French character actress Lilyan Chauvin may be one of those actors or actresses whose face you know without knowing their names, a phenomenon that is not uncommon in the world of entertainment. Chauvin was a long time veteran of the European stage, and was adept at playing strict, but sometimes loving characters, a skill that she honed over the years through her extensive experience in the performing arts. To horror fans, she might be best known as the sinister Mother Superior in Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984),a film that has become a cult classic and is still widely popular today, but her career started back in the 1950s when she was plucked from the stage to appear in small minor roles in motion pictures.
One notable film that Chauvin appeared in was with John Wayne in North to Alaska (1960),a western film that showcased her versatility as an actress and her ability to adapt to different genres and roles. For about thirty years, Chauvin was one of the busiest character actresses in Hollywood, appearing in over forty films as well as on television, a feat that is all the more impressive considering the demands of the film industry. Her many film credits include Private Benjamin (1980),Predator 2 (1990),No Place to Hide (1992),Universal Soldier (1992) as Jean-Claude Van Damme's mother, and most recently Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can (2002) with Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio.
