Anémone
Anne Bourguignon, known professionally as Anémone, was a French actress and political activist.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Anémone gained popularity in France by appearing in successful comedies, most notably Santa Claus is a Stinker. In 1988, she won the César Award for Best Actress for her dramatic role in The Grand Highway. Anémone had a long and varied career in film and television, though from the late 1990s she mostly appeared as a character actress.
Early life
Born in Paris to an upper-class "progressive" family, Anne Bourguignon decided to become an actress with little opposition from her parents.Following an education in a catholic school where she was a rebellious student, she started at the age of 16 to mix with Parisian entertainment circles.
Career
Bourguignon made her film debut aged 18 by starring in the underground film Anémone, directed by her then-boyfriend Philippe Garrel. Though she was credited for that film under her real name, she later decided to use its title as her stage name.Anémone next appeared in comedy plays, performing in café-théâtres. In 1975, together with several fellow actors including Martin Lamotte and Gérard Lanvin, she created the theater La Veuve Pichard in Paris. In 1977, Coluche gave Anémone her first major role in a mainstream film, by casting her as the female lead in the comedy Vous n'aurez pas l'Alsace et la Lorraine. In 1979, she worked with the theater troupe of Le Splendid, performing with them the comedy play Le père Noël est une ordure, which enjoyed great success.
During the early 1980s, Anémone played supporting, then starring roles in a series of comedy films, most of which were box-office successes. She often co-starred with members of Le Splendid with whom she became associated in the public eye. Anémone notably appeared with one or other troupe member in Je vais craquer, Viens chez moi, j'habite chez une copine, Les Babas Cool ''Ma femme s'appelle reviens, Pour cent briques, t'as plus rien... and Le quart d'heure américain. Also in 1982, she and the members of Le Splendid reprised their roles in the film version of Santa Claus is a Stinker, which came to be regarded as a comedy classic in France. Anémone's performance in that film helped her become particularly popular with French audiences.
Much later, Anémone had a public falling out with the former members of Le Splendid's troupe, claiming in interviews that she had been unfairly deprived of authors' rights and royalties for both the play and film versions of Santa Claus is a Stinker. After Anémone's death, former troupe member Marie-Anne Chazel clarified that Anémone had not been a co-author of the original play, nor had she been a formal member of the troupe.
While mostly known for her comedic roles, Anémone also proved herself a capable dramatic actress. In 1987, she starred in the war drama The Grand Highway, directed by Jean-Loup Hubert, for which she won the César Award for Best Actress the following year. Besides her acting talents, Anémone was also known in France for her extravert and unconventional personality.
In 1994, Anémone starred in Tonie Marshall's quirky comedy Something Fishy''. In later years, she mostly played supporting roles in film and on television, also returning to the theatre where she appeared in several successful plays during the 2000s and 2010s. In 2017, Anémone announced that she was retiring from acting; she later moved to a village in the Poitiers region.
Personal life
For several years, Anémone was the partner of film director Philippe Galland. Their relationship began when she was six months pregnant with her son: Galland later raised the boy, Jacob, as his own son. Anémone and Galland had a daughter together, Lily.Anémone long claimed that she did not know who was her son's biological father. Much later, Jacob made a DNA test that established his father was actor and director Pascal Aubier. Jacob had long known Aubier as a friend, with both noticing their mutual resemblance and joking about it.
Anémone was a committed environmentalist and regularly supported left-wing causes and candidates. In 1995, she was a candidate on an environmentalist list to the municipal elections in Paris. During the 2000s, she supported the activist organization ATTAC, also acting on occasion as a spokesperson for the group.