelle — Debut film • Naughty Girl — Lili Rocher-Villedieu — Michel Boisrond • Fernandel the Dressmaker — Sophie — Jean Boyer • Les Aventures de Till L'Espiègle — Esperanza — Gérard Philipe Joris Ivens • Michel Strogoff — Natko — Carmine Gallone • 1957 — Burning Fuse — Lola Wassevitch — Henri Decoin • Ce sacré Amédée — Elia Tarti / Cigale — Louis Félix • L'aventurière des Champs-Élysées — Josette Darcanges — Roger Blanc • A Bomb for a Dictator — Mme. Lambert — Alex Joffé • The Violent — Evelyne Tiercelin — Henri Calef • 1958 — Every Day Has Its Secret — Hélène Lezcano — Claude Boissol • 1960 — L'histoire dépasse la fiction — Catherine de l'Isle Bouchard — Jean Kerchbron — TV series (1 episode) • La brune que voilà — Christine — Robert Lamoureux • 1962 — Una domenica d'estate — Giulio Petroni • Sentimental Education — Alexandre Astruc • L'inspecteur Leclerc enquête — Mme Gauthier — Claude Barma — TV series (1 episode) • 1963 — The Magnificent Adventurer — Lucrezia — Riccardo Freda • Maigret Sees Red — Lily — Gilles Grangier • 1964 — La caméra explore le temps — Mata Hari — Guy Lessertisseur — TV series (1 episode) • 1965 — Version grecque — Maira — Jean-Paul Sassy — TV movie • Les Cinq Dernières Minutes — Évelyne Sommières — Claude Loursais — TV series (1 episode) • Morgane ou Le prétendant — Lady Hamilton — Alain Boudet — TV movie • La jeune morte — The Stepsister — Claude Faraldo Roger Pigaut • 1966 — Le train bleu s'arrête 13 fois — Simone — Serge Friedman — TV series (1 episode) • 1967 — The Thief of Paris — Ida — Louis Malle • Belle de Jour — Charlotte — Luis Buñuel • Marion Delorme — Marion Delorme — Jean Kerchbron — TV movie • 1969 — My Night at Maud's — Maud — Éric Rohmer — Nominated - National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress Nominated - New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress • Gli specialisti — Virginia Pollywood — Sergio Corbucci • L'américain — Women agency — Marcel Bozzuffi • 1970 — The Cop — Hélène Dassa — Yves Boisset • The Females — Astrid — Zbyněk Brynych • 1971 — Raphael, or The Debauched One — Aurore — Michel Deville • Êtes-vous fiancée à un marin grec ou à un pilote de ligne? — Marion Blanchard — Jean Aurel • Out 1 — Lucie — Jacques Rivette Suzanne Schiffman • 1972 — Love in the Afternoon — Dream Sequence — Éric Rohmer • Black Turin — Lucia Rao — Carlo Lizzani • 1973 — Au rendez-vous de la mort joyeuse — Françoise — Juan Luis Buñuel • Les voraces — Lara — Sergio Gobbi • Sentimental Education — Marie Arnoux — Marcel Cravenne — TV Mini-Series • Happy New Year — Françoise — Claude Lelouch — David di Donatello - For her performance San Sebastián International Film Festival for Best Actress • Projection privée — Marthe / Eva — François Leterrier • Hail the Artist — Peggy — Yves Robert • 1974 — Out 1: Spectre — Lucie — Jacques Rivette • City Under Siege — Cristina Cournier — Romolo Guerrieri • To Love Ophelia — Federica — Flavio Mogherini • 1975 — How to Kill a Judge — Antonia Traini — Damiano Damiani • Down the Ancient Staircase — Anna Bersani — Mauro Bolognini • 1976 — Al piacere di rivederla — Viviana Bonfigli — Marco Leto • Natale in casa d'appuntamento — Nira — Armando Nannuzzi • Chi dice donna, dice donna — Bella / Lulù — Tonino Cervi • 1977 — The French Woman — Madame Claude — Just Jaeckin • The Blue Ferns — Monika Berthier — Françoise Sagan • 1979 — Cinéma 16 — Hélène — Nina Companeez — TV series (1 episode) • Les dames de la côte — Clara Decourt — Nina Companeez — TV movie • 1980 — Le mandarin — Sylvie Chaput — Patrick Jamain — TV movie • 1981 — Tovaritch — Tatiana Ouratief — Jeannette Hubert — TV movie • 1982 — Un fait d'hiver — Lisa — Jean Chapot — TV movie • Deux heures moins le quart avant Jésus-Christ — Laetitia — Jean Yanne • 1983 — Archipel des amours — The Friend — Jean-Claude Guiguet • La veuve rouge — Marie Reinart — Édouard Molinaro — TV movie • Bon anniversaire Juliette — Elsa — Marcel Bozzuffi — TV movie • Le cercle des passions — Renata Strauss — Claude d'Anna • Benvenuta — Jeanne — André Delvaux • L'ami de Vincent — Dominique — Pierre Granier-Deferre • 1985 — Quo Vadis? — Pomponia — Franco Rossi — TV Mini-Series • Partir, revenir — Sarah Lerner — Claude Lelouch • 1986 — Faubourg