Danielle Yvonne Marie Antoinette Darrieux 1 May 1917 – 17 October 2017 was a French actress of stage, television and film, as well as a singer and dancer.
Beginning in 1931, she appeared in more than 110 films. She was one of France’s great movie stars and her eight-decade career was among the longest in film history.
Life and career
Darrieux was born in Bordeaux, France, during World War I, the daughter of Marie-Louise (Witkowski) and Jean Darrieux, a medical doctor who was serving in the French Army. Her mother was born in Algeria. Her father died when she was seven years old.
Raised in Paris, she studied the cello at the Conservatoire de Musique. At 14, she won a part in the musical film Le Bal (1931). Her beauty combined with her singing and dancing ability led to numerous other offers; the film Mayerling (1936) brought her to prominence.
In 1935, Darrieux married director/screenwriter Henri Decoin, who encouraged her to try Hollywood. She signed a seven-year contract with Universal Studios to star in The Rage of Paris (1938) opposite Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Afterwards, she elected to return to Paris.
Under the German occupation of France during World War II, Darrieux continued to perform, a decision that was severely criticized by her compatriots. However, it is reported that her brother had been threatened with deportation by Alfred Greven, the German manager of Continental, the only film production company permitted in occupied France. She received a divorce and then fell in love with Porfirio Rubirosa, a Dominican Republic diplomat and notorious womanizer. They married in 1942. His anti-Nazi opinions resulted in his forced residence in Germany. In exchange for Rubirosa’s freedom, Darrieux agreed to make a promotional trip in Berlin. The couple lived in Switzerland until the end of the war, and divorced in 1947. She married scriptwriter Georges Mitsikidès in 1948, and they lived together until his death in 1991.
Darrieux appeared in the MGM musical Rich, Young and Pretty (1951). Joseph L. Mankiewicz lured her back to Hollywood to star in 5 Fingers (1952) with James Mason. Upon returning to France, she appeared in Max Ophüls’ The Earrings of Madame de… (1953) with Charles Boyer, and The Red and the Black (1954) with Gérard Philippe. She starred in Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1955), whose theme of uninhibited sexuality led to its being proscribed by Catholic censors in the United States. She played a supporting role in her last American film, United Artists’ epic Alexander the Great (1956) starring Richard Burton and Claire Bloom.
At the request of director Lewis Gilbert, Darrieux worked in England to shoot The Greengage Summer (1961) with Kenneth More. In 1963, she starred in the romantic comedy La Robe Mauve de Valentine at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris. The play was adapted from the novel by Françoise Sagan.
In Jacques Demy’s film musical The Young Girls of Rochefort (1966) her role was the only one in which a principal actor in any of Demy’s film-musicals sang his or her own musical parts. (All other actors had a separate person dub their singing parts.) During the 1960s, she also was a concert singer.
In 1970, Darrieux replaced Katharine Hepburn in the Broadway musical Coco, based on the life of Coco Chanel, but the play, essentially a showcase for Hepburn, soon folded without her. In 1971 and 1972 she also appeared in the short-lived productions of Ambassador. She worked again with Demy for his film Une chambre en ville (1982), an opera-like musical melodrama reminiscent of the director’s earlier work The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, 1964). Once again, Darrieux provided her own vocals for her songs.
Honors
For her long service to the motion picture industry, in 1985 she was given an Honorary César Award. She continued to work, her career spanning eight decades, most recently providing the voice of the protagonist’s grandmother in the animated feature, Persepolis (2007), which deals with the impact of the Islamic revolution on a girl’s life as she grows to adulthood in Iran.
Death
Danielle Darrieux died on 17 October 2017 at the age of 100, due to complications from a fall, five months after turning 100 that May.
