Michel
Vuillermoz

515e sociétaire

Michel Vuillermoz was shy and not drawn to the theatre from a young age. He had a classical education with average results in Orléans. There was just perhaps the desire to be noticed, to draw attention. He made his first short feature with a high school friend. This would prove to be a decisive moment when, later on, Michel embarked on discovering the joys of acting. After the Conservatoire d’Orléans, he took the Jean Périmony course in Paris before enrolling into the Conservatoire national supérieur d’art dramatique in 1986.

He played in Victor Hugo’s Ruy Blas directed by Nicolas Lormeau, Gabor Rassov’s Les guerres picrocholines and Shakespeare’s Richard III, both directed by Pierre Pradinas. He directed and played in David Pownall’s Master Class and in Jean-Claude Grumberg's Linge sale. There was also the desire to work with friends on staging a show based on characters, a desire reinforced by his work at Ariane Mnouchkine’s Théâtre du Soleil. In 1996, André le Magnifique came to fruition at the Maison de la culture in Bourges, a collective creation he instigated. Denis Podalydès was part of this show, which was a great success and won seven Molière Awards. In 2000, he starred in two plays by David Mamet: American Buffalo by Michel Fau and The Old Neighborhood (Paradis Perdus) by Pierre Laville. The following year, his interpretation of Fouché in Victorien Sardou’s Madame Sans-Gêne by Alain Sachs, earned him a nomination for a Molière Award for Best Supporting Actor.

In 2003, Marcel Bozonnet, at the time the Comédie-Française’s Administrator, hired him to play Infortunatov in Ostrovsky’s The Forest directed by Piotr Fiomenko. This encounter with a grand master of poetic and magical theatre was of crucial importance for the young pensionnaire. In 2007, he became the 515th sociétaire of the Company.

Michel Vuillermoz has made his mark on certain characters. In 2004, his Géronte in Corneille’s Le Menteur by Jean-Louis Benoit earned him a nomination for the Molière for Best Supporting Actor. Denis Podalydès offered him the title role in Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac. For this, he won the 2007 Critics’ Union Award for Best Actor. In 2008, he played Figaro in Ödön von Horváth’s Figaro Gets a Divorce staged by Jacques Lassalle, as well as the Count in Beaumarchais’ The Marriage of Figaro (Le Mariage de Figaro) directed by Christophe Rauck. In 2009, he carried the title role in Le Loup after Marcel Aymé’s Les Contes du Chat perché directed by Véronique Vella. In 2010, Alain Françon entrusted him with playing Aleksandr Ignatyevich Vershinin in Chekhov’s The Three Sisters. They reunited in 2012 on Goldoni’s The Villegiatura Trilogy. In 2014, he was a profound and mysterious Tartuffe in Molière’s eponymous play by Galin Stoev and a charismatic Theseus in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Muriel Mayette-Holtz.

Arnaud Desplechin had directed him on film in My Sex Life or… How I Got into an Argument (Comment je me suis disputé… (ma vie sexuelle)) and in The Forest, a television film based on Ostrovsky. In 2016, Desplechin cast him as Captain in Strindberg's The Father staged at the Salle Richelieu. In 2017, he played Pinglet in Feydeau’s The Free Exchange Hotel (L’Hôtel du Libre-Échange) directed by Isabelle Nanty and appeared in Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Katharina Thalbach. Robert Carsen saw in him a melancholic and brittle Prospero in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
As a director, Michel Vuillermoz worked with Laurence Colussi on Peter Handke's Introspection and with the student actors of the Academy on Rémi de Vos’s Kadoc shown at the Studio-Théâtre.

Besides working on television and short movies, Michel Vuillermoz has played in over one hundred films. He has appeared in Albert Dupontel’s Bernie, Le Créateur and Au revoir là-haut. He has also participated in the three latest films by Alain Resnais: Wild Grass (Les Herbes folles), You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet! (Vous n’avez encore rien vu) and Life of Riley (Aimer, boire et chanter). Alexandra Leclère cast him in four of her films: Les sœurs fâchées, Maman, Le grand partage and Garde alternée. In 1992, he was cast along with Denis Podalydès, Philippe Uchan and Isabelle Candelier in Bruno Podalydès’ A Night in Versailles (Versailles Rive-Gauche). This group of friends meets regularly on Mister Podalydès’ pictures: Only God Sees Me (Dieu seul me voit), The Perfume of the Lady in Black (Le parfum de la dame en noir), Parc Benches (Bancs publics), Granny’s Funeral (Adieu Berthe ‒ L’enterrement de mémé), The Sweet Escape (Comme un avion), and Bécassine. He shared the billing with Valérie Donzelli in Lionel Baier’s Longwave (Les Grandes Ondes (à l’ouest)).

