Michèle "Mimie" Mathy (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 4ft 4in tall.

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. 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. 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. She has starred in the title role of TV series Joséphine Ange Gardien (Joséphine, Guardian Angel) since 1997: the show reached popularity in France. 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.

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. Mathy is a former National Goodwill Ambassador for the French branch of the UNICEF.

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. Mathy received the title of Knight (Chevalier) of the French Order of Merit in 2013, and was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 2015.

Discography

Filmography

Theatre