Claude Mathieu ・ Comédie-Française

Claude Mathieu trained at the Rouen Conservatoire prior to joining Alain Bézu’s Company in 1972, which will transform into the Théâtre des Deux-Rives. In 1976, she enrolled at the Paris Conservatoire national supérieur d’art dramatique where Antoine Vitez and Marcel Bluwal taught her. Bluwal directed her in Don Juan Comes Back from the War by Ödön von Horváth at the Théâtre de l'Est Parisien. Jacques Rosner first directed her in Marivaux’s La Double Inconstance at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord and later in Pierre Laville’s Du côté des îles at the Théâtre de l'Odéon. Pierre Romans directed her in Pierre Léaud’s Fugue en mineur(e) at the Petit Odéon as well as in Corneille’s L'Illusion comique at the Théâtre de la Commune. She started at the Comédie-Française as an intern student in 1979, and made her debut by interpreting Irina in Chekhov’s The Three Sisters staged by Jean-Paul Roussillon. Since the 1st of January 2017, she has been Doyenne de la Troupe, where she became the 474th sociétaire since the 1st of January 1985. She worked with the following directors: Jean-Luc Boutté in Victor Hugo’s Mary Tudor, Carlo Goldoni’sThe Impressario from Smyrna, Molière’s Les Précieuses Ridicules and L'Impromptu de Versailles; Jorge Lavelli in Corneille’s Polyeucte; Antoine Vitez in René Kalisky’sDave au bord de mer, Beaumarchais’ Le Mariage de Figaro and Bertolt Brecht’s The Life of Galileo; Alain Françon in Corneille’sLe Menteur; Jacques Lassalle in Italo Svevo’sUn mari, Carlo Goldoni’s Il Campiello and Ödön von Horváth’s Figaro Gets a Divorce; Daniel Mesguich in Racine’s Mithridate and Andromaque, Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Offenbach’s La Vie parisienne; Denis Podalydès in Alfred de Musset’s Fantasio ; Galin Stoev in Molière’s Tartuffe and Hanoch Levin’s Douce vengeance et autres sketches; Éric Ruf in Ibsen’s Peer Gynt and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet ; Emmanuel Daumas in Marguerite Duras’ La Pluie d'été and Voltaire’s Candide; Lilo Baur in Federico García Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba ; Louise Vignaud in Seneca’s Phaedra; and Arnaud Desplechin in Strindberg’s Father. Desplechin directed her in his television film La Forêt, broadcast on Arte Television in 2014, and then in My Golden Days (Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse), which was released in cinemas in 2015. Claude Mathieu wrote the dramatic composition of Chekhov’s On the Road for Guillaume Gallienne, whom she first directed in the monologue Saint François, le divin jongleur at the Studio-Théâtre and later at the Paris Théâtre de l'Ouest in his autobiographical play Les Garçons et Guillaume, à table, later adapted for the cinema. She was also artistic consultant on Maryline, Gallienne’s second feature film from 2017. In 2009, she directed Le Monde de Bulle by Agathe de La Boulaye. Very involved in the musical sphere, Claude Mathieu has participated in Cabarets at the Comédie-Française, notably directing the Cabaret Léo Ferré. She has read the title role of Stravinsky’s Persephone in concert, at the Royal Albert Hall and the London Royal Festival Hall. In 2017, she was part of the reading of Racine’s Bérénice on France Culture Radio.

Claude Mathieu is Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres), Knight of the Order of Merit (Chevalier dans l’ordre du Mérite) and Knight of the Legion of Honour (Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur).

During the 2018-2019 season, Claude Mathieu plays in Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny and Alexandre as staged by Julie Deliquet and in Euripides’ Electra/Orestes byIvo van Hove. Claude Mathieu will be the subject of an issue of Paradoxe(s).