A disease like cancer does not spare anyone, including world stars. In 2011, the actress Maria Schneider passed away, whom many remember thanks to the cult film "The Last Tango in Paris", where she played the role of Jeanne. Her creative path cannot be called sweet, on the contrary, it was as if copied from the tense scripts of Bernardo Bertolucci's films.
Biography
Maria Schneider was born on March 27, 1952 in the family of Marie-Christine Schneider and Daniel Zhelen. The mother of the future actress at that time was a famous model. Father - the famous French actor Daniel Jelen. Unfortunately, during his lifetime, the man refused to acknowledge paternity, which left a heavy imprint on the girl's fate.
Deprived of her father's affection, Maria was brought up only by her mother, her childhood can hardly be called happy. The desire to change fate became the reason for moving to Paris. She ran away from home at the age of 15. Maria was kindly supported by Brigitte Bardot herself, the girl's acquaintance thanks to her father, who was the star's partner in many films. Maria Schneider dreamed of becoming a fashion model, however, like most of her peers. Soon her career began as an actress, the first films in which the girl starred were "The Old Maid" (1972) and "Elle" (1972).
The most famous painting featuring Maria Schneider
The picture "The Last Tango in Paris" brought the actress great popularity. Director Bernardo Bertolucci chose Maria, a young, little-known actress at that time, for the role of Jeanne, but the girl did not even suspect that, along with fame and fame, she would plunge into a tense atmosphere and be completely morally exhausted. Most likely, if this role were offered to other stars of cinema, they would refuse such an offer, because the image was not easy to bring to life. Maria took a chance and did not miss the chance to finally get out of the shadows.
The actress formed a duet for the famous Marlon Brando, who at that time was 48 years old. According to the witnesses of the filming, the girl became so strongly attached to the actor that she began to treat him like a father.
Nineteen-year-old Maria Schneider plunged headlong into the filming of this heaviest film. In the brutal rape scenes, the girl was filmed in almost real time. She had to completely strip in front of the camera. In advance, no one warned the actress about such a turn of affairs, she found out about the scene just before filming began. The shock that the girl experienced cannot be conveyed in words. Bernardo Bertolucci pursued the goal of capturing the real emotions of the girl, the prospect of an ordinary acting game did not suit him. Maria was crying for real, tears flowed from her eyes, not water. The despair and humiliation experienced by Mary were genuine, she suffered and her fear knew no bounds. Therefore, the director managed to bring his plans to life, although he had to pay a high price for this act.
The girl could not forget the consequences of this insult, the director's act put an end to their difficult relationship, until the end of Maria's life, their paths no longer crossed, and communication was reduced to zero.
Further career
The role that made Maria Schneider famous, along with the popularity, brought the girl many similar proposals, she was offered to star in films where she was supposed to appear naked. However, the actress firmly decided not to take part in tapes with a similar plot. In addition, the woman began to have problems with drugs and alcohol, which led to negative consequences in her career. Due to more than once disrupted filming, the actress was often suspended from work. The last straw led her to exclusion from the cast of the film "Twentieth Century", the missed chance, probably, could bring the girl a new surge in popularity.
At the same time, the list of tapes in which Maria Schneider starred looks pretty decent. The woman took part in the film "Profession Reporter", Jack Nicholson was the filming partner.
Other projects with the participation of the actress:
- The Babysitter (1975);
- Violanta (1977);
- Trick (1979);
- Hatred (1980);
- White Flight (1980);
- Mom Dracula (1980);
- Carousel (1981);
- "A Season of Peace in Paris" (1981);
- "Bunker Palace Hotel" (1989)
- "Wild Nights" (1992) - the role in the film was also highly praised by critics;
- "The Key" (2007) is the last film in her career as an actress, in which she starred shortly before her death.
Personal life of Maria Schneider
The actress suffered from drug abuse, and therefore her personal life left much to be desired. Hard work was followed by long weeks, when the actress was in oblivion. The environment of Mary, of course, did not approve of such behavior, and therefore avoided her, people did not want to get closer to her. The actress failed to avoid scandals associated with her father - many argued that Daniel Zhelen is not actually a blood relative of the star.
The woman tried to commit suicide, as a result of which she soon ended up in a psychiatric hospital located in Rome. Plus, drug abuse has affected. Again, it is possible that the woman got into this institution with the aim of being close to Joan Townsend, with whom she was in a romantic relationship. Many who personally knew Maria Schneider hold the same opinion.
The fatal image of Jeanne from "The Last Tango in Paris" negatively affected the career of the actress, she never managed to free herself from his shackles, this is Schneider's most recognizable role today.
