This Sunday, October 16, TF1 is broadcasting Hors-normes by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache in prime time. In the casting, viewers will notably find Vincent Cassel and Reda Kateb who play educators, heads of associations that help young autists. Some will undoubtedly recognize Hélène Vincent in the role of Joseph’s mother, played by Benjamin Lesieur. The actress is known for her role in a cult comedy of French cinema.
Born September 9, 1943 in Paris, Jocelyne-Hélène Nain, her real name, was trained at the Raymond-Girard course. She made her theater debut with the play L’Affaire de la rue de Lourcine in 1966. From then on, she went on to perform on stage. In 1969, she took her first steps on the big screen in Pierre et Paul by René Allio. It was in 1987 that the actress was revealed to the general public thanks to her role as Madame Le Quesnoy in the cult comedy Life is a Long Quiet River by Étienne Chatiliez. A role that earned her a César for Best Supporting Actress.
Since then, Hélène Vincent has appeared in many films. She very regularly plays mothers. This is the case in Bernie by Albert Dupontel, Marie-Francine by Valérie Lemercier, Le sens de la fête by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache or L’origine du monde by Laurent Laffitte. If her film career is prolific, she has not let go of the theater. In 2010 and 2011, she obtained recognition by winning two Molières awards for best actress, respectively for her roles in the plays Alexandra David-Néel, mon Tibet, directed by Didier Long, and La Célestine, directed by Christian Schiaretti.
Before enrolling in the Raymond-Girard course, the actress met Patrice Chéreau and Jean-Pierre Vincent at the Louis-le-Grand high school theater club, located in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. A meeting that will mark a turning point in his professional and personal life. Indeed, it is Patrice Chéreau who will launch the career of the actress thanks to the play The affair of the rue de Lourcine.
As for Jean-Pierre Vincent, he became her husband in 1960. This is how the actress chose to adopt her husband’s surname on stage and on screen. Actor and director, Jean-Pierre Vincent notably directed his wife in “Drums and Trumpets”, “Capitaine Schelle” or “Capitaine Eçço”. From their love was born Thomas, in 1964. The latter decided to follow in his parents’ footsteps by becoming a director. He has notably produced several fiction films for television, notably Mister Bob, Borgia, Versailles and La nouvelle vie de Paul Sneijder.
Jean-Pierre Vincent and Hélène Vincent choose to divorce. The director will find love again with Nicole Taché, former co-director of the Avignon festival. On November 5, 2020, he died of the consequences of Covid-19 at the age of 78.
Born in Paris, Hélène Vincent is closely linked to the department of Yonne. She notably lived part of her childhood in Auxerre because her parents ran a hotel. “My maternal family lived in Auxerre, I had my cousins in Bessy-sur-Cure. So I have always known this region, it has been part of the family geography since my childhood”, she confided in a interview given to L’Yonne Républicaine in August 2020. For ten years, the actress now resides in the Morvan. “Initially, I wanted to settle in Auvergne or Aubrac. The Morvan was a geographical compromise, to be able to go more easily to Paris. Today I live in Saint-André en Morvan”, he said. she confessed, before evoking her “love at first sight” for her house in Saint-André and praising the beauty of the Morvan landscape. She also admits that she particularly appreciated the tranquillity, far from the hustle and bustle of the city.
