# Macha Méril

Princess Maria-Magdalena Vladimirovna Gagarina (born 3 September 1940), known by her stage name Macha Méril (French pronunciation:), is a French actress and writer.

## Biography

Méril is descended by her father from the Russian princely house Gagarin and by her mother from a Ukrainian noble family. She appeared in 125 films between 1959 and 2012, including films directed by Jean-Luc Godard (A Married Woman / Une femme mariée), Luis Buñuel (Belle de jour), and Rainer Werner Fassbinder (Chinese Roulette).
She also appeared in the Quebec television series Lance et Compte. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Helga Ulmann in Dario Argento's Deep Red and in Aldo Lado's Night Train Murders (1975).

## Theater

| Year | Title | Author | Director | Notes |
| 1987 | L'Éloignement | Loleh Bellon | Bernard Murat | Nominated for: Molière Award for Best Actress |
| 1988-1989 | The Seagull | Anton Tchekhov | Andrei Konchalovsky | |
| 1990 | L'Aiglon | Edmond Rostand | Jean-Luc Tardieu | |
| 1993-1995 | Roman Fever | Edith Wharton | Simone Benmussa | |
| 1997 | Bel Ami | Guy de Maupassant | Didier Long | |
| 2006-2008 | The Importance of Being Earnest | Oscar Wilde | Pierre Laville | |
| 2006-2009 | Feu sacré | George Sand | Simone Benmussa | |
| 2009 | Le Voyage de Victor | Nicolas Bedos | Nicolas Bedos | |
| 2013 | Rapport intime | Didier Van Cauwelaert | Alain Sachs | |
| 2018 | La Légende d'une vie | Stefan Zweig | Christophe Lidon | |

