Madame Claude
Encyclopedia
Fernande Grudet also known as Madame Claude, is the most famous French procurer. In the 1960s she was the head of a French network of call girls who worked especially for dignitaries and civil servants.
, France
, Fernande Grudet was reared in a convent by nuns. After acting as an agent of the Resistance
during the German Occupation of France during World War II and doing several other jobs, she created her exclusive prostitution network in Paris
during the 1960s.
Her clientelle included not only political figures, but also members of the Mafia, as well as police administrators who ensured her protection. One of her friends was the gangster, Pierrot le Fou.
In 1976, the judge Jean-Louis Bruguière
began dismantling Grudet's organization. She soon exiled herself in the United States
to escape the French tax administration.
During the 1980s she returned to France, convinced that she was protected by new tax laws, and set up a new prostitution organization. The French Treasury, however, prosecuted her in 1986. In 1992 she was sentenced to a term in Fleury-Mérogis Prison
for procuring.
The history of Madame Claude has inspired many writers. Her life was the basis of the 1977 feature film, "Madame Claude"
, directed by Just Jaeckin
, and starring Françoise Fabian
.
Biography
Born on 6 July 1923 in AngersAngers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Fernande Grudet was reared in a convent by nuns. After acting as an agent of the Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
during the German Occupation of France during World War II and doing several other jobs, she created her exclusive prostitution network in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
during the 1960s.
Her clientelle included not only political figures, but also members of the Mafia, as well as police administrators who ensured her protection. One of her friends was the gangster, Pierrot le Fou.
In 1976, the judge Jean-Louis Bruguière
Jean-Louis Bruguière
Jean-Louis Bruguière was the leading French investigating magistrate in charge of counter-terrorism affairs. He was appointed in 2004 vice-president of the Paris Court of Serious Claims . He has garnered controversy for various acts, including the indictment of Rwandan president Paul Kagame for the...
began dismantling Grudet's organization. She soon exiled herself in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to escape the French tax administration.
During the 1980s she returned to France, convinced that she was protected by new tax laws, and set up a new prostitution organization. The French Treasury, however, prosecuted her in 1986. In 1992 she was sentenced to a term in Fleury-Mérogis Prison
Fleury-Mérogis Prison
Fleury-Mérogis Prison is a prison in France, located in the town of Fleury-Mérogis, in the southern suburbs of Paris. With 3,800 prisoners, it is the largest prison in Europe ...
for procuring.
The history of Madame Claude has inspired many writers. Her life was the basis of the 1977 feature film, "Madame Claude"
The French Woman
The French Woman is a 1977 French drama film directed by Just Jaeckin and starring Françoise Fabian.-Cast:* Françoise Fabian - Madame Claude* Dayle Haddon - Elizabeth* Murray Head - David Evans* Klaus Kinski - Alexander Zakis...
, directed by Just Jaeckin
Just Jaeckin
Just Jaeckin is a French film director.-Life:He was born in Vichy France during the Nazi Occupation, but left with his mother and father for England: after the war, he returned to France where he studied art and photography, much of it he did before and after serving with the French Army: while...
, and starring Françoise Fabian
Françoise Fabian
Françoise Fabian is a French film actress. She has appeared in over 80 films since 1956.She was born in Algiers, Algeria, and is the widow of screenwriter and director Jacques Becker and actor Marcel Bozzuffi. One of her best-known roles is as Maud in Eric Rohmer's My Night at Maud's...
.