Lola Dewaere

Biography

Lola Dewaere is the daughter of actor Patrick Dewaere and Élisabeth (known as Elsa) Malvina Chalier. She is the half-sister of Angèle Herry-Leclerc (born in 1974), daughter of Patrick Dewaere and the actress Miou-Miou, who was adopted by Julien Clerc in 1992.

After her father’s suicide on 16 July 1982 in Paris, her mother faced the tax authorities because of the debts he left, and entrusted Lola to her own parents, who lived in Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay (Maine-et-Loire). Coluche offered to be Lola’s godfather at her baptism, but her grandparents refused.

Although bright, she was often unruly and had difficulty at school. She developed certain insecurities, particularly because of her height, the high expectations her grandparents placed on her, and the frequent references to her father. She returned to live with her mother in Paris during early adolescence and continued her schooling at the private Catholic school Saint-Michel-de-Picpus from year 7 onward. Rebellious and refusing to accept authority, she was expelled. During this period, anything concerning her father was a taboo subject. However, her mother would sometimes mention his suicide in what Lola describes as “very blunt” terms, saying that he had shot himself in the mouth.

Around the age of 16, she nevertheless discovered several of her father’s films, including Coup de tête, La Meilleure Façon de marcher, Adieu poulet, and Psy, which she liked. In 1997, upon reaching adulthood, she enrolled in the Cours Florent drama school to train as an actress.

After a serious car accident, she had to support herself. In 2001, she began working for the women’s magazine Jalouse, then found a job in real estate. In 2007, she resigned in order to pursue a career as an actress.

In March 2010, Myriam Boyer cast her in La Vie devant soi, a television adaptation of the novel by Romain Gary. In summer 2010, she accepted the leading role in the play La Biscotte by Antoine Beauville, performed at the Théâtre Le Temple in Paris.

The following year, Charlotte de Turckheim chose her to play one of the leading roles in the comedy Mince alors!, alongside Victoria Abril. The film was a popular success, drawing 1,384,236 admissions in France.

That same year, she acted in La Croisière, a series currently consisting of six episodes, directed by Pascal Lahmani, in which she plays Marie-Lou, the cruise director, alongside Christophe Malavoy and Edouard Montoute. It was broadcast on the Swiss channel RTS Un starting 8 March 2013, and on TF1 starting 11 March 2013.

From 15 January 2013, Lola Dewaere returned to the stage to perform the leading role of the young opera singer in La Véritable Histoire de Maria Callas in Paris at the Théâtre Déjazet. She performed alongside Pierre Santini and Andréa Ferréol.