Michèle Gleizer

Though she never made the transition to leading lady, French actress Michele Gleizer is recognizable to European film buffs and television viewers for her supporting roles in nearly 50 film and television projects. She made her feature film debut playing a working-class wife in the 1974 drama "Erica Minor." Gleizer later garnered attention for her supporting role in 1983's "La Mort de Mario Ricci," a crime drama about an unexplained death in a small Swiss village. In the 1990 historical drama "Europa Europa," Gleizer played the mother of Solomon, a Jewish boy who joins the Hitler youth during World War II. Ten years later, she was introduced to international audiences through her portrayal of Madame Rivet in the hit film "Chocolat," starring Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, and Johnny Depp. But while Gleizer's feature film appearances have been sporadic, her four-decade career has been anything but slow. Since the 1970s, Gleizer has starred in dozens of television series, mini-series, and made-for-TV movies. Her notable small-screen roles include Charlotte in the 1994 mini-series "Le Fils du Cordonnier," and Mademoiselle Magloire in the 2000 mini-series adaptation of Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables," starring Gérard Depardieu and John Malkovich.