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
| 1960 | La main chaude | Yvette | Gérard Oury | |
| 1960 | Une question d'assurance | | Pierre Kast | |
| 1960 | Dow Hour of Great Mysteries | | William Graham | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1961 | Route 66 | Perette Dijon | Sam Peckinpah | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1961 | Naked City | Gaby | William Graham | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1962 | Adorable Liar | Sophie | Michel Deville | |
| 1962 | The Sign of Leo | The blond at the 14th July | Éric Rohmer | |
| 1962 | Love on a Pillow | Raphaële | Roger Vadim | |
| 1963 | Sweet and Sour | The striptisist | Jacques Baratier | |
| 1963 | Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? | Jacqueline Edwards | Daniel Mann | |
| 1964 | A Married Woman | Charlotte | Jean-Luc Godard | |
| 1964 | Anatomy of a Marriage: My Days with Jean-Marc | Nicole | André Cayatte | |
| 1964 | Anatomy of a Marriage: My Days with Françoise | Nicole | André Cayatte | |
| 1964 | Les petites demoiselles | | Michel Deville | TV movie |
| 1965 | The Oil Prince | Lizzy | Harald Philipp | |
| 1965 | Der Fall Han van Meegeren | Tineke van Meegeren | André Michel | TV movie |
| 1966 | The Defector | Frieda Hoffmann | Raoul Lévy | |
| 1966 | Trois étoiles en Touraine | | Maurice Régamey | TV movie |
| 1967 | L'horizon | Elisa | Jacques Rouffio | |
| 1967 | Belle de jour | Renée | Luis Buñuel | |
| 1968 | Au pan coupé | Jeanne Delaître | Guy Gilles | |
| 1968 | Ne jouez pas avec les Martiens | Maryvonne Guéguen | Henri Lanoë | |
| 1968 | L'auréole de plomb | | André Michel | TV movie |
| 1970 | L'amore coniugale | Leda Pataneo | Dacia Maraini | |
| 1971 | We Are All in Temporary Liberty | Gisella | Manlio Scarpelli | |
| 1972 | La notte dei fiori | Macha | Gian Vittorio Baldi | |
| 1972 | We Won't Grow Old Together | Françoise | Maurice Pialat | |
| 1974 | Chinese in Paris | Madeleine Fontanes | Jean Yanne | |
| 1974 | Amore mio non farmi male | Linda De Simone | Vittorio Sindoni | |
| 1974 | Sotto il placido Don | Caterina II | Vittorio Cottafavi | TV Mini-Series |
| 1975 | Deep Red | Helga Ulmann | Dario Argento | |
| 1975 | The Peaceful Age | Elsa | Fabio Carpi | |
| 1975 | Son tornate a fiorire le rose | Linda De Simone | Vittorio Sindoni | |
| 1975 | Last Stop on the Night Train | The Lady on the Train | Aldo Lado | |
| 1975 | The Last Day of School Before Christmas | Egle | Gian Vittorio Baldi | |
| 1975 | Il registratore | | Gianni Amico | TV movie |
| 1975 | L'uomo dei venti | Anna | Carlo Tuzii | TV movie |
| 1976 | Chinese Roulette | Traunitz | Rainer Werner Fassbinder | |
| 1976 | Perdutamente tuo... mi firmo Macaluso Carmelo fu Giuseppe | Baroness Valeria Lamia | Vittorio Sindoni | |
| 1977 | Pasión | | Tonino Ricci | |
| 1977 | Delirio d'amore | Bianca | Tonino Ricci | |
| 1977 | Peccatori di provincia | Vincenzina Lo Curcio | Tiziano Longo | |
| 1977 | Una donna di seconda mano | Clelia | Pino Tosini | |
| 1977 | Ride bene... chi ride ultimo | Esmeralda Benti Contini | Vittorio Sindoni | |
| 1977 | Emmenez-moi au Ritz | Barbara | Pierre Grimblat | TV movie |
| 1977 | Cinéma 16 | Luce | Bernard Dubois | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1978 | Rock 'n' Roll | Annalisa | Vittorio De Sisti | |
| 1978 | En l'autre bord | Christine | Jérôme Kanapa | |
| 1978 | Robert et Robert | Agathe | Claude Lelouch | |
| 1978 | Ridendo e scherzando | Susy | Vittorio Sindoni | |
| 1978 | Tanto va la gatta al lardo... | Vera | Vittorio Sindoni | |
| 1978 | Va voir maman, papa travaille | Marianne | François Leterrier | |
| 1978 | Il y a encore des noisetiers | Jacqueline | Jean-Paul Sassy | TV movie |
| 1979 | La promessa | Signora Heller | Alberto Negrin | TV movie |
| 1979 | The Roses of Danzig | Elvira von Lehner | Alberto Bevilacqua | TV Mini-Series |
| 1979 | Morte a passo di valzer | Lady Flora Drayton | Giovanni Fago | TV Mini-Series |
| 1980 | Tender Cousins | Agnès | David Hamilton | |
| 1980 | Caméra une première | Jeanne | Jacques Fansten | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1981 | Beau-père | The Hostess | Bertrand Blier | |
| 1981 | Les Uns et les Autres | Magda Kremer | Claude Lelouch | |
| 1981 | Le bonheur des tristes | Madeleine | Caroline Huppert | TV movie |
| 1981 | La felicità | | Vittorio De Sisti | TV Mini-Series |
| 1981 | Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret | Lucie Decaux | Stéphane Bertin | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1982 | Le crime d'amour | Jeanne Bontemps / Odette Dumont | Guy Gilles | |
| 1982 | Chêne et lapins angora | Anna Grübel | Georges Wilson | TV movie |
| 1982 | L'apprentissage de la ville | Luc's mother | Caroline Huppert | TV movie |
| 1983 | Deadly Circuit | Madeleine | Claude Miller | |
| 1983 | Le grand carnaval | Armande Labrouche | Alexandre Arcady | |
| 1983 | For Those I Loved | Martin's mother | Robert Enrico | |
| 1983 | Lettres du bagne | Anne-Marie Gavrinis | Jean L'Hôte | TV movie |
| 1983 | Dorothée, danseuse de corde | The Comtesse de Chagny | Jacques Fansten | TV movie |
| 1983 | Les poneys sauvages | | Robert Mazoyer | TV Mini-Series |
| 1983 | Les Uns et les Autres | Magda Kremer | Claude Lelouch | TV Mini-Series |
| 1984 | Les fauves | Sylvia | Jean-Louis Daniel | |
