Suzet Maïs

Biography

Born in 1908, Suzet Maïs was active as an actress in the theater, in the movies and later on television from the late 1920s to 1966, the year of her last appearance in the TV series, 'Mésentente Cordiale'. On the boards, she can boast a rich career with roles in plays by Molière, Tristan Bernard, Jean Giraudoux, Armand Salacrou, Oscar Wilde, Christopher Fry, Clare Booth, etc. On the big screen , she participated in fewer important works, although she did work for directors such as Pierre Chenal, André Cayatte, Christian-Jaque or Claude Autant-Lara. In fact, whether or not the film she was in was memorable is not the point since the memorable thing in it, among others of the same temperament, was her. Not on account of her beauty. She was appealing: with a fine silhouette, a smooth and harmonious face and full, sensual lips reminiscent of Ginette Leclerc, she was more than just presentable. No, what really set her apart was her talent for playing the mean ladies, whether scheming or simply haughty, Preferably socialites. Her character might be charming but in this case her partner(s) had better beware the rattlesnake lurking in her. A haughty, icy gaze and all of a sudden she pounced on her prey and bit. Remember how she treated poor André Berley in « Le Martyre de l'obèse », poor Blanchette Brunoy in « Claudine à l'école », poor Pierre Larquey (her father) in « Le Père Goriot », poor Micheline Presle in « Boule de Suif ». Suzet Maïs was a real pest on the screen, but the kind of pest we love to hate.