Born on June 7, 1927 in Nîmes, the novelist Frédérique Hébrard died at the age of 96, her assistant announced on Saturday. The author behind the ultra-popular series “La Demoiselle d’Avignon” and “Le Château des Oliviers” died “on September 7 at the end of the evening at her home in the Paris region,” she said, confirming daily information Free Midday.
Queen of love stories successfully adapted for television, Frédérique Hébrard is the daughter of the historian, novelist and academician André Chamson and the archivist Lucie Mazauric, left-wing Protestant parents strongly committed to the anti-fascist struggle and to Popular Front. She began as an actress and met Louis Velle, with whom she had formed a fusional couple since 1949, until the latter’s death in February 2023.
While her husband continued his acting career, she very quickly devoted herself to writing. And met with great success with “La Demoiselle d’Avignon” (1971), the story of a modern princess who came to France as an au pair and in love with a diplomat. Adapted for television, the series was a hit and revealed actress Marthe Keller, who played the main role alongside Louis Velle. “Le Château des Oliviers” (1993) is another big television success which notably obtains the 7 d’or for best series. In 1987, Frédérique Hébrard won the Grand Prix du roman from the Académie française for another fresco, “Le Harem”.