Simone Simon

See also: Simon

Simone Simon (born the April 23rd 1911 with Marseilles in the Rhone delta and deceased the February 23rd 2005 with Paris), is a French Actrice .

Biography

The cinematographic career of Simone Simon extends over four decades, of the beginning of the year 1930 to the beginning of the year 1970, period during which east will have turned nearly forty films to France, to Italy, to Germany, to Great Britain, and in Hollywood, for directors as prestigious as Jean Renoir, Jacques Tourneur, max Ophüls or Marc Allégret. It remains with the posterity for two particularly outstanding films: the human animal of Jean Renoir (1938), and cat-like the (1942) that Jacques Tourneur realized with Hollywood.

The life of Simone Simon starts on a enigma: born in 1911 or 1910, with Béthune or Marseilles? His/her Italian mother and her French father separate whereas it is three years old, and it then leaves to live with her mother and her father-in-law with Madagascar. It will return then to France and will make its studies with Berlin, Budapest and Turin.

Whereas it is yet only one teenager, it works like mannequin, draws dresses and goes up on scene in musical comedies. But it is in 1931 that she is noticed with the terrace of the Coffee of Peace in Paris, by Victor Tourjansky, Russian realizer who emigrated in France. It offers to its first role in the unknown singer to him and in the black eyes (1935) with Michel Aumont remakes it to turn.

It is from now on a sure value of the French cinema where one defines it as a “tender savage”. The company 20th Century Fox locates it and Darryl Zanuck proposes to him to come to Hollywood. But it seems that she encounters difficulties to have a command of the English language. Moreover, the films in which Fox makes it turn do not put it at its advantage, and the American dream disappears little by little. It seems that its Hollywood stay oneself more profitable in cinematographic private affairs than from the point of view. It will be implied in small scandals, of which Hollywood délecte. Its American career stagnating, and having to face the competition of other French actresses come to try their chance in California (in particular Annabella, young wife of the star Tyrone Power) it decides to return to France. Well took some to him because she is quickly contacted by Jean Renoir to hold the role of Severine Roubaud in the human animal (1938) according to the novel of Emile Zola. Renoir also wishes to distribute it in the Rules of the game (1939), which are one of its masterpieces, but its financial claims are too important, and Renoir will choose Nora Gregor then.

With the declaration of the Second world war, Simone decides to go back to the United States. This second stay will be more profitable, and it incarnates Belle , in film of William Dieterle The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), then Irena Dubrovna in famous film of horror of Jacques Tourneur Cat-like the (1942). One also sees it in several more minor films like Miss Fifi of Robert Wise (1944).

At the end of the war, Simone returns to France and still turns in ten films, before being devoted exclusively to the Théâtre starting from the middle of the years 1950. One will see it last once on the screen in the woman in blue of Michel Deville in 1973.

She never married, and of child did not have.

Catalog of films

See too

  • Simone Simon on Internet Movie Database
  • Simone Simon obit in the Alternative Film Guides

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