French character actress Lilyan Chauvin may be one of those actors or actresses whose face you know without knowing their names. Chauvin was a long time veteran of the European stage, and was adept at playing strict, but sometimes loving characters. To horror fans, she might be best known as the sinister Mother Superior in Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984), 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 was with John Wayne in North to Alaska (1960). For about thirty years, Chauvin was one of the busiest character actresses in Hollywood, appearing in over forty films as well as on television. 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 Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can (2002) with Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Predator 2
(Irene Edwards)
Victory at Entebbe
(French Nun)
Sublime
(European Nurse)
Silent Night, Deadly Night
(Mother Superior)
Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings
(Miss Osie)
Silk Stockings
(Dancer Sonia (uncredited))
King Creole
(Catherine (uncredited))
Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2
(Mother Superior (archive footage))
Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film
(Self)
Lost, Lonely and Vicious
(Tanya Pernaud)
Stormy Weathers
(Mrs. Comden)
Yours, Mine and Ours
(French Actress on TV Screen)
Duty Dating
(Dr. Hartley)
Bloodlust!
(Sandra Balleau)
Flying High
(Miss Simmons)
Universal Soldier
(Mrs. John Devreux)
Tyson
(Camille Ewald)
Private Benjamin
(Mrs. Trémont)
No Place To Hide
(Mother Superior)
Portrait of a Stripper
(Yvette)
Stanley's Gig
(Grace)
Two Weeks in Another Town
(Bar Girl (uncredited))
Walk Like a Dragon
(Mme. Lili Raide)
The Mephisto Waltz
(Woman Writer)
Listen to Me
The Peter Tchaikovsky Story
(Fanny Durbach)
Born in East L.A.
(German Woman)
The Passing
(Rebecca Naibert)
The Junkman
(French Reporter)
Bad Influence
(Art Gallery Patron)
Round Trip to Heaven
(Chaperone)
Death Doll
(Madame Zerba)
Beyond Reason
(Nurse Johnson)
Attack of the 5 Ft. 2 Women
(Coach)
Catch Me If You Can
(Mrs. Lavalier)
The Other Side of Midnight
(Mrs. Page)
North to Alaska
(Jenny Lamont)
Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women
(Louise)
The Man Who Wasn't There
(Medium)
Funny Lady
(Mademoiselle)
North to Alaska
(Jenny Lamont (uncredited))
Child of Glass
(Madame Dumaine)
Ten Thousand Bedrooms
(Reporter (uncredited))
Five Aces
(Grandmother Kalliope)
Illusion Infinity
(Nurse)
Tickle Me
(Ronnie)
Once Upon a Dead Man
(Madame Jarnac)
Falcon Crest
(Sister Jeannette)
Magnum, P.I.
Saved by the Bell: The New Class
(Old Woman)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
(Mrs. Aloyna Ivanovna)
The Facts of Life
Alias
(Signora Ventutti)
Friends
(Grandma Tribbiani)
The Pretender
(Mrs. Nikkos, the Greek Lady)
The Bob Newhart Show
Malcolm in the Middle
(Marica)
Kaz
Omnibus
Mannix
Dragnet
Hart to Hart
Perry Mason
(Matron)
Studio One
Mission: Impossible
(Mrs. Beruch)
Ugly Betty
(Yolanda)
Baywatch
(Dr. Lester)
Hallmark Hall of Fame
(Old Woman)
ER
(Nurse Edna)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
(Sybil Delamont)
To Rome with Love
The Outcasts
Daniel Boone
(Madame Simon)
McCloud
One Step Beyond
(Francesca)
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
(Clara)
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Adventures of Superman
Adventures in Paradise
(Foridita)
The Adventures of Jim Bowie
The Walter Winchell File
Panic!
The Man Called X
Harbor Command
The X-Files
(Golda)
Maverick
(Sydney Sue Shipley)
Frasier
(Mama)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
(Vedek Yassim)
Earth 2
(Katrina)
Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder
Murder, She Wrote
(Dispatcher)
Cafe Americain
(Madame Dussolier)
Cool Million
(Party guest)