Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, Minister of Culture, expresses her immense sadness at the announcement of the death of Marthe Mercadier, queen of the Boulevard theatre in the 1950s and 1960s, and unforgettable Fanny in the series The Holy Cherries.
Thanks to her grandfather, director of SACEM, Marthe Mercadier had the chance, as a child, to meet Maurice Chevalier, Minstinguett, and Joséphine Baker, whom she accompanied on stage at the age of five.
Marked by the Second World War, where she took part in the Resistance with her father, she resolutely committed herself to the Liberation in a career of theater actress.
A student of the Simon course, alongside Michel Bouquet, Robert Hirsch and Michel Piccoli, she began as a snowblower at the Théâtre Saint-Georges, before making her debut on stage in the late 1940s in Boulevard plays.
An energetic actress, particularly gifted to make entire theaters laugh, she soon became one of the most emblematic faces thanks to her performances on texts by Feydeau, Françoise Dorin and Marcel Aymé.
At the same time, his role as Fanny in the hit television series The Holy Cherries, introduced her to the general public and made her a national star.
A woman of passion and commitment, Marthe Mercadier engages in struggles that are particularly close to his heart. Appointed in 1981 to the Minister of Women’s Rights, Yvette Roudy, she signed a resounding White Paper on the place of women in the audiovisual sector.
She also continues to fight for a better management of the stuttering, which she had been suffering from when she was small, and is deeply invested in her role as president of the IFPPF, a charity that sends surplus French medical supplies abroad.
In 2011, her appearance in the first season of «Danse avec les stars» allowed young viewers to discover, in turn, her sparkling charm.
Marthe Mercadier is remembered as an actress of rare and generous talent, always ready to fight for her convictions. His exceptional personality marked generations of French.
Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin extends her deepest condolences to her family and loved ones.