Marie France

Biography

Marie-France Garcia, known professionally as Marie France (born 9 February 1946 in Oran, French Algeria) is a French singer and actress. She is a transgender Parisian pop icon of the 1970s.

Biography

Marie-France was hired in 1969 by the Alcazar cabaret bar in the Latin Quarter of Paris, where she gained recognition by portraying Marilyn Monroe. She remained one of the celebrities of that music-hall until 1987. She became a member of Front homosexuel d'action révolutionnaire (FHAR, 'Homosexual Front of Revolutionary Action'), alongside Guy Hocquenghem. As a member of FHAR, she was interviewed in the magazine Recherches (special issue "Trois milliards de pervers" (3 billion perverts), 1973). She was a member of a small group, the Gazolines, with Hélène Hazera. The two performed in Les Intrigues de Sylvia Couski by Adolfo Arrieta (1974).
Marie-France was often referred to as transsexual, a word that she disliked, and one which certain television hosts automatically questioned. "When one has passed onto the other side, why do they keep this title?" she regrets.
She appeared as a singer in Barocco by André Téchiné in 1976, where she produced "On se voit se voir", a song written by Philippe Sarde. She pursued her acting career in theater, notably in Le Navire Night by Marguerite Duras in 1979. She recorded the album 39 de Fièvre (39 °C Fever) in 1980, performing several renditions of 1960s pop (Gillian Hils, Johnny Hallyday, Sylvie Vartan, Rocky Volcano). She appeared in the film Les Innocents, directed by Téchiné in 1987. In 1993, she recorded a song by Édith Piaf with Marc Almond. Daniel Darc and Mirwais collaborated with her in 1997 on her eponymous album. Dave then invited her on his album Doux tam tam in 2003. Frédéric Botton wrote several songs for her in 2005. At the end of 2006, Léonard Lasry and Marie France sang a duet titled "Du désir au bout des doigts". This song is featured on the first Léonard Lasry album Des Illusions.
Marie France also published a duet with Hélèna Noguerra on her last album, released in October 2007. In 2008, Marie France recorded a rock'n'roll garage album entirely written by Jacques Duvall and composed by Miam Monster Miam. The album is titled Phantom feat. Marie France.

Quotes

About her, Marguerite Duras said: "It is impossible to not be aroused by her. Everyone. Women as well as men."