---
name: "Marie Laforêt"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/marie-laforet"
fi1m_id: "marie-laforet"
imdb_id: "nm0481030"
tmdb_id: 39644
wikidata_id: "Q239807"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "5 October 1939"
died: "2 November 2019"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-10-05T04:34:36.671564+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Marie Laforêt

## Identity

Marie Laforêt

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/marie-laforet
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** marie-laforet
- **IMDb ID:** nm0481030
- **TMDB ID:** 39644
- **Wikidata ID:** Q239807
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Lafor%C3%AAt, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q239807, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0481030/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/39644

Actor. Born 5 October 1939 in Soulac-sur-Mer, Gironde, France. Died 2 November 2019.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 5 October 1939, Soulac-sur-Mer, Gironde, France
- **Died:** 2 November 2019
- **Also known as:** Maïténa Marie Brigitte Douménach, Мари Лафоре, Майтена Мари Брижитт Думенак
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Lafor%C3%AAt, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q239807, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0481030/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/39644

## Fi1m on Marie Laforêt

> Marie Laforêt brings a faintly mocking intelligence to romantic roles and an independent streak to supporting parts. We value her presence, though *Purple Noon* also shows how little space a film can give an actor worth watching.

In *Purple Noon* (1960), Marie Laforêt's Marge Duval has a faintly mocking quality that makes her worth watching even while the film directs our eyes towards Alain Delon. René Clément keeps us occupied with what his Ripley might be making of everybody else. We could not relax around Ripley, because Delon's stillness made us suspicious of his interest in other people. Laforêt and Maurice Ronet, as Philippe Greenleaf, have to compete with that for our attention. We wanted more space for Marge, and the film's success as a thriller does not cancel that reservation.

That was her film debut, and it would be unfair to treat a deliberately restricted part as a complete account of her acting. Her screen appeal lies partly in suggesting that the woman being admired might have her own opinion of the admirer. Jean-Gabriel Albicocco's *The Girl with the Golden Eyes* (1961) gave her an early starring role. She also played Eftikia in Valerio Zurlini's war drama *The Camp Followers* (1965), one of her international co-productions.

As singing took more of her attention, the leading screen roles became less frequent and supporting parts more usual. The sophisticated, eccentric or independent women she often played offered something more specific than a requirement to look attractive beside a leading man. *Cop or Hood* (1979), directed by Georges Lautner and co-starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, marked a return to prominent screen work. She made five films with Belmondo and three with Lautner, recurring partnerships that matter as much to the shape of her screen career as the early starring roles.

There are limits to what that distinctive presence can tell us, and Laforêt herself described some early performances as unprepared. It is a useful warning against crediting an actor with more than a film actually lets us see. Her later stage portrayal of Maria Callas in *Master Class* (1999) drew praise for its emotional breadth, giving us another reason not to stop at Marge. Watch *Purple Noon*, but do not give Delon all your attention.

## Biography

Marie Laforêt (born Maïténa Marie Brigitte Douménach) was a French singer and actress. She was born on 5 October 1939 in Soulac-sur-Mer, Gironde, and died on 2 November 2019 in Genolier, Switzerland.

Her career began in 1959 when she won a French radio talent contest. Director René Clément cast her as Marge Duval in the 1960 film *Purple Noon*, opposite Alain Delon. She appeared in several films during the 1960s, including *The Girl with the Golden Eyes* (1961), directed by her then-husband Jean-Gabriel Albicocco. She later moved to Geneva in 1978 and acquired Swiss citizenship.

*Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Purple Noon* (1960), Fi1m 82, as Marge Duval — [page](https://film.one/film/purple-noon.md)

