Patrice Laffont is at the center of a program, “Merci Patrice! – tribute to Patrice Laffont”, on France 3, this week…
He was the “ringmaster” of many television game shows. Patrice Laffont died at his home in Oppède, in the Vaucluse, on August 7, in the middle of summer. Aged 84, the host was struck down by a heart attack. And after the private tributes at his funeral in Paris, where he was buried at Père-Lachaise on August 23, it is now time for a public tribute. France 3 is programming a special program, “Merci Patrice! – hommage à Patrice Laffont”, this Friday, September 13, at 9:05 p.m. An opportunity to delve back into the career of this figure of the small screen, much more than just a host.
Born on August 21, 1939 in Marseille, Patrice Laffont grew up in a prestigious family and himself founded a lineage that includes a very unusual list of personalities from entertainment and culture. Because Patrice Laffont is first and foremost the son of Robert Laffont, an essential name in French publishing. Founder of the famous Éditions Robert Laffont, the latter left an indelible mark on the world of literature. His two sisters, Anne Carrière and Isabelle Laffont, also followed in their father’s footsteps by becoming publishers.
A passionate wedding, an unexpected reunion
On the family and private side, Patrice Laffont’s life has been marked by ups and downs. Married for the first time to Catherine Laporte in 1966, he shared fifteen years of life together, before their separation. This relationship gave birth to two children, the comedian and actress Axelle Laffont and the director Fabrice Laffont, who each followed artistic paths. After his divorce, Patrice Laffont met Valérie-Caroline Tavernier, a young woman 22 years his junior. Their relationship, although surprising at the time, quickly became obvious to both of them. They married in 1996, the year their daughter Mathilde Laffont was born, who has since followed the path of the stage.
However, the story of Patrice and Valérie Laffont took an unexpected turn in 2011, when they decided to separate after fifteen years together. But love seemed to have overcome the difficulties, since the couple got back together in 2019, against all odds. Patrice and Valérie got together again and moved in together again. “We never left each other in a way,” Patrice confided to Ici Paris in 2020, recalling their unique relationship and long-standing marriage. “When I met her, she was 18, and I was 40. I’ve always been with younger women…”, he added with a hint of mischief.
A complex fatherhood in the shadow of the spotlight
Patrice Laffont’s life as a father will have been impacted by this tumultuous love life and by television, which will swallow up part of his life. While his first wife Catherine will rebuild her life with Édouard Camille Molinaro, the director of L’Emmerdeur and La Cage aux folles, it is the filmmaker who will play the role of father for Axelle and Fabrice Laffont. Axelle Laffont will have the leisure to reproach her real father for his absences, even if the two television characters will maintain a special relationship, marked by mutual admiration and a certain professional complicity. “We play a lot, I was a game show host and, in life, we play lots of games, it brings us together”, he was able to confide.
Patrice Laffont would nevertheless admit on several occasions to having been a father who was too absent, often replaced by Catherine Laporte’s new husband, as Gala mentioned again in its August 14 issue: “Edouard was more of a father to my children than I was. He took over and did it very well.” On the “Parents d’abord” podcast in 2022, Patrice Laffont would also express his regrets. “I ask them to forgive me if I was not as present and attentive a father as I could have been,” he declared with a certain humility. He who described himself as “fickle,” sometimes strayed from his parental responsibilities. However, he hoped that his children would keep a positive image of him: “I would like them to keep the image of a man who did not hurt anyone and especially not them.”
Axelle, Fabrice and Mathilde Laffont: the show above all
Axelle Laffont, born from Patrice’s union with his first wife, Catherine Laporte, is probably the most publicized of the host’s children to date. A comedian and actress, she has made a name for herself on the French artistic scene. Revealed on Canal+, recognized for her unique style and her sometimes scathing humor, she has inherited her father’s verve and spirit of adventure.
But Axelle wasn’t the only child to embrace a career in the audiovisual world. Her brother, Fabrice Laffont, also born from Patrice and Catherine’s relationship, turned to directing. He is notably known for being behind a documentary on Michel Polnareff, “Quand l’écran s’allume”, which was praised for its intimate look at the icon of French song.
Mathilde Laffont, the youngest, from Patrice Laffont’s marriage to his second wife, Valérie-Caroline Tavernier, is not to be outdone. Born in 1996, she grew up in the shadow of her famous parents, but quickly carved out her own path. Passionate about fashion, she worked for Dior, before turning to the world of comedy. Mathilde even shared the stage with her father in the theater, an experience that strengthened the bond between them.