Michèle "Mimie" Mathy[1] (born 8 July 1957) is a French actress, comedian and singer. A former member of the female comedy trio "Les Filles" with Michèle Bernier and Isabelle de Botton, Mathy is best known for her starring role in the long-running Josephine, Guardian Angel television series. Mathy has achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, and is 4 ft 4 in (1.32 m) tall.[2]

Mimie Mathy
Mimie Mathy at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival
Born
Michèle Mathy

(1957-07-08) 8 July 1957 (age 67)
Occupation(s)Actress, comedian, singer, writer
Years active1982–present
SpouseBenoist Gérard (2004-present)

Life and career

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Interested in the theatre from childhood, she studied the dramatic arts from 1979 to 1981 at Michel Fugain's workshop in Nice.[3] In the early 1980s she performed in a number of theatre roles and appeared in Le Petit Théâtre de Bouvard television show. She formed a touring comedy troupe "Le Trio des Filles" (The Three Girls) which performed shows such as Existe en trois tailles (Available in Three Sizes) from 1988 to 1993.[3] In 1993 she performed in the TV movie Une nounou pas comme les autres (A Nanny Like No Other), which garnered a 52.7% market share (~12 million viewers) in France.[4]

She has starred in the title role of TV series Joséphine Ange Gardien (Joséphine, Guardian Angel) since 1997: the show reached popularity in France.[5]

In 2006 she released a music record, La Vie M'a Raconté (Life Told Me) produced by Patrick Fiori.

Personal life

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Mathy first met restaurateur Benoist Gérard when she picked him out of the audience, as part of one of her stage comedy routines. They became romantically involved, and married on 27 August 2005.[2]

Philanthropy

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Since 1994, Mathy has performed at least 15 times in the annual Les Enfoirés (The Tossers) charity concert for Restaurants du Cœur (Restaurants of the Heart). Les Enfoirés was the most watched TV show in France in 2009, with 12.3 million viewers.[5]

Mathy is a former National Goodwill Ambassador for the French branch of the UNICEF.[6][7]

Awards and recognition

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François Dorieux named a rose cultivar for her in 1999. In 2009 she was selected the sixth most popular French celebrity and highest ranking female celebrity by the weekly Le Journal du Dimanche.[8] Mathy received the title of Knight (Chevalier) of the French Order of Merit in 2013,[9] and was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 2015.[1][10][11]

Discography

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Year Title Sales
2006 La vie m'a raconté
(Life told me)
60,000

Filmography

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Year Title Role Director Notes
1982-1985 Le Petit Théâtre de Bouvard Various Nino Monti TV series
1984 La jeune femme en vert The servant Lazare Iglesis TV movie
1994 Une nounou pas comme les autres Julie Toronto Eric Civanyan TV movie
1995 Amimicalement The Host Gilles Amado TV show
Une nana pas comme les autres Julie Toronto Eric Civanyan TV movie
1997–present Josephine, Guardian Angel Joséphine Delamarre Jean-Marc Seban, Pascal Heylbroeck, ... TV series (103 episodes)
7 d'Or - Best Actress - Soap or Series (1997)
7 d'Or - Best Actress - Soap or Series (2000)
7 d'Or - Best Actress - Soap or Series (2003)
1998 Famille de coeur Nadine Lefort Gérard Vergez TV movie
Changement de cap Marilyn Patrick Malakian TV movie
2000 Family Pack Elisa Kessler Chris Vander Stappen
Marie et Tom Marie Bertin Dominique Baron TV movie
2004 À trois c'est mieux Juju Laurence Katrian TV movie
2005 La bonne copine Juliette Nicolas Cuche TV movie
2011 Amimicalement The Host Pascal Duchêne TV show
Trois filles en cavale Vicky Lebel Didier Albert TV movie
2013 Link 2 Herself Daniel Bésikian & Franck Guedj Short
2017 Le prix de la vérité Capitaine Marie Jourdan Emmanuel Rigaut TV movie
2018 Camping paradis Joséphine Delamarre Philippe Proteau TV series (1 episode)
Demain nous appartient Pénélope David Lanzmann, Jérôme Navarro, ... TV series (5 episodes)
2019 Le prix de la loyauté Capitaine Marie Jourdan Emmanuel Rigaut TV movie
2020 I Love You Coiffure Madame Plantin Muriel Robin TV movie
Call My Agent! Herself Marc Fitoussi TV series (2 episodes)
2022 Le prix de la trahison Capitaine Marie Jourdan François Guérin TV movie
2023 Léo Matteï, brigade des mineurs Chantal Hervé Renoh TV series (2 episodes)

