Biography
Michel Charles Lemoine, an actor, writer, director, and producer, was born on September 30, 1922, in Pantin, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. In the 1940s, he trained under René Alexandre of the Comédie-Française and toured extensively, performing a wide range of roles in student theater productions. His first major role was as Lenny in a stage adaptation of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men." Throughout the 1950s, Michel worked steadily on stage and began appearing in films, initially in small roles in the late 1940s. However, his film career gained momentum in the 1960s with a significant role as Marco in The Prisoner of the Iron Mask (1961). Following this breakthrough, Michel acted in a variety of Italian films spanning genres such as Westerns, thrillers, science fiction, spy movies, and costume dramas. He worked with notable directors including Mario Bava, Sacha Guitry, Jesús Franco, Julien Duvivier, Antonio Margheriti, and José Bénazéraf. Michel directed his first film, How Short Is the Time for Love (1970), and attracted significant attention at Cannes with his provocative follow-up, Les désaxées (1972). Additionally, his unconventional take on The Most Dangerous Game (1932) in Seven Women for Satan (1976) was so controversial that it was banned in France after receiving an X rating, limiting its theatrical release to adult-only cinemas. In the late 1970s, Michel transitioned from soft-core erotica to more explicit hardcore films, often working under various pseudonyms and frequently starring French porn actress Olinka Hardiman. Michel Lemoine passed away at the age of 90 on July 27, 2013, at his home in Vinon, Cher, France.