Filmography
Danielle Darrieux in 2008
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Le Bal | Antoinette | Wilhelm Thiele | |
| Coquecigrole | Coquecigrole | André Berthomieu | ||
| 1932 | The Lacquered Box | Henriette Stenay | Jean Kemm | |
| Panurge | Régine | Michel Bernheim | ||
| 1933 | Honeymoon Trip | Minor Role | Germain Fried and Erich Schmidt | |
| Dream Castle | Béatrix | Géza von Bolváry | ||
| 1934 | Volga in Flames | Macha | Victor Tourjansky | |
| The Crisis is Over | Nicole Nadin | Robert Siodmak | ||
| Mauvaise Graine | Jeannette | Billy Wilder and Alexander Esway | ||
| Le secret d’une nuit | Minor Role | Félix Gandéra | Uncredited | |
| My Heart Is Calling You | Nicole Nadin | Carmine Gallone and Serge Véber | ||
| L’auberge du Petit-Dragon | Jean de Limur | |||
| Dédé | Denise | René Guissart | ||
| Gold in the Street | Gaby | Curtis Bernhardt | ||
| 1935 | Le contrôleur des wagons-lits | Annie Bourguet | Richard Eichberg | |
| Mad Girl | Lucie | Léo Joannon | ||
| J’aime toutes les femmes | Danielle | Karel Lamač and Henri Decoin | ||
| The Green Domino | Hélène / Marianne de Richmond | Herbert Selpin and Henri Decoin | ||
| 1936 | Mademoiselle Mozart | Denise | Yvan Noé | |
| Mayerling | Maria Vetsera | Anatole Litvak | ||
| Taras Bulba | Marina | Alexis Granowsky | ||
| Women’s Club | Claire Derouve | Jacques Deval | ||
| Counsel for Romance | Jacqueline Serval | Jean Boyer and Raoul Ploquin | ||
| Port Arthur | Youki | Nicolas Farkas | ||
| 1937 | My Mother Is a Miss | Jacqueline Letournel | Henri Decoin | |
| Abused Confidence | Lydia | Henri Decoin | ||
| 1938 | The Rage of Paris | Nicole de Cortillion | Henry Koster | |
| Katia | Katia Dolgoronsky | Maurice Tourneur | ||
| Return at Dawn | Anita Ammer | Henri Decoin | ||
| 1940 | Beating Heart | Arlette | Henri Decoin | |
| 1941 | Her First Affair | Micheline Chevasse | Henri Decoin | |
| 1942 | Caprices | Lise | Léo Joannon | |
| Twisted Mistress | Lilian Rander | André Cayatte | ||
| 1947 | Bethsabée | Arabella Dalvert | Léonide Moguy | |
| 1948 | Ruy Blas | Queen of Spain | Pierre Billon | |
| 1949 | Jean de la Lune | Marceline – une jeune femme charmante mais volage | Marcel Achard | |
| Keep an Eye on Amelia | Amélie d’Avranches | Claude Autant-Lara | ||
| 1950 | La Ronde | Emma Breitkopf | Max Ophüls | |
| Romanzo d’amore | Archduchess Louise of Austria | Duilio Coletti | ||
| 1951 | Rich, Young and Pretty | Marie Devaronne | Norman Taurog | |
| La maison Bonnadieu | Gabrielle Bonnadieu | Carlo Rim | ||
| 1952 | The Truth About Bebe Donge | Elisabeth “Bébé” Donge | Henri Decoin | |
| House of Pleasure | Madame Rosa | Max Ophüls | (segment “La Maison Tellier”) | |
| 5 Fingers | Countess Anna Staviska | Joseph L. Mankiewicz | ||
| Adorable Creatures | Christine | Christian-Jaque | ||
| 1953 | Le Bon Dieu sans confession | Janine Fréjoul | Claude Autant-Lara | |
| The Earrings of Madame de… | Countess Louise | Max Ophüls | ||
| 1954 | El torero | Geneviève Dupré | René Wheeler | |
| Escalier de service | Béatrice Berthier | Carlo Rim | ||
| Le Rouge et le Noir | Madame de Rénal | Claude Autant-Lara | ||
| One Step to Eternity | Constance Andrieux dite Poussy | Henri Decoin | ||
| 1955 | Napoléon | Eléonore Denuelle de La Plaigne | Sacha Guitry | |
| L’Affaire des poisons | Madame de Montespan | Henri Decoin | ||
| Lady Chatterley’s Lover | Constance Chatterley | Marc Allégret | ||
| 1956 | If Paris Were Told to Us | Agnès Sorel | Sacha Guitry | |
| Alexander the Great | Olympias | Robert Rossen | ||
| Le salaire du péché | Isabelle Lindstrom | Denys de La Patellière | ||
| 1957 | Typhon sur Nagasaki | Françoise Fabre | Yves Ciampi | |
| Lovers of Paris | Caroline Hédouin | Julien Duvivier | ||
| 1958 | Le septième ciel | Brigitte de Lédouville | Raymond Bernard | |
| Le désordre et la nuit | Thérèse Marken | Gilles Grangier | ||
| Life Together | Monique Lebeaut | Clément Duhour | ||
| Sunday Encounter | Catherine Brévent | Marc Allégret | ||
| 1959 | Marie-Octobre | Marie-Hélène Dumoulin (aka “Marie-Octobre”) | Julien Duvivier | |
| Les Yeux de l’amour | Jeanne Moncatel | Denys de La Patellière | ||
| 1960 | Murder at 45 R.P.M. | Eve Faugeres | Étienne Périer | |
| L’Homme à femmes | Gabrielle / Françoise | Jacques-Gérard Cornu | ||
| 1961 | The Greengage Summer | Madame Zisi | Lewis Gilbert | |
| Long Live Henry IV… Long Live Love | Henriette d’Entragues | Claude Autant-Lara | ||
| The Lions Are Loose | Marie-Laure Robert-Guichard | Henri Verneuil | ||
