Star of laughter and queen of self-mockery, Chantal Ladesou strings together successes without ever denying herself. At 77, between Mask Singer, boulevard theater, and poignant confessions, she continues to make all of France laugh while modestly exposing her cracks. A life on stage, an indomitable energy, and a unique voice that resonates from generation to generation. Portrait of an unclassifiable actress.
A constant presence between TV, theater, and cinema
Chantal Ladesou never stops. At 77, she embodies a rare form of artistic longevity, at the crossroads of popular television and demanding theater. She is now one of the pillars of Mask Singer, where she plays the role of investigator. With Kev Adams, Laurent Ruquier, and Élodie Poux, she brings her wit, intuition, and quirky spirit to the flagship entertainment show of TF1. Her participation in season 7, in 2025, confirms her anchoring in the French audiovisual landscape.
In parallel, she continues to shine in theater. After the success of 1983, where she revisited the codes of vaudeville with modern audacity, she is preparing a new tour. This tour is titled Le retour. This tour is scheduled for 2026. This new solo show promises to be a blend of her biting humor and social lucidity. Additionally, it includes her legendary self-mockery. She promises an unvarnished portrait of family, old age, and couplehood. Also, she addresses fame and its pitfalls.
A career built on tenacity and style
Coming from a modest background in Roubaix, daughter of a building contractor, Chantal Ladesou discovered theater early at the Conservatoire de Lille, before joining the Cours Simon in Paris. Her accent, gravelly voice, straightforwardness, and booming laughter became her trademarks. In a showbiz world then dominated by male figures, she imposed a presence.
She gained attention in the late 1980s in La Classe, a cult show where talents like Fabrice Luchini, Jean-Marie Bigard, or Muriel Robin emerged. Quickly, she took off solo. She took on roles in popular plays: Les Amazones, Peau de Vache, Adieu je reste!, where she shared the stage with Isabelle Mergault. She excelled in a genre that mixed social satire and clinical observation of human relationships.
In the 2000s, she became an essential figure in boulevard theater. However, she did not hesitate to explore other fields: auteur short films, TV cameos, public readings, and collaborations with younger collectives. She demonstrated that humor could be a cross-disciplinary art.
A private life marked by tragedy
Behind the laughter hides deep pain. In 1997, Chantal Ladesou lost her son Alix in a car accident. She rarely talks about it. But when she does, it is with modesty and truth. Invited on 50’ Inside, she confides: "When this tragedy happened to me, I was engaged in an extremely funny play… It didn’t make me forget, but I had to make people laugh."
Theater then became her refuge. A way to transcend suffering, to transform it into stage vitality. "Work saved me," she repeats. This resilience, she conveys in her shows. These are often imbued with a form of veiled melancholy, hidden behind witty remarks.
An intergenerational icon
Chantal Ladesou is also a woman of clan. Married for over forty years to Michel Ansault, her manager and artistic accomplice, she is the mother of Julien and Clémence Ansault, an actress on screen and stage. Her daughter-in-law, Pauline Lefèvre, former Miss Météo of Canal+, is also pursuing a career in entertainment. Through this dynasty of artists, Ladesou embodies a transmission.
She often speaks of the importance of family, of her roots. "I am well surrounded," she says in the media. This emotional stability contrasts with her whirlwind comedic persona. And perhaps that is the secret of her longevity: a solid grounding, a loyalty to those who have always supported her.
A unique voice in the French landscape
She is said to be "unclassifiable." She is. Chantal Ladesou does not seek to be trendy. She transcends it. She participates in Les Grosses Têtes on RTL, acts in Sam or Le fil d’Ariane on television, accepts burlesque roles in films like Maison de retraite 2 or Certains l’aiment chauve. She embraces her choices, her pace, her contradictions.
Her current tour, On the Road Again, is an example. She humorously addresses the solitude of dressing rooms, aging, the injunction to be thin, the absurdities of married life. All with sarcastic benevolence, sparing without being bland, denouncing without being bitter.
Humor as a remedy, the stage as a refuge
At a time when comedy is segmenting, when humor sometimes becomes militancy or identity claim, Chantal Ladesou offers observational laughter. She faces things head-on. She de-dramatizes without minimizing. She ironizes without judging. This rare positioning makes her a beloved figure, even among the younger generations.
In a world in perpetual noise, her singular voice resonates. She reassures, she amuses, she reconciles. Chantal Ladesou, it’s vital energy and free thought. An actress who never overacts. An actress who, through laughter, reveals the flaws of the contemporary world.
A popular and critical artist, between TF1 and the stage
Today, she is as comfortable in a prime-time show as on the stage of a Parisian theater. It is this dual belonging, to popular culture and traditional theater, that makes her a rare figure. A free woman, who continues to play, create, and tell stories.
Chantal Ladesou does not slow down. She accelerates. As if humor could ward off pain, exorcise grief, and re-enchant everyday life. A living legend, in her own way. A voice, a presence, a joyful mystery.
