Name	Michele Mercier
Height
Naionality	Franch
Date of Birth	1-January-1939
Place of Birth	Nice, France
Famous for	Acting

Michele Mercier is a French actress. In the course of her career she has worked with leading directors like François Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Melville, Jacques Deray, Dino Risi, Mario Monicelli, Mario Bava, Peter Collinson and Ken Annakin. Her leading men have included Marcello Mastroianni, Vittorio Gassman, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Gabin, Charles Aznavour, Robert Hossein, Charles Bronson, Tony Curtis and Charlton Heston. Although she appeared in more than fifty films, it is for her role as "Angelique" that she is best known in the world.

She needed a role which could make her a star. It was in 1963, when it was decided to make a movie of the sensational novel "Angelique", that Michele got her chance. Many actresses were approached to play the role of Angelique. Producer Francis Cosne wanted Brigitte Bardot for the part. She refused. Annette Stroyberg was considered next, but judged not sufficiently well-known. Catherine Deneuve was too pale, Jane Fonda spoke French with an American accent, and Virna Lisi was busy in Hollywood. The most serious actress considered was Marina Vlady.

She almost signed a contract, but Mercier won the role after trying out for it - she did not appreciate this very much since she was being treated like a beginner at a time when she was already well known in Italy. At the time she was contacted to play Angelique, she had already acted in over twenty films. During the next four years she made five sequels which enjoyed astonishing success. However the role of Angelique, "the Marquise of the Angels", was both a blessing and a curse. It catapulted her to almost instant stardom, rivalling Brigitte Bardot in celebrity and popularity, but the character of Angelique overshadowed all other aspects of her career. By the end of the 1960s, the names Angelique and Michele Mercier were synonymous. Attempting to break free from the character Michele played against Jean Gabin in The Thunder of God directed by Denys de la Patelliere.

She then appeared with Robert Hossein in La Seconde Verite directed by Christian-Jaque. Mercier then left France and tried to restart her career in the United States, unfortunately without much success.