Theatre

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Year Title Director Author Place Notes
1982-1983 Elle voit des géants partout Mimie Mathy & Didier Biosca Jean-Claude Martin Point Virgule One-woman show
1985-1986 Mimie en quête d'hauteur Mimie Mathy & Didier Biosca Jean-Claude Martin Théâtre de la Potinière One-woman show
1988-1990 Existe en trois tailles Patrick Timsit Mimie Mathy, Michèle Bernier & Isabelle de Botton Théâtre de la Michodière Play
1991-1993 Le Gros N'avion Éric Civanyan Mimie Mathy, Michèle Bernier & Isabelle de Botton Théâtre de la Michodière Play
1994-1996 Mimie au Splendid Pierre Palmade Pierre Palmade Le Splendid One-woman show
2002-2004 J'adore papoter avec vous Roger Louret Muriel Robin & Mimie Mathy Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin One-woman show
2013-2015 Je (re)papote avec vous Roger Louret Muriel Robin, Mimie Mathy & Jean-Philippe Lemmonier Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin One-woman show

Bibliography

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Year Title Author Publisher
1986 À pas de géant Mimie Mathy Carrère
1994 Mimie Mathy Hachette
2006 Aller simple pour le bonheur Mimie Mathy & Benoist Gerard Éditions Plon
Joséphine ange gardien, Tome 1 Mimie Mathy, Galdric & Thierry Robberecht Jungle
Joséphine ange gardien, Tome 2
2007 Joséphine ange gardien, Tome 3
2008 Joséphine ange gardien, Tome 4
2009 Les vacances africaines de Zouzou et Aï Mimie Mathy Éditions Plon
2010 Le Noël magique de Pierrot et Marguerite
Djamel et Mégane : même pas peur !
2017 Vaut-il mieux être toute petite ou abandonné à la naissance ? Mimie Mathy & Gilles Legardinier Belfond

References

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  1. ^ a b "Décret du 31 décembre 2014 portant promotion et nomination" (in French). Journal officiel de la République française. 31 December 2014.
  2. ^ a b Randall, Colin (7 March 2006). "Short sharp shock for followers of the femme fatale". The Daily Telegraph.
  3. ^ a b Mimie Mathy. "L'Atelier de Nice". Biographie. Archived from the original on 28 April 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  4. ^ Humblot, Catherine (31 July 1994). "Dossier les Paradoxes de la Fiction Française le Calvaire du Producteur". Le Monde.
  5. ^ a b Leffler, Rebecca (4 January 2010). "France's TF1 rules TV ratings". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Ambassadeurs nationaux | Portraits de l'UNICEF" (in French). UNICEF. Archived from the original on 30 August 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Les ambassadeurs et ambassadrices de l'UNICEF France" (in French). UNICEF France. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  8. ^ "L'ange gardien de Mimie Mathy" (in French). Le Journal du Dimanche. 10 August 2009. Archived from the original on 7 April 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  9. ^ "La lyonnaise Mimie Mathy décorée de l'ordre national du Mérite". LyonMag.com (in French). 11 December 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  10. ^ "Modiano, Tirole et Mimie Mathy dans la promotion de la Légion d'honneur" (in French). Le Monde. 1 January 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  11. ^ Yalioua, Zahia (10 May 2015). "Mimie Mathy décorée de la Légion d'honneur par Line Renaud" (in French). TF1. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
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