{{short description|French actress, comedian and singer (born 1957)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}} {{Infobox person | name = Mimie Mathy | image = Mimie Mathy Cannes.jpg | image_size = 210px | caption = Mimie Mathy at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival | birth_name = Michèle Mathy | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1957|07|08|df=y}} | birth_place = Lyon, France | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}} Death date then birth --> | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = Actress, comedian, singer, writer | years_active = 1982–present | spouse = Benoist Gérard (2004–present) | partner = }}
'''Michèle "Mimie" Mathy'''<ref name=LegionHonneur>{{cite web|language=fr |url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000030008403 |title=Décret du 31 décembre 2014 portant promotion et nomination |publisher=Journal officiel de la République française |date=31 December 2014}}</ref> (born 8 July 1957) is a French actress, comedian and singer. A former member of the female comedy trio "Les Filles" with Michèle Bernier and Isabelle de Botton, Mathy is best known for her starring role in the long-running ''Josephine, Guardian Angel'' television series. Mathy has achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, and is {{cvt|4|ft|4|in|m|order=flip}} tall.<ref name = Randall>{{cite news |title=Short sharp shock for followers of the femme fatale |first=Colin |last=Randall |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=7 March 2006 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1512330/Short-sharp-shock-for-followers-of-the-femme-fatale.html }}</ref>
==Life and career== Interested in the theatre from childhood, she studied the dramatic arts from 1979 to 1981 at Michel Fugain's workshop in Nice.<ref name=Mathy>{{cite web |url=http://www.mimiemathy.com/accueil/index.html |title=L'Atelier de Nice |first=Mimie |last=Mathy |work=Biographie |accessdate=22 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100428043654/http://mimiemathy.com/accueil/index.html |archivedate=28 April 2010 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> In the early 1980s she performed in a number of theatre roles and appeared in ''Le Petit Théâtre de Bouvard'' television show. She formed a touring comedy troupe "Le Trio des Filles" (The Three Girls) which performed shows such as ''Existe en trois tailles'' (''Available in Three Sizes'') from 1988 to 1993.<ref name =Mathy/> In 1993 she performed in the TV movie ''Une nounou pas comme les autres'' (''A Nanny Like No Other''), which garnered a 52.7% market share (~12 million viewers) in France.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dossier les Paradoxes de la Fiction Française le Calvaire du Producteur |first=Catherine |last=Humblot |newspaper=Le Monde |date=31 July 1994 |url=http://www.lemonde.fr/cgi-bin/ACHATS/334534.html }}</ref>
She has starred in the title role of TV series ''Joséphine Ange Gardien'' (''Joséphine, Guardian Angel'') since 1997: the show reached popularity in France.<ref name=HWReporter />
In 2006 she released a music record, ''La Vie M'a Raconté'' (Life Told Me) produced by Patrick Fiori.
