Françoise Blanchard
Françoise Denise Aline Blanchard (6 June 1954 – 24 May 2013)[1][2] was a French actress and voice dubbing artist. Her most notable work is that of her role in the 1982 French film La morte vivante, directed by Jean Rollin.[3] Blanchard had collaborated with Rollin on several occasions in films Les trottoirs de Bangkok (1984), À la poursuite de Barbara (1991) and La nuit des horloges (2007). She had worked frequently with directors Richard Balducci and Jesús Franco. She was also known for her work as a voice artist, having dubbed films, such as, Robert Altman's Popeye (1980), The NeverEnding Story III (1994) and Hackers (1995), and animated television series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Totally Spies!
Françoise Blanchard | |
|---|---|
 Françoise Blanchard in La Morte Vivante | |
| Born | Françoise Denise Aline Blanchard[1] 6 June 1954 Saint-Mandé, France |
| Died | 24 May 2013 (aged 58)[1][2] |
| Occupation(s) | Hand model Actress Voice dubbing artist |
| Years active | 1979–2013 |
| Notable work | La morte vivante (1982) |
Career
Blanchard's career stretched from between the late 1970s until the early 1990s. She may have been best known for playing Catherine Valmont in 1982 horror La Morte Vivante (The Living Dead Girl), a film from Jean Rollin.
She also appeared in films by directors Jess Franco and Bruno Mattei. She recalled her career in an interview, which was featured on the Encore release of La Morte Vivante, she mentioned that it was a tragedy and a coincidence that started her career in the late 1970s. While trying to make ends meet as a hand model, she lost her brother in the late 1970. Around that same time she was offered her first role, coincidentally as someone who had also lost a family member. Françoise approached the part skeptically as she remembered that at that time she was, "aggressive against people but also a bit confused" due to the death of her brother. She enjoyed the experience and took a serious interest in acting, so decided to take acting lessons afterwards.
Blanchard soon became involved in several B movies when her career quickly became intertwined with the legendary Eurocine company. "I liked the feel of these B movies, especially horror", Françoise noted to Encore, which perhaps explains why she became so popular to several of the most noteworthy genre directors of the late 1970s. She also mentioned that she didn't mind nudity and even went so far as to pose for Lui Magazine in the early 1980s. After several films directors such as Pierre Chevalier, Françoise took a role in Bruno Mattei's Caligula and Messalina in 1981. The following year she appeared in Jess Franco's Revenge In The House Of Usher, and she liked Franco and admired his creativity and fire.
She then appeared in the La Morte Vivante with Rollin. The night shoot on the film was mostly difficult and there were many problems with the special effects but, despite some disagreements, she liked and admired Rollin and admitted to Encore that, "he is really nice and is very much there". She enjoyed working with and admired her co-star in the film, Italian actress Marina Pierro, and noted, "she is very maternal with me." Françoise worked again with Rollin in Les Trottoirs De Bangkok (The Sidewalks Of Bangkok), a film which she had a lot of fun making, and she appeared in his newest film production La nuit des horloges (The Night of Clocks) opposite Ovidie.
Death
Blanchard died on 24 May 2013,[4] twelve days before her 59th birthday. The cause of death was not disclosed.[5]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Les joyeuses colonies de vacances | L'infirmière |
| 1980 | Une si jolie petite fille | Françoise |
| 1980 | Une maison bien tranquille | (unnamed / unknown role) |
| 1981 | Caligula et Messaline | Agrippina / Caligula's sister |
| 1981 | Les brigades roses | (unnamed / unknown role) |
| 1981 | La maison Tellier | La veuve |
| 1982 | L'oasis des filles perdues | Annie |
| 1982 | Nerone e Poppea | poppea (credited as Patricia Derek) |
| 1982 | N'oublie pas ton père au vestiaire... | Juliette |
| 1982 | Les p'tites têtes | Paloma |
| 1982 | La morte vivante (The Living Dead Girl) | Catherine Valmont |
| 1983 | Revenge in the House of Usher (French version) | Melissa |
| 1983 | On l'appelle Catastrophe | La fille |
| 1983 | L'émir préfère les blondes | Sylvie |
| 1984 | Vénus | Annie |
| 1984 | Les trottoirs de Bangkok (The Sidewalks of Bangkok) | Claudine |
| 1985 | Y'a pas le feu... | Juliette |
| 1985 | Le facteur de Saint-Tropez | Maria Ficelle |
| 1986 | Les amazones du temple d'or | Blonde Amazon |
| 1986 | Sida, la peste del siglo XX | (unnamed / unknown role) |
| 1987 | Manières d'amour | Françoise |
| 1991 | À la poursuite de Barbara (short) | (unnamed / unknown role) |
| 1997 | Alliance cherche doigt | La femme de Chaneloup |
| 2007 | La nuit des horloges (The Night of the Clocks) | Lethal |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Popeye | Olive Oyl | French dub (played by Shelley Duvall) |
| 1991 | Lucky Luke | Coyotito | Season 2 (6 episodes) |
| 1991 | Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars | Unnamed role | Season 1, Episode 1 (French dub) |
| 1991 | Little Dracula | Unnamed role | Unknown episode(s) (French dub) |
| 1991–92 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Unnamed role | "Michaelangelo Meets Mondo Gecko" (French dub) "Rock Around the Block" (French dub) |
| 1992 | Souris souris | Unnamed role | Unknown episodes(s) |
| 1994 | The NeverEnding Story III | Jane Bux | French Dub (played by Tracey Ellis) |
| 1995 | Hackers | Margo Wallace | French Dub (played by Lorraine Bracco) |
| 1995 | Pride and Prejudice | Caroline Bingley | French dub; BBC miniseries (played by Anna Chancellor) |
| 1996–97 | Poil de carotte | Remi / Agathe | Unknown episode(s) |
| 2000 | Les globulyss | Unnamed role | Unknown episode(s) |
| 2003–04 | Martin Mystery | Unnamed role | "Terror from the Sky" (French dub) "Return of the Dark Druid" (French dub) |
| 2006 | Team Galaxy | Mrs. Roskoff | Unknown episode(s) |
| 2009–10 | The Amazing Spiez! | Unnamed role | "Operation Dyno-might!" (French dub) "Operation Trudy on Duty" (French dub) |
| 2004–13 | Totally Spies! | Unnamed role | "Physics 101 Much?" (French dub) "The Anti-Social Network" (French dub) |
References
- "BLANCHARD Francoise Denise Aline". deces.matchid.io. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- "BLANCHARD Françoise". lesgensducinema.com. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- Paszylk, Bartlomiej (2009). The pleasure and pain of cult horror films: an historical survey. McFarland. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-7864-3695-8.
- Obituaries in the Performing Arts 2013. 23 May 2014. ISBN 9781476616520. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
- Lucas, Tim (31 May 2013). "Françoise Blanchard (1954-2013)". Videowatchdog.blogspot.com. Retrieved 22 May 2019.