Claudette Colbert

Acting

Born Sep 13, 1903

From Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France

Died Jul 30, 1996

Claudette Colbert (September 13, 1903 — July 30, 1996) was an American actress. Born Emilie Claudette Chauchoin in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France, she was brought to the United States as a child three years later and went to high school in New York. While studying at the Art Students League when, in 1923, she took the name Claudette Colbert for her first Broadway role in "The Wild Westcotts". Her most noteworthy stage vehicle was the "The Barker" in 1927. Her first film was a silent For the Love of Mike (1927), directed by Frank Capra. Made on a shoestring, the movie was a flop, and she vowed that it would be her last film role: "I only left Broadway when the crash came. The Depression killed the theater, and the pictures were manna from heaven". She had her first film success the next year, however, in The Lady Lies (1929). Her early notable films were all box-office hits and included Cleopatra (1934), in which she played the title role enticingly. She had her greatest triumph playing a runaway heiress, with enormous charm, opposite Clark Gable in Capra's comedy It Happened One Night (1934), for which she won the Academy Award as Best Actress. By 1938 her keen ability in business made her the highest paid star in Hollywood. By 1950, though, her star had begun to wane. She returned to the stage in 1956 when she replaced Margaret Sullavan during the spring and summer in the comedy "Janus". Appearances in other Broadway productions followed, including "The Marriage-Go-Round". Besides the stage, she did TV specials and had a supporting role in a notable TV movie, The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (1987), for which she received a Golden Globe award. In 1989 she was presented with a Life Achievement award from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She married actor Norman Foster in 1928, although they never lived together and were divorced after seven years. She married surgeon Dr. Joel Pressman soon after and remained married until his death in 1968. In latter years she divided her time between an apartment in New York and a 200-year-old plantation house in Speightstown, Barbados, where she entertained such guests as Frank Sinatra and Ronald Reagan. She remained on Barbados Island after her stroke. On July 30, 1996, Claudette died in Speightstown, Barbados. She was 92.

Claudette Colbert

Known For

The Secret Fury

It Happened One Night

It's a Wonderful World

Royal Affairs in Versailles

The Sign of the Cross

Cleopatra

Without Reservations

The Gilded Lily

Imitation of Life

Bluebeard's 8th Wife

Filmography — Acting

The Secret Fury

It Happened One Night

It's a Wonderful World

Royal Affairs in Versailles

The Sign of the Cross

Cleopatra

Without Reservations

The Gilded Lily

Imitation of Life

Bluebeard's 8th Wife

Parrish

Drums Along the Mohawk

Since You Went Away

Midnight

Boom Town

The Egg and I

The Palm Beach Story

Tovarich

Tomorrow Is Forever

Let's Make It Legal

Hollywood: Style Center of the World

Sleep, My Love

Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

The Smiling Lieutenant

Private Worlds

Remember the Day

Make Me a Star

So Proudly We Hail

The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender

That's Entertainment! III

Daughters of Destiny

Thunder on the Hill

The Secret Heart

Hollywood Goes to Town

She Married Her Boss

Three Came Home

I Met Him in Paris

Arise, My Love

Complicated Women

No Time for Love

The Bride Comes Home

Torch Singer

The Phantom President

The House That Shadows Built

Under Two Flags

Breakdowns of 1938

Family Honeymoon

The Big Pond

The Man from Yesterday

Skylark

Honor Among Lovers

The Hole in the Wall

Zaza

Texas Lady

Guest Wife

The Lady Lies

The Planter's Wife

Practically Yours

His Woman

Maid of Salem

I Cover the Waterfront

The Wiser Sex

Secrets of a Secretary

Tonight Is Ours

The Comedian

Three Cornered Moon

Bride for Sale