## Complete filmography (46)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Belmondo: The Incorrigible* (2022), Actor
- *God's Offices* (2008), as Martine
- *Jeux pour mourir* (2000), Actor
- *Jeudi 12* (1998), as Françoise Gamelin
- *Desert of Fire* (1997), series, as Rahma
- *Heroines* (1997), as Sylvie
- *Love, Math and Sex* (1997), as Pétra la vérité
- *Desert of Fire* (1997), as Rahma
- *Tykho Moon* (1996), as Eva
- *Tell Me Yes...* (1995), as Madame Villiers
- *Women* (1995), as Mother of Mary
- *A che punto è la notte* (1994), series, as Chantel (Poiret) Guidi
- *Who Wants to Kill Sara?* (1992), as La madre di Sara
- *Una fredda mattina di maggio* (1990), as Mara
- *Believed Violent* (1990), as Théa
- *The Miser* (1990), as Contessa Isabella Spinosi
- *La Folle Journée ou Le Mariage de Figaro* (1989), as La comtesse
- *Fucking Fernand* (1987), as Lotte
- *Gramps Is a Great Guy!* (1987), as Louise
- *Sale Destin* (1987), as Marthe Marboni
- *Tangos, the Exile of Gardel* (1985), as Mariana
- *Le Pactole* (1985), as Greta Rousselet
- *Happy Easter* (1984), as Sophie Margelle
- *The Vultures* (1984), as Hélène Laroche-Fréon
- *Will the High Salaried Workers Raise Their Hands!* (1982), as Rose, Joeuf's wife (uncredited)
- *The Graduates of the Last Row* (1982), as Dominique
- *Cop or Hood* (1979), as Edmonde Puget-Rostand
- *Tom Thumb* (1972), as La Reine
- *Kean - Roi de théâtre* (1968), as La comtesse Elena de Koefeld
- *Jack of Diamonds* (1967), as Olga Vodkine
- *Le 13ème Caprice* (1967), as Fanny
- *Io, Gigliola* (1966), series, Actor
- *The Blue Panther* (1965), as Marie-Chantal
- *The Camp Followers* (1965), as Eftikia
- *The Ghostly Rental* (1965), as Miss Diamond
- *How Not to Rob a Department Store* (1965), as Ida
- *Male Hunt* (1964), as Gisèle
- *Because, Because of a Woman* (1963), as Agathe
- *Rat Trap* (1963), as Maria
- *Los 4 Golpes* (1962), as Accomplice N°2
- *Dark Journey* (1962), as Angèle
- *The Red and the Black* (1961), as Mathilde de La Môle
- *Famous Love Affairs* (1961), as Mlle Georges
- *The Girl with the Golden Eyes* (1961), as La fille
- *Saint-Tropez Blues* (1961), as Anne-Marie Brémond
- *Purple Noon* (1960), as Marge Duval — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/purple-noon.md)

## Gallery

- ![Marie Laforêt](https://film.one/media/person/5693296/gallery-e4d0a13b81c7.jpg) Marie Laforêt — Gorup de Besanez, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Lafor%C3%AAt2_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Lafor%C3%AAt2_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Marie Laforêt alla Mostra del cinema di Venezia del 1985](https://film.one/media/person/5693296/gallery-8eb30bf1e0d5.jpg) Marie Laforêt alla Mostra del cinema di Venezia del 1985 — Gorup de Besanez, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Lafor%C3%AAt1.jpg/1280px-Lafor%C3%AAt1.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![The Actress And Singer Marie Laforet And The Director Jean-Gabriel Albicocco (From Left To Right), Her Future Husband, At The Venice Festival On August 24, 1961](https://film.one/media/person/5693296/gallery-5c04380057e2.jpg) The Actress And Singer Marie Laforet And The Director Jean-Gabriel Albicocco (From Left To Right), Her Future Husband, At The Venice Festival On August 24, 1961 — Gamma-Keystone, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Albicocco-Laforet-Italie-1961.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Alain Delon (as Tom Ripley) and Marie Laforêt (as Marge Duval) in a scene from René Clément’s 1960 film Purple Noon.](https://film.one/media/person/5693296/gallery-a679d39b9cf6.jpg) Alain Delon (as Tom Ripley) and Marie Laforêt (as Marge Duval) in a scene from René Clément’s 1960 film Purple Noon. — キネマ旬報社, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Kinema-Junpo-1961-February-special-3.jpg/1280px-Kinema-Junpo-1961-February-special-3.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Marie Laforêt](https://film.one/media/person/5693296/gallery-db4c85edb673.jpg) Marie Laforêt — Image via TMDB
- ![Marie Laforêt](https://film.one/media/person/5693296/gallery-583f3cb4c83d.jpg) Marie Laforêt — Image via TMDB
- ![Marie Laforêt](https://film.one/media/person/5693296/gallery-d60c92a635e8.jpg) Marie Laforêt — Image via TMDB
- ![『金色の眼の女』 (1961)](https://film.one/media/person/5693296/gallery-327a08d581c5.jpg) 『金色の眼の女』 (1961) — キネマ旬報社, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Kinema-Junpo-1961-November-early-2.jpg/1280px-Kinema-Junpo-1961-November-early-2.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Marie Laforêt](https://film.one/media/person/5693296/gallery-828f0fb8a7be.jpg) Marie Laforêt — Image via TMDB
- ![Marie Laforêt](https://film.one/media/person/5693296/gallery-1d08f9059cf2.jpg) Marie Laforêt — Image via TMDB

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/marie-laforet