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Geneviève Page

Known For
Acting

Known Credits
48

Gender
Female

Birthday
December 13, 1927 (98 years old)

Place of Birth
Paris, France

Geneviève Page

Biography

Geneviève Bonjean (13 December 1927 – 14 February 2025), known professionally as Geneviève Page, was a French actress with a film career spanning fifty years and also numerous English-speaking film productions. She was the daughter of French art collector Jacques Paul Bonjean (1899–1990).

Page was born in Paris on 13 December 1927, to a family of aesthetes, like her father Jacques Bonjean, who collected art from 17th century France, and her mother Germaine (born Lipman) Bonjean. Her mother's family was Jewish, and had founded LIP. At the age of six, her godfather Christian Dior played the piano with Page's mother, and talked to Page about talking to adults. She recalls, "He had no money at the time, and drew hats for big houses. He had lunch every other day at home and played the piano, with my mother in my room, with four hands. I took refuge in the bathroom to learn my lessons." At the age of twelve, Page read some works by Voltaire, and to her mother's surprise, her father replied "If she can't read Voltaire, she can't read anyone." Despite this, she was a very talented young girl, playing Musset at Théâtre National Populaire and entering the Conservatory.

Her film début was in Pas de pitié pour les femmes (1951), followed by Fanfan la Tulipe (1952), in which she played Madame de Pompadour alongside Gérard Philipe and Gina Lollobrigida. Later, she appeared in Italian, French, British, and American films. She co-starred with Robert Mitchum and Ingrid Thulin in Foreign Intrigue (1956), Dirk Bogarde and Capucine in Song Without End (1960), Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren in El Cid (1961), and was seen in Grand Prix (1966) with James Garner, and Belle de Jour (1967), with Catherine Deneuve and directed by Luis Buñuel. She appeared with Deneuve again when she played Countess Larisch in Mayerling (1968), also co-starring with Ava Gardner and James Mason.

Billy Wilder cast her as the mysterious widow in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) because the character she played used her sex appeal to manipulate Holmes. She appeared in Robert Altman's Beyond Therapy (1987) and continued to act until 2003.

She acted in 1943 in Le Soulier de Satin and in Oh! Les Beaux Jours, both of which were directed by Jean-Louis Barrault Madeleine Renaud Co. Her theatre career continued in the 1980s and 1990s, with Les larmes amères de Petra von Kant (The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant) (1980), La nuit des rois (Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare), La femme sur le lit (The Woman on the Bed, Franco Brusati) 1994, and Delicate Balance (1998).

Page was educated at École du Louvre and Conservatoire national des arts et métiers. Page was married to Jean-Claude Bujard from 1959 until his death on 29 August 2011; the couple had two children. In an interview from 2013, she said she was having stewardship problems in her house and that she was "not used to talking anymore".

Page died in Paris on 14 February 2025, at the age of 97.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Geneviève Page, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

Known For

Acting

2003Don't Worry, Be Happyas Martha Loncle
2000Mémoires en fuiteas Jeanne
1999Loversas Alice
1992Stranger in the Houseas Bernadette
1991Les gens ne sont pas forcément ignoblesas Simone
1989Dark Woodsas Nathalie Dupin
1987Italian Postcardsas Silvana
1987Beyond Therapyas Zizi
1984Péchés originauxas
1983Deadly Circuitas Mrs. Schmitt-Boulanger
1979Buffet Froidas Geneviève Léonard
1973Decemberas Béatrice de St-Mérand
1972Midi trenteas Self
1971On the Lamas Evremont
1971Brother Carlas Karen Sandler
1970The Private Life of Sherlock Holmesas Gabrielle Valadon
1969A Talent for Lovingas Lady Butler
1968Camille '68as Camille
1968Mayerlingas Countess Marie Larisch von Moennich
1968Decline and Fall ...of a Birdwatcheras Margot Beste-Chetwynde
1967ITV Playhouseas Camille
1967Belle de Jouras Madame Anais
1966Grand Prixas Monique Delvaux-Sarti
1966Tender Scoundrelas Béatrice Dumonceaux
1965Three Rooms in Manhattanas Yolande Combes
1965Le Majordomeas Geneviève des Vallières
1964Youngblood Hawkeas Frieda Winter
1963The Reluctant Spyas Ursula Keller
1963The Day and the Houras Agathe
1962La Nuit des roisas Viola
1961El Cidas Princess Urraca
1960Song Without Endas Countess Marie D'Agoult
1957A Girl in a Pocketas Edith
1957Ambush in Tangieras Mary
1956Michael Strogoffas Nadia Fedoroff
1956The Silken Affairas Genevieve Gerard
1956Foreign Intrigueas Dominique Danemore
1956Cinépanoramaas Self
1955Cherchez la femmeas Barbara Van Looren
1954Nuits andalousesas Dominique de Bellecombe
1954Reflets de Cannesas Self
1954Strange Desire of Mr. Bardas Donata
1953Lettre ouverteas Colette Simonet
1952Pleasures of Parisas Violette / Denise
1952La chasse à l'hommeas
1952Fan-Fan the Tulipas Marquise de Pompadour
1950No Pity for Womenas Carole de Norbois
1950The Century Is Fiftyas Self

Production