Michel Vuillermoz is Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters (officier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres).

During the 2018/2019 season, Michel Vuillermoz will be playing in Goldoni’s La Locandiera by Alain Françon and in the rerun of Feydeau’s Free Exchange Hotel (L’Hôtel du Libre-Échange) by Isabelle Nanty.

Follow this comedien

At the Comédie-Française

2022-2023

2021-2022

2020-2021

2019-2020

  • Angels in America

    by Tony Kushner directed by Arnaud Desplechin

    Roy Cohn et l’Ange Antarctica

    Richelieu

2018-2019

  • L'Hôtel du Libre-Échange

    The Free Exchange Hotel by Georges Feydeau Directed by Isabelle Nanty

    Pinglet

    Richelieu

  • La Locandiera

    The Mistress of The Inn by Carlo Goldoni Directed by Alain Françon

    le Marquis de Forlipopoli

    Richelieu

2017-2018

  • La Résistible Ascension d'Arturo Ui

    The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Bertolt Brecht Directed by Katharina Thalbach

    Le Comédien et le Juge

    Richelieu

  • La Tempête

    The Tempest by William Shakespeare French adaptation by Jean-Claude Carrière Directed...

    Prospero, duc légitime de Milan

    Richelieu

  • L'Hôtel du Libre-Échange

    The Free Exchange Hotel by Georges Feydeau Directed by Isabelle Nanty

    Pinglet

    Richelieu

2016-2017

2015-2016

  • Tartuffe

    by Molière Directed by Galin Stoev

    Tartuffe

    Richelieu

  • Cyrano de Bergerac

    by Edmond Rostand Directed by Denis Podalydès

    Cyrano de Bergerac

    Richelieu

  • Le Loup

    The Wolf by Marcel Aymé Directed by scène Véronique Vella

    The Wolf

    Studio

  • Père

    The Father by August Strindberg Directed by Arnaud Desplechin

    Le capitaine

    Richelieu

2014-2015

  • Le Songe d'une nuit d'été

    A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare Directed by Muriel Mayette-Holtz

    Thésée

    Richelieu

  • Tartuffe

    by Molière Directed by Galin Stoev

    Tartuffe

    Richelieu

2013-2014

2012-2013

  • Cyrano de Bergerac

    by Edmond Rostand Directed by Denis Podalydès

    Cyrano de Bergerac

    Richelieu

  • Les Trois Sœurs

    The Three Sisters by Anton Tchekhov Directed by Alain Françon

    Alexandre Ignatievitch Verchinine, lieutenant-colonel, commandant de batterie

    Richelieu

  • Troïlus et Cressida

    Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare Directed by Jean-Yves Ruf

    Hector

    Richelieu

2011-2012

2010-2011

2009-2010

2008-2009

2007-2008

2006-2007

  • Le Retour au désert

    Return to the desert by Bernard-Marie Koltès Directed by Muriel Mayette-Holtz

    Plantières, préfet de police

    Richelieu

2005-2006

  • Cyrano de Bergerac

    by Edmond Rostand Directed by Denis Podalydès

    Cyrano de Bergerac

    Richelieu

  • Le Menteur

    by Pierre Corneille Directed by Jean-Louis Benoit

    Géronte (alternating)

    Richelieu

  • Tartuffe

    by Molière Directed by Marcel Bozonnet

    M. Loyal (en alternance)

    Richelieu

2004-2005

  • La Forêt

    by Alexandre Ostrovski Directed by Piotr Fomenko

    Infortunatov

    Richelieu

  • Tartuffe

    by Molière Directed by Marcel Bozonnet

    Mr Loyal

    Richelieu

  • Le Menteur

    by Pierre Corneille Directed by Jean-Louis Benoit

    Géronte

    Richelieu

2003-2004

  • Le Conte d'hiver

    The Winter Tale by William Shakespeare Directed by Muriel Mayette-Holtz

    Archidamus, le Marin et le Geôlier (en alternance)

    Studio

  • Les Effracteurs

    by José Pliya Directed by José Pliya

    Léo

    Studio

  • La Forêt

    by Alexandre Ostrovski Directed by Piotr Fomenko

    Infortunatov

    Richelieu

2002-2003

  • La Forêt

    by Alexandre Ostrovski Directed by Piotr Fomenko

    Infortunatov

    Richelieu

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