Simone Simon ( French Simone Simon ; April 22, 1910 [1] - February 22, 2005) - French actress .
| Simone Simon | |
|---|---|
| Simone simon | |
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| Birth name | |
| Date of Birth | April 23, 1910 |
| Place of Birth | Bethune , France |
| Date of death | February 22, 2005 (94 years old) |
| Place of death | Paris , France |
| Citizenship | |
| Profession | actress |
| Career | 1931-1973 |
| IMDb | |
Biography
Simone Teresa Fernanda Simon was born in the French city of Bethune , province of Pas de Calais , on April 22, 1910. Her father, a Frenchman, was an engineer, and her mother, originally from Italy , was a housewife. Her childhood passed in Marseille , and in 1931 she moved to Paris , where at first she worked as a singer, then as a model and designer.
In the same year, she made her film debut in the movie " Unknown Singer ", and in a short time Simon became one of the most promising actresses in France . In 1934, after the release of the film " Lake Ladies ", she was noticed by the famous American producer Darryl F. Zanuk and invited to Hollywood . Despite the large advertising campaign that Zanuk organized for the actress in 1936, her Hollywood career did not work out, and over two years of work there, her roles in the films “Seventh Heaven” and “Women in Love”, in which her colleague on the screen, became the most successful was the first Oscar winner Janet Gaynor . In 1938, not satisfied with her career in the United States , Simone Simon returned to her homeland, where in the same year appeared in Jean Renoir 's painting "The Beast Man . "
With the outbreak of World War II, Simone again left France in favor of the United States , where in the following years she was more successful than during the first trip. Her most memorable roles were in horror films and science fiction films such as The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), Cat People (1942), and The Curse of Cat People (1944). After a decade, Simone returned to France , but there her acting career began to fade away. Over the following years, she starred in less than ten films, including Carousel (1950), Olivia (1951) and Pleasure (1952), and in 1973 she performed her last film role in the film Woman in Blue .
The actress has never been married, although she had several novels. In 1931-1933 she had an affair with the director Mark Allegre , during the Second World War she had a relationship with the Serbian double agent Dushko Popov , [2] and in the 1950s her lover was a married French banker Alec Weissweiler . She also had an affair with the famous American composer George Gershwin .
Simone Simon died in Paris on February 22, 2005 at the age of 94. A few days after her death, French Minister of Culture Reno Donedier de Vabre ( fr. ) Made a statement saying: "... with the departure of Simone Simon, we lost one of the most seductive and brightest stars of French cinema of the first half of the 20th century . " [3]
Notes
- ↑ In some sources, the year 1911 is indicated as the date of birth of the actress, which is incorrect; see Soares, Andre Simone Simon (Biography) . Alternative Film Guide (February 24, 2005).
- ↑ UK exposes secret agent's sex life . CNN.com (May 8, 2002). Archived on April 9, 2012.
- ↑ Donnedieu, Renaud Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres rend hommage à Simone Simon . French Ministry of Culture (February 23, 2005). Archived on April 9, 2012.
Links
- Simone Simon on the Internet Movie Database
- Simone Simon (English) on allmovie