==Personal life== Mathy first met restaurateur Benoist Gérard when she picked him out of the audience, as part of one of her stage comedy routines. They became romantically involved, and married on 27 August 2005.<ref name =Randall/>
==Philanthropy== Since 1994, Mathy has performed at least 15 times in the annual Les Enfoirés (The Tossers) charity concert for Restaurants du Cœur (Restaurants of the Heart). ''Les Enfoirés'' was the most watched TV show in France in 2009, with 12.3 million viewers.<ref name=HWReporter>{{cite news |title=France's TF1 rules TV ratings |first=Rebecca |last=Leffler |newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter |date=4 January 2010 |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/frances-tf1-rules-tv-ratings-19071/ |access-date=15 May 2024}}</ref>
Mathy is a former National Goodwill Ambassador for the French branch of the UNICEF.<ref>{{cite web|language=fr |url=https://www.unicef.org/french/people/people_nationalambassadors.html |title=Ambassadeurs nationaux | Portraits de l'UNICEF |publisher=UNICEF |date= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830072145/http://www.unicef.org/french/people/people_nationalambassadors.html |archive-date=30 August 2016 |access-date=15 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|language=fr |url=https://www.unicef.fr/nous-rejoindre/ambassadeurs-unicef/ |title=Les ambassadeurs et ambassadrices de l'UNICEF France |publisher=UNICEF France |date= |access-date=15 May 2024}}</ref>
==Awards and recognition== François Dorieux named a rose cultivar for her in 1999. In 2009 she was selected the sixth most popular French celebrity and highest ranking female celebrity by the weekly ''Le Journal du Dimanche''.<ref>{{cite web |language=fr |url=http://www.lejdd.fr/Societe/People/Images/Top-50-Noah-personnalite-preferee-des-Francais/mimie-mathy-top-50-jdd-125683/ |title=L'ange gardien de Mimie Mathy |publisher=Le Journal du Dimanche |date=10 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100407063926/http://www.lejdd.fr/Societe/People/Images/Top-50-Noah-personnalite-preferee-des-Francais/mimie-mathy-top-50-jdd-125683/ |archive-date=7 April 2010 |access-date=15 May 2024}}</ref> Mathy received the title of Knight (''Chevalier'') of the French Order of Merit in 2013,<ref>{{cite web |language=fr |url=https://www.lyonmag.com/article/60818/la-lyonnaise-mimie-mathy-decoree-de-l-ordre-national-du-merite |title=La lyonnaise Mimie Mathy décorée de l'ordre national du Mérite |website=LyonMag.com |date=11 December 2013 |access-date=15 May 2024}}</ref> and was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 2015.<ref name=LegionHonneur /><ref>{{cite web |language=fr |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2015/01/01/modiano-piketty-et-mimie-mathy-dans-la-promotion-de-la-legion-d-honneur_4548255_3246.html |title=Modiano, Tirole et Mimie Mathy dans la promotion de la Légion d'honneur |publisher=Le Monde |date=1 January 2015 |access-date=15 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |language=fr |url=https://www.tf1.fr/tf1/50-mn-inside/news/mimie-mathy-decoree-de-legion-d-honneur-line-renaud-3381435.html |title=Mimie Mathy décorée de la Légion d'honneur par Line Renaud |last=Yalioua |first=Zahia |publisher=TF1 |date=10 May 2015 |access-date=15 May 2024}}</ref>
==Discography== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Sales |- | 2006 | ''La vie m'a raconté''<br><small>(Life told me)</small> | 60,000 |}
==Filmography== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Director ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1982-1985 | ''Le Petit Théâtre de Bouvard'' | Various | Nino Monti | TV series |- | 1984 | ''La jeune femme en vert'' | The servant | Lazare Iglesis | TV movie |- | 1994 | ''Une nounou pas comme les autres'' | Julie Toronto | Eric Civanyan | TV movie |- |rowspan=2|1995 | ''Amimicalement'' | The Host | Gilles Amado | TV show |- | ''Une nana pas comme les autres'' | Julie Toronto | Eric Civanyan | TV movie |- | 1997–present | ''Josephine, Guardian Angel'' | Joséphine Delamarre | Jean-Marc Seban, Pascal Heylbroeck, ... | TV series (103 episodes)<br>7 d'Or - Best Actress - Soap or Series <small>(1997)</small><br>7 