| Les bras de la nuit | Danielle Garnier | Jacques Guymont | ||
| Les petits drames | Paul Vecchiali | Cameo appearance | ||
| 1962 | Le Crime ne paie pas | Lucienne Marsais | Gérard Oury | (segment “L’homme de l’avenue”) |
| The Devil and the Ten Commandments | Clarisse Ardan | Julien Duvivier | (segment “Tes père et mère honoreras”) | |
| Pourquoi Paris? | La prostituée | Denys de La Patellière | ||
| 1963 | Bluebeard | Berthe Héon | Claude Chabrol | |
| Be Careful Ladies | Hedwige | André Hunebelle | ||
| 1964 | Du grabuge chez les veuves | Judith | Jacques Poitrenaud | |
| Patate | Edith Rollo | Robert Thomas | ||
| 1965 | Le coup de grâce | Yolande | Jean Cayrol and Claude Durand | |
| L’or du duc | Marie-Gabrielle de M. | Jacques Baratier | ||
| 1967 | Le dimanche de la vie | Julia Ségovie | Jean Vautrin | |
| The Young Girls of Rochefort | Yvonne Garnier | Jacques Demy | ||
| 1968 | L’Homme à la Buick | Mme Dalayrac | Gilles Grangier | |
| 24 Hours in the Life of a Woman | Lady Alice Copland | Dominique Delouche | ||
| Birds in Peru | Madame Fernande | Romain Gary | ||
| 1969 | La maison de campagne | Lorette Boiselier | Jean Girault | |
| No encontré rosas para mi madre | Teresa / Jaci’s mother | Francisco Rovira Beleta | ||
| 1975 | Divine | Marion Renoir | Dominique Delouche | |
| 1976 | L’Année sainte | Christina | Jean Girault | |
| 1979 | Le cavaleur | Suzanne Taylor | Philippe de Broca | |
| Miss a. k. a. Ein Fall für Madame |
Miss | Roger Pigaut | 6 episodes, (French-German TV miniseries, aired in 1979) |
|
| 1982 | Une chambre en ville | Margot Langlois | Jacques Demy | |
| 1983 | At the Top of the Stairs | Françoise Canavaggia | Paul Vecchiali | |
| 1986 | Scene of the Crime | grandmother | André Téchiné | |
| Corps et biens | Madame Krantz | Benoît Jacquot | ||
| 1988 | A Few Days with Me | Madame Pasquier (Martial’s mother) | Claude Sautet | |
| 1989 | Bille en tête | l’Arquebuse | Carlo Cotti | |
| 1991 | Le jour des rois | Armande | Marie-Claude Treilhou | |
| 1992 | Les mamies | Lolotte | Annick Lanoë | |
| 2000 | Tomorrow’s Another Day | Eva | Jeanne Labrune | |
| 2001 | 8 Women | Mamy | François Ozon | |
| 2003 | Les Liaisons dangereuses | Madame de Rosemonde | Josée Dayan | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | Une vie à t’attendre | Emilie | Thierry Klifa | |
| 2006 | Oh La La! | Odette Saint-Gilles | Anne Fontaine | |
| 2007 | Persepolis | grandmother | Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi | Voice |
| L’Heure Zéro | Camille Tressilian | Pascal Thomas | ||
| 2010 | Pièce montée | Madeleine | Denys Granier-Deferre | |
| C’est toi, c’est tout | Camille | Jacques Santamaria | TV movie |
Awards
| Year | Awards | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | César Award | Best Supporting Actress | Scene of the Crime | Nominated |
| 2002 | Berlin International Film Festival | Silver Bear – Outstanding Artistic Achievement | 8 Women | Won |
| 2002 | César Award | Best Supporting Actress | 8 Women | Nominated |
| 2002 | European Film Awards | Best Actress (all the cast) | 8 Women | Won |
| 2002 | Online Film Critics Society | Best Cast | 8 Women | Nominated |
References
- ^ Gates, Anita (19 October 2017). “Danielle Darrieux, French Film Star Over 8 Decades, Is Dead at 100”. The New York Times.
- ^ Latil, Lucas; Guyard, Bertrand (19 October 2017). “Le charme de Danielle Darrieux agissait également dans ses chansons”. Le Figaro.
- ^ Jump up to:a b “Danielle Darrieux”. Life. 4 July 1938. pp. 39–41.
- ^ “Danielle Darrieux, 100”. Classic Images (510): 51–52. December 2017.
- ^ Jump up to:a b Marshall, Bill (2005). France and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History : a Multidisciplinary Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. pp. 349–350. ISBN 9781851094110.
- ^ “Danielle Darrieux”. The St. Louis Star and Times. Missouri, St. Louis. 16 November 1937. p. 8. Retrieved 19 October 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Lebrun, Dominique. Paris-Hollywood: Les français dans le cinéma américain. Hazan. ISBN 2-85025-136-4.
- ^ “L’actrice Danielle Darrieux est morte à l’âge de 100 ans”. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ “Danielle Darrieux, French Film Star Over 8 Decades, Is Dead at 100”. The New York Times. 19 October 2017.
Bibliography
- Darrieux, Danielle; Ferrière, Jean-Pierre (1995). Danielle Darrieux – Filmographie commentée par elle-même. Paris: Ramsay Cinéma. ISBN 2-84114-113-6.