St Martin — The Marquise — Jean-Claude Guiguet • 1988 — Les clients — Marie-France — Yannick Andréi — TV movie • Trois places pour le 26 — Marie-Hélène de Lambert — Jacques Demy — Nominated - César Award for Best Supporting Actress • 1989 — Haute tension — The Black — Jacques Ertaud — TV series (1 episode) • Reunion — Countess von Lohenburg — Jerry Schatzberg • Disperatamente Giulia — Enrico Maria Salerno — TV movie • Renseignements généraux — Monette — Claude Barma — TV series (1 episode) • 1991 — Plaisir d'amour — Do — Nelly Kaplan • Reflections in a Dark Sky — Valeria — Salvatore Maira • 1992 — Pour une fille en rouge — Rose — Marianne Lamour • 1993 — Un commissario a Roma — Renata Amidei — Luca Manfredi Ignazio Agosta Roberto Giannarelli — TV series (10 episodes) • Donne in un giorno di festa — Francesca — Salvatore Maira • 1996 — Un chantage en or — Florence Valette — Hugues de Laugardière — TV movie • La comète — Agathe — Claude Santelli — TV movie • 1998 — Top Secret — Geneviève — Jacques Rivette • 1999 — The Letter — Mme de Chartres — Manoel de Oliveira • Season's Beatings — Yvette — Danièle Thompson • 2000 — Champollion, un scribe pour l'Égypte — Voice-over — Jean-Claude Lubtchansky — Documentary film • 2002 — La chanson du maçon — Elena — Nina Companeez — TV movie • 2003 — Le nouveau testament — Lucie Marcelin — Yves Di Tullio Bernard Murat — TV movie • 2004 — 5x2 — Monique — François Ozon • 2005 — La femme coquelicot — Marthe — Jérôme Foulon — TV movie • 2006 — Mademoiselle Gigi — Aunt Alicia — Caroline Huppert — TV movie • 2008 — Made in Italy — Rosa — Stéphane Giusti • LOL (Laughing Out Loud) — Anne's mother — Lisa Azuelos • 2009 — A Man and His Dog — Achab's wife — Francis Huster • Rapt — Marjorie — Lucas Belvaux • 2010 — L'Arbre et la forêt — Marianne Muller — Olivier Ducastel Jacques Martineau • Small World — Elvira Senn — Bruno Chiche • Comme les cinq doigts de la main — Suzie Hayoun — Alexandre Arcady • 2011 — Le grand restaurant II — The mother of the heterosexual — Gérard Pullicino — TV movie • 2012 — What's in a Name? — Françoise — Alexandre de La Patellière Matthieu Delaporte • 2013 — Me, Myself and Mum — Babou — Guillaume Gallienne — Nominated - César Award for Best Supporting Actress • Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie — Alexina Laurence — Marc Angelo — TV series (1 episode) • 2014 — Post partum — Carmen — Delphine Noels • 2015 — Call My Agent! — Herself — Antoine Garceau — TV series (1 episode) • 2018 — Brillantissime — Claire — Michèle Laroque
Identity
Identity
Françoise Fabian is recorded with the occupation stage actor. Recorded as a citizen of France.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1933
Françoise Fabian was born on 10 May 1933.
Recognition and collections
Where the work is held
Recognition and collections
Françoise Fabian received Knight of the Legion of Honour, Officer of the Legion of Honour, Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, Silver Shell for Best Actress, David di Donatello Award for Lifetime Achievement and Commander of the Legion of Honour.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q456668: Françoise Fabian
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “Françoise Fabian”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
References
Citations
References
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authority file
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Françoise Fabian was recorded at birth as Michelle Cortès. She also worked under the name Françoise Fabian. Her recorded language was French. She married Marcel Bozzuffi and Jacques Becker. Work and production. Works recorded as notable number 7: The Thief of Paris, My Night at Maud's, Raphael, or The Debauched One, La bonne année, Trois places pour le 26, Season's Beatings and Me, Myself and Mum.
Identity and origins
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
37,604 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Françoise ChristophePerson
- Françoise DorinPerson
- Françoise DorléacPerson
- Françoise EllongPerson
- Françoise FortonPerson
- Françoise LebrunPerson
- Françoise PascalPerson
- Françoise RosayPerson
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