d'Or - Best Actress - Soap or Series <small>(2000)</small><br>7 d'Or - Best Actress - Soap or Series <small>(2003)</small> |- |rowspan=2|1998 | ''Famille de coeur'' | Nadine Lefort | Gérard Vergez | TV movie |- | ''Changement de cap'' | Marilyn | Patrick Malakian | TV movie |- |rowspan=2|2000 | ''Family Pack'' | Elisa Kessler | Chris Vander Stappen | |- | ''Marie et Tom'' | Marie Bertin | Dominique Baron | TV movie |- | 2004 | ''À trois c'est mieux'' | Juju | Laurence Katrian | TV movie |- | 2005 | ''La bonne copine'' | Juliette | Nicolas Cuche | TV movie |- |rowspan=2|2011 | ''Amimicalement'' | The Host | Pascal Duchêne | TV show |- | ''Trois filles en cavale'' | Vicky Lebel | Didier Albert | TV movie |- | 2013 | ''Link 2'' | Herself | Daniel Bésikian & Franck Guedj | Short |- | 2017 | ''Le prix de la vérité'' | Capitaine Marie Jourdan | Emmanuel Rigaut | TV movie |- | rowspan=2|2018 | ''Camping paradis'' | Joséphine Delamarre | Philippe Proteau | TV series (1 episode) |- | ''Demain nous appartient'' | Pénélope | David Lanzmann, Jérôme Navarro, ... | TV series (5 episodes) |- | 2019 | ''Le prix de la loyauté'' | Capitaine Marie Jourdan | Emmanuel Rigaut | TV movie |- | rowspan=2| 2020 | ''I Love You Coiffure'' | Madame Plantin | Muriel Robin | TV movie |- | ''Call My Agent!'' | Herself | Marc Fitoussi | TV series (2 episodes) |- | 2022 | ''Le prix de la trahison'' | Capitaine Marie Jourdan | François Guérin | TV movie |- | 2023 | ''Léo Matteï, brigade des mineurs'' | Chantal | Hervé Renoh | TV series (2 episodes) |- |}
==Theatre== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Director ! Author ! Place ! class="unsortable"| Notes |- | 1982-1983 | ''Elle voit des géants partout'' | Mimie Mathy & Didier Biosca | Jean-Claude Martin | Point Virgule | One-woman show |- | 1985-1986 | ''Mimie en quête d'hauteur'' | Mimie Mathy & Didier Biosca | Jean-Claude Martin | Théâtre de la Potinière | One-woman show |- | 1988-1990 | ''Existe en trois tailles'' | Patrick Timsit | Mimie Mathy, Michèle Bernier & Isabelle de Botton | Théâtre de la Michodière | Play |- | 1991-1993 | ''Le Gros N'avion'' | Éric Civanyan | Mimie Mathy, Michèle Bernier & Isabelle de Botton | Théâtre de la Michodière | Play |- | 1994-1996 | ''Mimie au Splendid'' | Pierre Palmade | Pierre Palmade | Le Splendid | One-woman show |- | 2002-2004 | ''J'adore papoter avec vous'' | Roger Louret | Muriel Robin & Mimie Mathy | Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin | One-woman show |- | 2013-2015 | ''Je (re)papote avec vous'' | Roger Louret | Muriel Robin, Mimie Mathy & Jean-Philippe Lemmonier | Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin | One-woman show |}
==Bibliography== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Author ! Publisher |- | 1986 | ''À pas de géant'' | rowspan=2|Mimie Mathy | Carrère |- | 1994 | ''Mimie Mathy'' | Hachette |- | rowspan=3|2006 | ''Aller simple pour le bonheur'' | Mimie Mathy & Benoist Gerard | Éditions Plon |- | ''Joséphine ange gardien, Tome 1'' | rowspan=4|Mimie Mathy, Galdric & Thierry Robberecht | rowspan=4|Jungle |- | ''Joséphine ange gardien, Tome 2'' |- | 2007 | ''Joséphine ange gardien, Tome 3'' |- | 2008 | ''Joséphine ange gardien, Tome 4'' |- | 2009 | ''Les vacances africaines de Zouzou et Aï'' | rowspan=3|Mimie Mathy | rowspan=3|Éditions Plon |- | rowspan=2|2010 | ''Le Noël magique de Pierrot et Marguerite'' |- | ''Djamel et Mégane : même pas peur !'' |- | 2017 | ''Vaut-il mieux être toute petite ou abandonné à la naissance ?'' | Mimie Mathy & Gilles Legardinier | Belfond |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|0559008}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathy, Mimie}} Category:Living people Category:1957 births Category:Actresses from Lyon Category:Actors with dwarfism Category:French film actresses Category:French stage actresses Category:French television actresses Category:French women singers Category:20th-century French actresses Category:21st-century French actresses Category:Knights of the Legion of Honour Category:Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite Category:French women comedians Category:Comedians from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes