BiographyPedia
Actors

Mathilda May’s Wiki Biography, ex-husbands, net worth, dating

By

• Karima Mathilda Haim is a French actress, most popular for her role in the “Lifeforce” science-fiction horror movie
• She grew up interested in dance and won the Premier Prix du Conservatoire de Dance de Paris when she was 16
• Mathilda has married and divorced three times, and is the mother of two children
• She is an advocate for animal rights and works to save endangered species
• Mathilda has an estimated net worth of more than $15 million



Known for movies

Isabella Zanconia

The Jackal (1997)
as Isabella Zanconia

Space Girl

Lifeforce (1985)
as Space Girl

La Gabacha

La teta y la luna (1994)
as La Gabacha

Katharina

Cerro Torre: Schrei aus Stein (1991)
as Katharina

Short Info

Date Of BirthFebruary 8, 1965
SpousePhilippe Kelly, Gérard Darmon, Paul Powell
FactHad a daughter with her former companion Gérard Darmon [1994]


Mathilda May Wiki Biography

Karima Mathilda Haim was born in Paris, France on 8 February 1965, so under the zodiac sign of Aquarius and holding French nationality – she is popular for her career as an actress, especially for her role in the “Lifeforce” science-fiction horror movie.

Childhood and education

Mathilda spent her entire childhood alongside her parents in Paris – her father, Victor Haim is a playwright, while her mother Margareta Hanson is originally from Sweden, and worked as a ballet teacher and choreographer. It appears that Mathilda is an only child as she hasn’t spoken about having any siblings.

Posted by Mathilda May on Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Mathilda grew up being interested in dance rather than in acting – she competed in numerous contests while her biggest achievement was winning the Premier Prix du Conservatoire de Dance de Paris when she was 16. She was very popular during the years she spent at high school as she was very attractive and a great dancer – the popularity of her parents helped as well. Rumors have it that many boys from her high school wanted to date, her but it is not known whether or not she was seeing anyone during those four years.

After she matriculated from high school, Mathilda decided to focus on her acting career rather than to enroll at college and pursue a degree.

Career of an actress

Mathilda’s career was launched soon after she matriculated – it took her a while to win her first role, but her parents were there to help her.

Mathilda May

Almost all the films Mathilda has appeared in are in French, and created specifically for Europe. She appeared in her first TV series in 1983 entitled “Weißblaue Geschichten”, and then won roles in “Nemo” in 1984 and “Lifeforce” in 1985. In the US, Mathilda is mostly popular thanks to her role in “Lifeforce”, in which she played an alien vampire and is mostly naked throughout the movie – she is also popular for appearing in the space adventure video game “Privateer 2: The Darkening”, which was released in 1996, and for her role of Isabella in “The Jackal” film shot in 1997, in which she played alongside Richard Gere and Bruce Willis.

Mathilda’s most recent works include “The Players” and “Clash” shot in 2012, and “La Croisiere” and “Delit de fuite” shot in 2013 – it appears that she hasn’t been seen on TV screens since 2013, and it is not known what has she been doing in the meantime.

“Lifeforce” movie

Mathilda gained international recognition only thanks to her appearance in the “Lifeforce” British science fiction horror movie shot in 1985. The movie was directed by Tobe Hooper, written by Don Jakoby and Dan O’Bannon, and stars Steve Railsback, Frank Finlay, Peter Firth, Mathilda May and Patrick Steward.

It is closely based on “The Space Vampires” novel, by Colin Wilson  released in 1976, and follows the crew of the “Churchill” spaceship who find a huge alien spaceship hidden next to Halley’s Comet. They enter the ship only to find a lot of bat-like creatures dead, as well as three naked aliens who are put into suspended animation – the “Churchill” ship goes on its way towards Earth with the three aliens, however, they lose contact with Earth and a rescue ship is sent to see what is going on.

The rescue party finds the ship in bad shape with the containers in which the aliens are held being completely intact. They are taken to a research center located in London, however, the female alien wakes up and kills a guard before escaping and taking shape as a human. After excessive research, they find out that one of the crew members of the “Churchill” ship tried to destroy the ship on purpose to save the Earth from the aliens, and he tells them about these aliens, how dangerous they are, and how he is now mentally linked to the female alien.

The aliens are now known to be vampires, and the two males manage to transform most of the people living in London to zombies – the movie ends with the vampires and all the zombies dead, while the female vampire manages to escape in her spaceship together with the main actor of the movie.

Mathilda’s personal life and ex-husbands

Mathilda’s love life has been very interesting, as she has married and divorced three times.

View this post on Instagram

Brutus Vs Cesar

A post shared by Gerard Darmon (@darmon.gerard) on

Mathilda’s first husband was Paul Powell – the two married when Mathilda was 26 but they only met rather shortly before the wedding. They were together for two years before they split for unknown reasons.

Her second husband was Gerard Darmon, a popular actor and singer who is 16 years older than Mathilda. They exchanged their wedding vows in 1994 just one year after her first divorce – Mathilda was 29 while Gerard was 46, however, this didn’t seem to bother them. They were married for five years before divorcing in 1999, again for reasons unknown – they are parents to their daughter Sarah who was born on 17 August 1994 and their son Jules who was born on 4 March 1997.

Mathilda’s third and last husband was Philippe Kelly whom she married in 2000 just a year after her and Gerard’s divorce. They were married for six years before deciding to divorce in 2006 – once again, the reasons behind this divorce are not known.

Hobbies and other interests

Mathilda’s main passion is film, and she spent most of her time shooting for TV series and movies before she left the film industry in 2013 – today, she has numerous other interests and things she is passionate about.

Mathilda is a singer, and released her own album in 1992 entitled “Joy of Love”, however, she then decided not to pursue a career in music. She is very passionate about ballet, which is mostly thanks to her mother – Mathilda was taking ballet classes from when she was eight years old but stopped when she was around 19. She loves to travel and has been all around Europe, often to attend premieres of her movies – even though she has seen most of Europe, she hasn’t travelled around America, Africa or Asia.

Mathilda May

Mathilda has been working with abandoned dogs and cats since she was a little girl, and is a big lover of animals – she is also fighting to save endangered species. However, she has never had time for a pet dog or a cat, as she was always busy and rarely at home.

Appearance and net worth

Mathilda is currently 54 years old. She has long brown hair and brown eyes, and is 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, while her weight is not known.

According to authoritative sources, her current net worth is estimated to be more than $15 million, and is steadily rising thanks to her career of an actress.

View this post on Instagram

Hi hi hi! @richardschroederphoto

A post shared by Mathilda May (@maymathilda) on

Social media presence

Mathilda is quite active on several popular social media networks, as she wants to maintain a positive image on the internet, now that she is no longer appearing in movies and TV series.

Mathilda launched her Twitter account in July 2014, and has gathered more than 1,300 followers and tweeted over 140 times. She is a lot more popular on her Instagram account, which is currently followed by more than 16,000 people, while she’s uploaded over 800 pictures onto it – she is running a Facebook page as well which is currently followed by more than 1,300 fans.

General Info

Full NameMathilda May
Date Of BirthFebruary 8, 1965
Height1.78 m
ProfessionActor, Singer
NationalityFrench

Family

SpousePhilippe Kelly, Gérard Darmon, Paul Powell
ChildrenSarah Darmon, Jules Darmon
ParentsMargareta Hanson, Victor Haïm
SiblingsJudith Reval

Accomplishments

AwardsCésar Award for Most Promising Actress
MoviesLifeforce, The Tit and the Moon, The Jackal, The Girl Cut in Two, Naked Tango, Becoming Colette, The Players, Scream of Stone, Toutes peines confondues, Dead Tired, The Cry of the Owl, Three Tickets for the 26th, Isabelle Eberhardt, Delit De Fuite, The Catwalk, Dream One

Social profile links

IMDBhttp://imdb.com/name/nm0000528

Quotes

#Quote
1I never imagined before that I would be able to act, because as a dancer you learn that you need to work for many years before you can perform correctly. After tasting that great pleasure I couldn't take a dance class for three months. Acting was no pain and you could talk to people. I didn't want to go back and suffer. I prefer to keep my private life private. I would like people to be interested in me because of what I do more than what I am. I don't know if that makes sense but it is how I feel.

Facts

#Fact
1A former ballerina from age 8 until her late teens, her mother Margareta Hanson was a prima ballerina for the Sweden Malmo ballet company.
2Had a daughter with her former companion Gérard Darmon [1994]
3Won the "Premier Prix du Conservatoire de Danse de Paris" at age 16.
4Daughter of Victor Haïm

Pictures

Mathilda May
Mathilda May
Mathilda May
Mathilda May
Mathilda May

Movies

Actress

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Mystère à l'Opéra2015TV MovieEva Fontaine
L'Annonce2015Video short
On se retrouvera2015TV MovieLieutenant Janson
Crossing Lines2014TV SeriesAudrey St. Marie
Délit de fuite2013TV MovieCécile
La croisière2013TV SeriesFrançoise
Clash2012TV SeriesLaure Rossignol
Les infidèles2012Ariane (segment 'Las Vegas")
L'illuminé2011Video short
Une vie française2011TV MovieAnna Blick
Les nuits d'Alice2010TV MovieAngélique
Au siècle de Maupassant: Contes et nouvelles du XIXème siècle2009TV SeriesThérèse de Marsanne
Fais pas ci, fais pas ça2009TV SeriesMathilda May
La fille coupée en deux2007Capucine Jamet
New délire2007Fanny (voice)
Entrevue2006Short
L'homme qui voulait passer à la télé2005TV Movie
L'homme pressé2005TV MovieIrène Debord
Love Express2004Anne-Charlotte
Soraya2003TV MovieChams
Soyez prudents...2003TV Series
Perlasca: Un eroe italiano2002TV MovieContessa Eleonora
Fabio Montale2002TV Mini-SeriesHélène Pessayre
Meeting2002ShortAlix
Caméra café2001TV SeriesLa femme du patron
De toute urgence2001TV MovieJulie
Les redoutables2000TV SeriesMilitary woman
Là-bas... mon pays2000Nelly Azera
Only Love1998TV MovieSilvia Rinaldi
The Jackal1997Isabella Zanconia
Privateer 2: The Darkening1996Video GameMelissa Banks
La ferme du crocodile1996TV MovieSandrine Jaussier
L'histoire du samedi1996TV SeriesSandra
Celluloide1996
Le voleur et la menteuse1994Suzanne Henson
La teta y la luna1994La Gabacha
The Whipping Boy1994TV MovieBetsy
Dead Tired1994Mathilda May
Toutes peines confondues1992Jeanne Gardella
Isabelle Eberhardt1991Isabelle Eberhardt
Becoming Colette1991Sidonie Gabrielle Colette
Cerro Torre: Schrei aus Stein1991Katharina
Naked Tango1990Alba / Stephanie
Trois places pour le 261988Marion
L'heure Simenon1988TV SeriesEdmée
Piazza Navona1988TV SeriesJeanne / Juliette
La passerelle1988Cora Elbaz
Secret of the Sahara1988TV Mini-SeriesMyriam
Le cri du hibou1987Juliette
Se un giorno busserai alla mia porta1987TV Mini-SeriesClaudia Bandini
La vie dissolue de Gérard Floque1987Pauline
Les louves1986TV MovieAgnès
Lifeforce1985Space Girl
Les rois du gag1985Alexandra
Nemo1984Alice
Weißblaue Geschichten1983TV Series

Miscellaneous

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Les rois maudits2005TV Mini-Series voice dubbing - 5 episodes

Soundtrack

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Trois places pour le 261988performer: "Au Concert", "La Parfumerie", "Qui Luxure"

Self

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Mardi cinéma2016TV SeriesHerself (Pré-générique)
Le grand journal de Canal+2009-2016TV Series documentaryHerself
Ce soir avec Arthur2015TV SeriesHerself
Au Field de la nuit2015TV SeriesHerself
Le plus grand cabaret du monde2007-2015TV SeriesHerself
Thé ou café2008-2015TV SeriesHerself
Vivement dimanche prochain2015TV SeriesHerself
Les enfants de la télé2015TV SeriesHerself
Dans les coulisses: le tournage de 3 places pour le 262013Video documentary shortHerself
On n'est pas couché2007-2013TV SeriesHerself
Dangerous Beauty with Mathilda May2013Video shortHerself
La parenthèse inattendue2013TV SeriesHerself
C à vous2012TV SeriesHerself
Gala de l'union2011TV SeriesHerself
Vie privée, vie publique2011TV SeriesHerself
Le bureau des plaintes2010TV SeriesHerself
Le plus beau métier du monde2010TV Movie documentaryHerself
Cinémas2010TV SeriesHerself
La traversée du miroir2010TV SeriesHerself
La soirée de l'étrange2009TV SeriesHerself
Qui veut gagner des millions?2002-2009TV SeriesHerself
La nuit des Molières1995-2008TV Series documentaryHerself
On n'a pas tout dit2008TV SeriesHerself
Le bateau livre2008TV SeriesHerself
Les tabous de...2007TV SeriesHerself
Le fabuleux destin de...2003TV Series documentaryHerself - Main guest
Tout le monde en parle2000TV SeriesHerself
Victoires de la musique2000TV SeriesHerself
Zone interdite1999TV Series documentaryHerself - Guest
La nuit des Césars1992-1996TV Series documentaryHerself
Joyeux anniversaire Monsieur Trenet1995TV MovieHerself
Nulle part ailleurs1995TV SeriesHerself
Eurotrash1993TV Series documentaryHerself
Le divan1992TV Series documentaryHerself
Champs-Elysées1987-1988TV SeriesHerself
Lunettes noires pour nuits blanches1988TV SeriesHerself
Mardi cinéma1987-1988TV Series documentaryHerself

Archive Footage

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films2014DocumentarySpace Girl (uncredited)
Carlsen's Curse with Steve Railsback2013Video shortSpace Girl
Space Vampires in London with Tobe Hooper2013Video shortSpace Girl
On n'est pas couché2007TV SeriesHerself
The World of Jacques Demy1995DocumentaryHerself (uncredited)

Awards

Won Awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovie
1989Prix Romy SchneiderPrix Romy Schneider
1988CésarCésar Awards, FranceMost Promising Actress (Meilleur jeune espoir féminin)Le cri du hibou (1987)

Source: IMDb, Wikipedia
Author

Benjy is currently a reporter for BiographyPedia based in Adelaide, Australia. Prior to joining BiographyPedia in July 2019, he was a Bizarre TV reporter and theatre critic at TheSun. Benjy has also written for DailyMail and TMZ. Benjy studied journalism at Goldsmiths University of London, graduating in 2009. You can contact him at [email protected].

Related Posts

Write A Comment

Pin It