BIOGRAPHY

Suzanne Guillot was born in the sixth arrondissement of Paris, Île-de-France, France, on 23 May 1912. She was the second child, and the only daughter among four siblings. Her father, Henri, was an enameler, while her mother, Hélène, worked in a hunting factory inspecting cartridges. At 24, while out shopping with her mother, she expressed a desire to work in cinema. Her mother immediately took her to the Laboratoire de Travaux Cinématographiques (LTC) in Boulogne, which had opened just a year earlier in 1935. The LTC was a leading film laboratory specializing in post-production services for the film industry. The director, Marius Franay, agreed to hire her on the spot, with the condition that she start immediately. She quickly developed a love for her editing work in the photochemical lab. A few years later, the company relocated to Saint-Cloud.

Throughout her career, she crossed paths with many famous actors, including Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Gabin, and others. She married for the first time in 1931 but divorced in 1950. In 1953, she married Lucien Guillot, and through his work, she traveled extensively, exploring different parts of the world. Their summers were spent vacationing by the seaside, while winters were filled with hiking trips in Austria. In 1940, she gave birth to her only son, Gérard, an event she described as the most significant moment of her life. When Gérard was young, he would visit her at the lab every Thursday, where she would treat him to preview screenings of films.

During the Second World War, she and her family sought refuge in Deux-Sèvres. Over the course of her life, she was awarded three work medals in recognition of her dedication. In 1982, at the age of 70, she left Paris to settle with her husband, Lucien, in La Force, in the Dordogne region. In her spare time, she enjoyed sewing, a skill she had learned from her mother. She crafted countless trousseaux for her colleagues.

Following Lucien’s passing, she moved to Saint-Paul-lès-Dax around 2011 to be closer to her son. At the age of 100, she moved into a local nursing home. When asked about the secret to her longevity, she credited it largely to her lifestyle in her younger years, particularly her diet, which consisted of fresh, home-cooked, and healthy food. She also stayed active, enjoying frequent walks and hikes with her husband, and she loved swimming, a pastime she continued until the age of 97.

Suzanne Guillot passed away in Saint-Paul-lès-Dax, Landes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, on 25 July 2022, at the age of 110 years, 63 days.

RECOGNITION

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Saint-Paul-lès-Dax : la doyenne de la commune a 109 ans” – Sud Ouest, 28 May 2021

* “Portrait: Suzanne Guillot” – Le Municipal, November 2021 (page 16)

GALLERY