Marie-Hélène Demongeot (September 29, 1935 - December 1, 2022), better known as Mylène Demongeot, was a French actress.
She started off as a blond sex symbol in The '50s and The '60s in the wake of Brigitte Bardot, though she managed to avoid typecasting by getting roles in a myriad of genres from thrillers, spy fiction, westerns and comedies to swashbucklers, period pieces and even Sword and Sandal. Her career across film, television and stage spanned 70 years in over 100 productions since her debut in 1953, and her most popular works among the French public include the Three Musketeers duology with Gérard Barray and the Fantômas film series with Jean Marais and Louis de Funès.
She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for The Crucible (1957) and twice for the César award for Best Supporting Actress, for 36 quai des Orfèvres (2005) and La Californie (2007). Such late recognition was quite a surprise for her (there's a feeling that she was often snubbed in her prime).
She married twice and had no children. She passed away from peritoneum cancer on December 1, 2022.
Selected filmography:
- A Kiss for a Killer (1957) as Eva Dollan
- Bonjour Tristesse (1958) as Elsa
- Under Ten Flags (1960) as Zizi
- The Three Musketeers (1961) as Milady de Winter
- Part I - The Queen's Diamonds
- Part II - Milady's Revenge
- Doctor in Distress (1963) as Sonja and Helga Stromberg
- Fantômas film series as Hélène
- Fantômas (1964)
- Fantômas Unleashed (1965)
- Fantômas Against Scotland Yard (1967)
- Uncle Tom's Cabin (1965) as Harriet Beecher Stowe
- OSS 117: Mission for a Killer (1965) as Anna-Maria Sulza
- 36 quai des Orfèvres (2005) as Manou Berliner
- Caïn (2017) as Jacqueline Benedetti
Tropes & Trivia about her works:
- Ms. Fanservice: She was very easy on the eyes in The '50s and The '60s when French movie studios were looking for other blonde bombshells à la Brigitte Bardot. She made sure that she wouldn't limit her career to such roles however.
- Promoted Fangirl: She was a huge fan of the novels of Alexandre Dumas, having read them all. She campaigned the hardest she could to get the coveted role of Milady de Winter (her favorite literary character) in the Bernard Borderie adaptation of The Three Musketeers in 1961 and got the role, even with a rather small paycheck.
