Martine
Chevallier

Martine Chevallier became acquainted with the Stanislavsky Method at the Cours Furet before joining Antoine Vitez’s class at the Conservatoire supérieur d’art dramatique where she won the first prize in 1974. As a musician, she has an instictive attachment to texts with an integrated musicality, such as those by Racine for which she holds particular affection. Thanks to Anne Delbée who cast her in Paul Claudel’s L’Échange at the Théâtre de la Ville in 1976, she had her first great success on the stage. The same year, Pierre Romans directed her in Frank Wedekind’s A Spring Awakening (L’Éveil du printemps) at the Théâtre de l’Odéon. In 1980, Jean-Louis Barrault and Jean-Pierre Granval entrusted her with the role of Sept-Épées in their staging of Claudel’s Satin Slipper (Soulier de satin (Quatrième journée)) at the Théâtre d’Orsay followed by a tour in Japan. Subsequently she played in Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard by Peter Brook, Corneille’s Le Cid by Francis Huster and Marguerite Duras’ Savannah Bay directed by the author.

Having joined the Comédie-Française as a        pensionnaire on the 1st of November 1986, she made        her debut with        the Company playing the title role in Racine’s _Esther_ under the direction of Françoise Seigner.        Following her        appointment as the 478th sociétaire on the 1st        of January        1988, she has played under the direction of Georges Lavaudant in        Alfred de        Musset’s _Lorenzaccio_;        Antoine Vitez        in Bertolt Brecht’s _Life          of Galileo_;        Yannis Kokos in Racine’s _Iphigenia          (Iphigénie)_; Youssef Chahine in Albert Camus’ _Caligula_; and Jacques Rosner in Corneille’s _Rodogune_. In 1995, she interpreted the title role        in Racine’s _Phedra          (Phèdre)_ directed by Anne Delbée        and played, in 2000, Madame Jourdain in Jean-Louis Benoit’s        staging of        Molière’s _Le Bourgeois          Gentilhomme_.        Muriel Mayette-Holtz directed her first in _Le          Retour au désert_ by Bernard-Marie Koltès. For her        intepretation of Mathilde        Serpenoise, Martine Chevallier won the 2007 Molière Best Actress        Award. They also        collaborated on Racine’s _Bérénice_        and        Shakespeare’s _A Midsummer          Night’s Dream_.        She was cast by Zabou Breitman in Feydeau’s _Le          Système Ribadier_, by Arnaud Desplechin for his staging of        August        Strindberg’s _Father_ and        by Lars Norén        for his own play_Poussière_.        Piotr        Fomenko offered her Gurmyzhskaya’s part in        Alexander Ostrovsky’s _The          Forest_. She        upheld the same role in the film adapted from the play and        directed by Arnaud        Desplechin in 2014.

On film, Martine Chevallier could be        seen in features by Anne Fontaine, Roschdy Zem, Guillaume Canet,        Julie Gavras,        Benoît Jacquot and Lucas Belvaux. On television she has worked        with directors        such as Robert Mazoyer, Marcel Bluwal, Claude Santelli, Nina        Companeez, and        Alain Tasma. 

Martine Chevallier is Officer of the        Order of Arts and Letters (Officier dans l’ordre des Arts et des        Lettres) and        Knight of the Order of Merit (Chevalier dans l’ordre du Mérite).

During the 2018/2019 season, Martine        Chevallier will be playing in _Hors la loi_        written and directed by Pauline Bureau. Her Grenier des acteurs        will be        dedicated to Selma Lagerlöf. She will be guest of _Paradoxe(s)_.