Macha Méril

Macha Méril was born Maria-Magdalena Vladimirovna Gagarina, the daughter of Ukrainian aristocrats who fled the Russian Revolution for the south of France. She was born in Morocco, where her father, an agricultural engineer, was managing a citrus fruit farm. When she was five years old, her father died, and her mother brought the family back to France. She attended the Lycée Marie Curie near Paris, then started an arts degree at the Sorbonne while attending drama school, the Cours Charles Dullin at the Théâtre National Populaire. She changed her name on the advice of producers. Méril made her film debut in 1959 and appeared in 125 movies in the years since. She also performed onstage in plays from 1962 to 2008. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Helga Ulmann in Deep Red (1975) and the unnamed lady on the train in Aldo Lado's Night Train Murders (1975). She has published novels, books of recipes, essays, and other short works.