Acting
Maximilienne
In his sketches, popular French comedian'Fernand Raynaud' was often bullied by a self-righteous sharp-tongued spinster called Mademoiselle Lelongbec, the parish organist. Tall, lean and unattractive, Maximilenne (born Henriette Genty in 1884) seemed born to play the part and she WAS the obvious choice for director Robert Darène when, in 1958, he prepared to film a Fernand Raynaud's vehicle entitled "Houla Houla". Donning the attire of Mlle Lelongbec Maximilenne had the distinguished opportunity to nag poor Fernand, on the big screen this time around. A role that epitomizes a long screen career, spanning the three decades between the advent of the sound period and the birth of the French New Wave. During this time, she embodied innumerable female authority figures such as a mother superior ("La route enchantée"), a school mistress ("Simplet"), the headmistress of a reform school("Prison sans barreaux"), a Salvation Army general ("L'armoire volante") or a princess ("Le disque 1413"). She was rarely married in her films, most of the time she was the narrow-minded old maid. She was at her best as such in the role of one of the boarding house guests in Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1942 masterpiece "L'assassin habite au 21". And when she had indeed married in a movie, she was usually a widow: her late husband had chosen to leave life prematurely to escape her! Occasionally one of the old maids and aunts she was given to play were affectionate, notably in Fritz Lang's "Liliom " (1933). But whether her characters were good or bad, Maximilienne had been one of those colorful character actors and actresses the French cinema of the classic era could not do without. And she will be fondly remembered for that. - IMDb mini biography by: Guy Bellinger
Filmography
The Enigma of the Folies-Bergère
Film · 1959
Houla-Houla
Film · 1959
Premier mai
Film · 1958
Fric-frac en dentelles
Film · 1957
La Cage aux souris
Film · 1954
The Congress of Mother-in-Laws
Film · 1954
Trois vieilles filles en folie
Film · 1952
Drôle de noce
Film · 1952
Dans la vie tout s'arrange
Film · 1952
Adhémar or the Toy of Destiny
Film · 1951
Musique en tête
Film · 1951
Monsieur Octave
Film · 1951
Pardon My French
Film · 1951
No More Vacation for the Good Lord
Film · 1950
Tête blonde
Film · 1950
The Treasure of Cantenac
Film · 1950
Last Hour, Special Edition
Film · 1949
The Cupboard Was Bare
Film · 1948
Scandals of Clochemerle
Film · 1948
Monsieur Vincent
Film · 1947
Song of the Clouds
Film · 1946
Rooster Heart
Film · 1946
The Ménard Collection
Film · 1944
Picpus
Film · 1943
Shop Girls of Paris
Film · 1943
Simple-Minded
Film · 1942
The Murderer Lives at Number 21
Film · 1942
Cartacalha, reine des gitans
Film · 1942
Parade in 7 Nights
Film · 1941
Two Women
Film · 1940
Marseille mes amours
Film · 1940
Cavalcade of Love
Film · 1939
Un de la Canebière
Film · 1938
Un meurtre a été commis
Film · 1938
Clodoche
Film · 1938
The Enchanted Road
Film · 1938
The Baker's Wife
Film · 1938
Mon curé chez les riches
Film · 1938
Prison Without Bars
Film · 1938
The Secrets of the Red Sea
Film · 1937
My Aunts and I
Film · 1937
À nous deux, madame la vie
Film · 1937
The Man from Nowhere
Film · 1937
Coup de vent
Film · 1936
Disk 413
Film · 1936
Prête-moi ta femme
Film · 1936
Monsieur est saisi
Film · 1936
Voyage d'agrément
Film · 1935
Gypsy Baron
Film · 1935
Lovers and Thieves
Film · 1935
Incognito
Film · 1934
We Found a Naked Woman
Film · 1934
Midnight, Place Pigalle
Film · 1934
The Daughters of the Concierge
Film · 1934
Tartarin of Tarascon
Film · 1934
Maria Chapdelaine
Film · 1934
Liliom
Film · 1934
Mountain Man
Film · 1934
600,000 francs per month
Film · 1933
Les surprises du divorce
Film · 1933
Étienne
Film · 1933
Maison hantée
Film · 1933
July 14
Film · 1933
For One Cent's Worth of Love
Film · 1932
To the Polls, Citizens
Film · 1932
Our Lord's Vineyard
Film · 1932
Buridan's Donkey
Film · 1932
Adhémar Lampiot
Film · 1932
Bubble Gum
Film · 1931
À Nous la Liberté
Film · 1931