Mireille Darc (French: [miʁɛj daʁk]; 15 May 1938 – 28 August 2017)[2] was a French actress, director, photographer, singer and model.[3][4] She appeared as a lead character in Jean-Luc Godard’s 1967 film Weekend. Darc was a Knight of the Legion of Honour and Commander of the National Order of Merit. Alain Delon was her longtime co-star and companion.
Early years
Born Mireille Christiane Gabrielle Aimée Aigroz in Toulon,[2] she attended the Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Toulon and moved to Paris in 1959.
Career
Darc’s debuted in Claude Barma‘s television drama Du côté de l’enfer (aka, La Grande Brétèche, 1960). Her first leading role came in another production for French television, Jean Prat’s Hauteclaire (1961). She starred in Jean-Luc Godard‘s film Weekend (Week-end, 1967)[5] as Corinne, her highest profile role for international critics; as Christine in The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure noire, 1972) and The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (Le retour du grand blond, 1974) and alongside Alain Delon and Louis de Funès in several films: Pouic-Pouic (1963), High Lifers (How to Keep the Red Lamp Burning (1965), Jeff (1969), Borsalino (uncredited, 1970), The Love Mates (Madly, 1970), Icy Breasts (Les Seins de glace, 1974), Death of a Corrupt Man (Mort d’un pourri, 1977), Man in a Hurry (L’Homme pressé, 1977), and the television series Frank Riva (2003).
Darc had a heart condition from childhood, which required open-heart surgery in 1980.[6] She was seriously injured in a car accident on 7 July 1983, in a tunnel in the Aosta Valley, Italy, suffering a fractured spine and other injuries that required three months of immobilization in a hospital in Geneva, Switzerland.[7]
Although they had recently separated about two weeks prior to the accident after a fifteen-year relationship, Delon rushed to Aosta when he heard about the accident, and left separately for Geneva by automobile during the night.[8][9][10]
She quit her film career, but she returned to television in the 1990s. In 2006, French President Jacques Chirac awarded Darc the Legion of Honour.[11]
Health and death
In 2013, Darc underwent further open heart surgery, and during 2016 she suffered several hemorrhages. She died on 28 August 2017 in Paris in a coma at the age of 79.[12]
Theatre
| Year | Play | Author | Director | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Sur la route de Madison | Robert James Waller | Anne Bourgeois | Théâtre Marigny |
| 1984 | Chapitre II | Neil Simon | Pierre Mondy | Théâtre Édouard VII |
| 1965 | Pieds nus dans le parc | Neil Simon | Pierre Mondy | Théâtre de la Madeleine |
| 1964 | Photo-Finish | Peter Ustinov | Peter Ustinov | Théâtre des Ambassadeurs |
| 1962 | Les Femmes aussi ont perdu la guerre | Curzio Malaparte | Raymond Gérôme | Théâtre des Mathurins |
Filmography
Feature films
Short films
| Year | Title | Director | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Lettres de Provins | Jean Dasque | Voice only |
| 1960 | La Revenante | Jacques Poitrenaud |
As director
Feature
| Year | Title | Featuring |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | La Barbare | Murray Head |
Documentaries
| Year | Title | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | La Deuxième Vie | France 2 |
| 1996 | Brève Rencontre | France 2 |
| 1996 | Le Doute et L’esperance | France 3 |
| 2002 | De L’ombre a La Lumière | France 3 |
| 2004 | Jeunesse Éternelle | France 2 |
| 2004 | Une Nuit Sous Les Mers | France 2 |
| 2005 | L’ostéoporose | |
| 2005 | Une Vie Classée X | France 3 |
| 2006 | Les Liserons d’Eau | France 2 |
| 2006 | Vivre d’Amour | France 5 |
| 2008 | Voyage Vers L’inconnue | France 2 |
| 2011 | Pas Sur La Bouche | France 3 |
| 2012 | Pardonner | France 2 |
| 2015 | Elles sont des dizaines de milliers sans abri | France 2 |
| 2017 | Excision, Le Plaisir Interdit | France 2 |
French-language dubbing
| Year | Title | Actress |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | L’Ile aux Filles Perdues | Marisa Belli |
| 1963 | Foudres sur Babylone | Jose Greci |
| 1962 | L’Effroyable secret du Dr Hichcock | Barbara Steele |
| 1961 | Soliman le Magnifique | Georgia Moll |
| 1961 | Les Vikings Attaquent | Franca Bettoja |
| 1961 | Le Boucanier des Iles ( Il Giustiziere dei Mari ) | Marisa Belli |
| 1960 | L’Esclave du Pharaon | Vira Silenti |
| 1960 | Les Légions de Cléopâtre | Linda Cristal |
| 1960 | Le Géant de Thessalie | Ziva Rodann |
| 1960 | Toryok la furie des Barbares | Ljubica Jovic |
| 1958 | La Charge des Cosaques | Georgia Moll |
Bibliography
- 2008: Mon Père
- 2005: Tant que battra mon coeur (Autobiography)
- 1982: Jamais avant le mariage
Decorations
- Officer of the Legion of Honour (2015),[13] (Knight in 2006)
- Commander of the National Order of Merit (2009)[14]
References
- ^ “Mireille Darc Biography”. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ a b “Mireille Darc”. AlloCiné. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ EXPOSITION PHOTOGRAPHIQUES BY MIREILLE DARC – SOON MAGAZINE LUXURY FASHION ART CULTURE (in French), 2 January 2016, retrieved 13 August 2025
- ^ Gainsbourg, Xavier R. fan de. “Gainsbourg.net”. Gainsbourg.net (in French). Retrieved 13 August 2025.
- ^ “Week End – Jean-Luc Godard Film Movie Review”. www.metalasylum.com. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ “Death of Mireille Darc at the age of 78 – Interview”. entrevue.fr. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ “Mireille Darc Injured (Published 1983)”. 8 July 1983. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ “Foreign News Briefs – UPI Archives”. UPI. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ gourdon, Clara Gaillot (15 May 2024). “LOVE STORY – Mireille Darc et Alain Delon : entre eux, la flamme ne s’est jamais éteinte”. Gala (in French). Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ^ Accident de Mireille Darc | INA (in French). Retrieved 26 August 2025 – via www.ina.fr.
- ^ “Biography”. Mireille DARC. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
- ^ “French film star Mireille Darc is dead”. Spiegel Online (in German). 28 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
- ^ “ORDRE NATIONAL DE LA LÉGION D’HONNEUR : Décret du 31 décembre 2015 portant élévation à la dignité de grand’croix et de grand officier” (PDF). Legiondhonneur.fr. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
- ^ Décret du 15 mai 2009
External links
- Mireille Darc at IMDb
- Mireille Darc Official Site (in French)
