Claudette Colbert: biography, films, photos

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Claudette Colbert was an American dramatic actress, popular from the 1920s to the 1950s. Over the years, she has received Oscar, Tony, Golden Globe awards. The actress was also nominated for an Emmy Award.

Childhood and youth

Claudette Lily Shochouan is the real name of Claudette Colbert. The biography of the actress is rich in events, her life has never been gray and boring. She was born on September 13, 1903 in France, in the town of Saint-Mandet in the Ile-de-France region. Her father is a banker Georges Claude, her mother is a confectioner Jeanne Lou Shoshuan. Colbert also had an older brother, Charles.

Claudette's parents immigrated to New York in 1906 when she was three years old. The girl graduated from high school in the city of Washington. Her speech teacher, Alice Rossetter, helped her get rid of her accent and then invited her to audition for a theater production. So at the age of only 14, Claudette performed her first role in the play "The Widow Veil" on the stage of the theater.

After school

After graduating from school, Colbert goes to study at the Art Students League and at the same time goes to work in a clothing store,to have something to pay for education. At first, the girl dreams of becoming a fashion designer, but after attending a lecture by playwright Ann Morrison, she seriously thinks about the career of an actress. Morrison invites her to play one of the roles in his play "The Wild Wescotts". The play is shown on the stage of Broadway in 1923. The girl will start performing under the stage name Claudette Colbert only in 1925. The surname Colbert was not chosen by chance, it is the real name of her maternal grandmother.

Acting career

Perceive the girl as a real actress began in the 1920s, when she began working on Broadway. During the Great Depression in America, many theaters on Broadway closed, and then Claudette decides to act in films. Her first roles were in silent films, then the era of sound films began. Claudette's brother, Charles Wendling, worked as an agent and manager for the actress for many years.

The girl worked at the Paramount Pictures studio and after a while became one of the most popular actresses in America. In 1935, Colbert received an Oscar for her performance in the comedy film It Happened One Night. In other years, Claudette received two more nominations for this award for her other works - roles in the dramatic films "Private Worlds" in 1936 and "Since You Gone" in 1945.

In the late 1950s, the actress starred less and less, and in 1961 she last played a role in a movie. When in the late fifties the fame of the actress began to fade, she again went to work in the theater. roles,which the actress played in the movies, are distinguished by professional calm performance, aristocracy, elegance and a touch of French style.

Claudette Colbert, the films in her filmography prove it, worked as an actress for 60 years. She performed roles in 64 films, including both drama and comedy. Colbert was always more fond of acting in comedy films, her talent was more and more fully revealed in this genre.

Private life

Claudette has been married twice. For the first time in 1928, the actress married Norman Foster, an actor and director who participated with her in the Broadway production of Barker. This marriage was unusual for those times. They lived separately, justifying this by the fact that the mother of the actress did not like her son-in-law. Claudette lived with her mother, and her mother forbade Foster from entering their house.

In 1935, unable to withstand such a relationship, the actors get divorced. In the same year, Colbert marries again. This time for Los Angeles surgeon Joel Pressman.

Joel Claudette has been married for 33 years. In 1968, Pressman died suddenly of liver cancer. In 1971, the actress's brother died.

After the death of her husband, having ceased acting in films and performing on stage, the actress lived in Barbados in the city of Speystown. Claudette Colbert died on July 30, 1996 at the age of 92. The actress was buried in Barbados at the cemetery of St. Peter's Church. Claudette had no children. The actress bequeathed her propertyfriend Helen O'Hagen, who took care of her for the last three years of her life.

Interesting facts

• In 1999, Claudette Colbert entered the list of the greatest movie stars and was in this list in 12th place.
• There is a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Claudette Colbert. It is located at 6812 Hollywood Boulevard.
• In the movies, the actress has always tried to shoot from the left side. This was due to the fact that the right side of Claudette's face was slightly damaged by a shot in an accident on set.
• In 1935, the actress did not think that she would receive an Oscar, so she did not go to the awards ceremony. As a result, she was called from the train at the station to urgently come for the award.
• During the filming of her first color film "Drums of the Mahonke Valley", the actress was very worried that it would not look good in color. After this film, Claudette Colbert, photos confirm this, was more willing to star in black and white films than in color.
• Emmy and Golden Globe awards, the actress was awarded only in 1987-1988. Claudette received them for her supporting role in the mini-series The Two Mrs. Grenville.