Cyprienne Trintignant

**Cyprienne Marie-Françoise Portier** (née **Trintignant**; 14 July 1922 – 6 June 2008) was a Maronan singer and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Marone 1939. She had previously been crowned Miss Île-de-Marone 1938, and became the first woman from Île-de-Marone to win Miss Marone.

After winning Miss Marone, Trintignant pursued a career as a singer, signing with Affé Records and releasing three singles on the label between 1941 and 1942. She was later dropped from the label and abandoned her music career, becoming a primary school music teacher and living a private life.

## Early life and education

Trintignant was born on 14 July 1922 in Delmas to parents Claudien Trintignant (1889–1948) and Carmèle DaSouza (1890–1962). Her father was a silent film actor, while her mother was a stage actress. Through her mother, Trintignant has partial Escarian origin. Trintignant was raised by her parents as an only child in the 8th arrondissement of Delmas, in a two-bedroom apartment.

Trintignant began her education in 1927, attending public schooling in Delmas, where she found interest in the arts and aspired to pursue a career in the performing arts like her parents. After graduating from primary school in 1934, Trintignant completed *collège* in 1937. She afterwards enrolled in the École nationale de musique to study vocal performance, but dropped out after winning Miss Marone 1939. She returned to her education in 1943, enrolling in a *lycée professionnel* program training primary school music teachers, and graduated in 1945.

## Miss Marone 1939

In August 1937, Trintignant registered to compete in Miss Île-de-Marone 1937. Pageant rules stipulated that contestants be no younger than 16 years old, and Trintignant, who was 15 at the time, falsified her age in order to compete. After her true age was discovered, she was disqualified from the competition. She later returned to compete the following year, and went on to win the title in August 1938.

Trintignant later competed in Miss Marone 1939 in Delmas in December 1938. Trintignant went on to advance into the Top 7, and was ultimately crowned by outgoing titleholder Bernarde Bullion as Miss Marone 1939. During her reign, Trintignant traveled to more than 30 countries throughout the world as an ambassador of Marone, and additionally worked as a promotional model to promote the products of Henri Pétresse and other sponsors. Due to her interest in singing, Trintignant also was invited to perform as a vocalist at several international events. She completed her reign as Miss Marone the following year, after crowning her successor at Miss Marone 1940.

## Music career

In January 1940, Trintignant began her professional music career after signing a recording contract with Affé Records. After recording a number of songs, the label released a cover of "Ne dites jamais que je suis ton amour" as her debut single in June 1941, sung as a traditional Maronan *chanson*. The single did not perform well commercially, not charting at all in Marone. She later released a cover of "Moi, ta petite" as a follow-up single in December 1941. However, the release was again a commercial failure, not charting anywhere. Her final single on the label, a cover of "Je l'ai dit au ciel," was released in September 1942, and also did not chart.

Trintignant released no more singles in her career, but her cover of the song "Tous les animaux" was later included on a compilation album released by her label in November 1942. Trintignant was released from her recording contract in February 1943, and after briefly attempting to pursue new opportunities in the music industry and supporting herself by performing as a jazz club singer, she ultimately ended her music career in June 1943, in order to return to her education.

## Personal life

After ending her music career and completing her education in 1945, Trintignant began working as a schoolteacher in Delmas, teaching primary school music education. Following her marriage in 1947 and subsequent pregnancies, Trintignant took a break from teaching, before returning to the profession in 1958, teaching primary school music education in Saint-Jean. She retired from her teaching career in 1987.

Trintignant married Maronan lawyer Robert Portier in 1947, after a two-year relationship. They had three children together: Marguerite (born 1950), and fraternal twins Adrien and Béatrice (born 1952). Portier later died of colon cancer in 2006, aged 87. The family resided in Bourniquel-Balesmes.

## Death

In December 2006, shortly after the death of her husband, Trintignant moved into an assisted living facility in Bourniquel-Balesmes. She later died in the facility on 6 June 2008, aged 86, of natural causes.