| 1984 | Cinéma 16 | Claire | Pierre Bureau | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1985 | Vagabond | Madame Landier | Agnès Varda | Nominated - César Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 1985 | Les Nanas | Françoise | Annick Lanoë | |
| 1985 | Les Rois du gag | Jacqueline | Claude Zidi | |
| 1985 | L'homme de pouvoir | Carole Cerf-Lebrun | Maurice Frydland | TV movie |
| 1985 | La robe mauve de Valentine | Valentine | Patrick Bureau | TV movie |
| 1985 | Colette | Colette | Gérard Poitou-Weber | TV Mini-Series |
| 1985 | Au nom de tous les miens | Martin's mother | Robert Enrico | TV Mini-Series |
| 1986 | Duet for One | Anya | Andrei Konchalovsky | |
| 1986 | Suivez mon regard | The opener's woman | Jean Curtelin | |
| 1986 | Macho | Anne-Marie Dutuillel | Nicolas Gessner | TV movie |
| 1986 | Investigatori d'Italia | Caterina | Paolo Poeti | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1986-1989 | He Shoots, He Scores | Maroussia Lambert | Jean-Claude Lord & Richard Martin | TV series (39 episodes) |
| 1987 | Chez le médecin | Madame Desrues | Pascal Aubier | Short |
| 1988 | La trajectoire amoureuse | The babouchka | Pascal Aubier | Short |
| 1988 | L'éloignement | Denise | Yves-André Hubert | TV movie |
| 1989 | La Vouivre | La Rodinet | Georges Wilson | |
| 1989-1990 | Laura und Luis | Viscida | Frank Strecker | TV series (6 episodes) |
| 1991 | Meeting Venus | Miss Malikoff | István Szabó | |
| 1991 | A Simple Story | Roccella's mother | Emidio Greco | |
| 1991 | Money | Madame Varles | Steven Hilliard Stern | TV movie |
| 1991 | Les mouettes | Madame Rose | Jean Chapot | TV movie |
| 1992 | Zuppa di pesce | Caterina | Fiorella Infascelli | |
| 1992 | Double Vision | Mrs. Perfect | Robert Knights | TV movie |
| 1992 | L'élixir d'amour | Madame Sabodet | Claude d'Anna | TV movie |
| 1992 | Marie-Galante | | Jean-Pierre Richard | TV Mini-Series |
| 1993 | Berlin '39 | Madame Vic | Sergio Sollima | |
| 1993 | Le Don | Margherita | David Delrieux | TV movie |
| 1993 | L'éternel mari | Claudia Pogoretz | Denys Granier-Deferre | TV movie |
| 1994 | Délit mineur | Madeleine | Francis Girod | |
| 1994 | Voyage en Pologne | Jeanne | Stéphane Kurc | TV movie |
| 1994 | Ho un segreto con papà | | Gianpaolo Tescari | TV movie |
| 1995 | Le juge est une femme | Madame Vernier | Claude Grinberg | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1996 | Alla turca | Mélanie | Macha Méril | TV movie |
| 1996 | L'île aux secrets | | Bruno Herbulot | TV movie |
| 1996 | Le crabe sur la banquette arrière | Catherine | Jean-Pierre Vergne | TV movie |
| 1996 | Morlock | Juliette d'Ortes | Yves Boisset | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1997 | Et si on faisait un bébé ? | Lucille | Christiane Spiero | TV movie |
| 1998 | A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries | Madame Beauvier | James Ivory | |
| 1998 | L'inventaire | Viviane Boyelles | Caroline Huppert | TV movie |
| 1998 | Belle grand-mère | Babou | Marion Sarraut | TV movie |
| 1999 | In punta di cuore | Mamie Berthe | Francesco Massaro | TV movie |
| 1999 | Tramontane | Bianca | Henri Helman | TV Mini-Series |
| 2000 | Le sciamane | Madre | Anne Riitta Ciccone | |
| 2001 | Un citronnier pour deux | Hélène | Élisabeth Rappeneau | TV movie |
| 2001 | Méditerranée | Carla | Henri Helman | TV series (2 episodes) |
| 2002 | Âges ingrats | Sabine | Cyril Gelblat | Short |
| 2003 | Rien, voilà l'ordre | Alexis's mother | Jacques Baratier | |
| 2003 | Rien ne va plus | Virginie Maurel de Ronchard | Michel Sibra | TV movie |
| 2003 | Belle grand-mère 2 - La trattoria | Babou | Marion Sarraut | TV movie |
| 2003 | L'agence coup de coeur | Jeanne | Stéphane Kurc | TV series (1 episode) |
| 2004 | Clochemerle | Baroness Alphonsine de Courtebiche | Daniel Losset | TV movie |
| 2004 | Famille, je vous haime | Jacqueline | Laurent Carcélès | TV movie |
| 2004 | Le fond de l'air est frais | Jacqueline | Laurent Carcélès | TV movie |
| 2006 | Mademoiselle Gigi | Mamita | Caroline Huppert | TV movie |
| 2006 | C'est arrivé dans l'escalier | Mademoiselle de Tassigny | Luc Béraud | TV movie |
| 2006 | Josephine, Guardian Angel | Tania Fournier | Laurent Levy | TV series (1 episode) |
| 2007 | René Bousquet ou Le grand arrangement | Evelyne Baylet | Laurent Heynemann | TV movie |
| 2009 | Trésor | Madame Girardon | Claude Berri & François Dupeyron | |
| 2009 | Hopital | Rose Marie | Maud Geffray & Sebastien Chenut | Short |
| 2010 | Les nuits d'Alice | Bettina | Williams Crépin | TV movie |
| 2012 | Happiness Never Comes Alone | Fanfan Keller | James Huth | |
| 2012 | Climats | Henriette Marcenat | Caroline Huppert | TV movie |
| 2012 | Malgré-elles | Alice Fabre | Denis Malleval | TV movie |
| 2012 | À dix minutes des naturistes | Suzy | Stéphane Clavier | TV movie |
| 2013 | Le bal des secrets | Rose | Christophe Barbier | TV Mini-Series |
| 2013 | Doc Martin | Bernadette Derville | François Velle | TV series (1 episode) |
| 2014 | The Price of Fame | Oona Chaplin (voice) | Xavier Beauvois | |
| 2014 | La Trouvaille de Juliette | Juliette | Jérôme Navarro | TV movie |
| 2016 | Alliances rouge sang | Béatrice | Marc Angelo | TV movie |
| 2016 | Mongeville | Natasha de Frénac | René Manzor | TV series (1 episode) |
| 2017 | Mr. Stein Goes Online | Marie | Stéphane Robelin | |
| 2019 | L'enfant que je n'attendais pas | Christine | Bruno Garcia | TV movie |