Claudette Colbert

Claudette Colbert was born in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France on September 13, 1903 and was brought to the United States as a child three years later. Born Emilie 'Lily' Claudette Chauchoin, she went to high school in New York. She was 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.

Known For	Acting
Most Rating	7.41
Birthday	1903-09-13
Place of Birth	Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France
Also Known As	Emilie Claudette Chauchoin, Клодетт Кольбер,

It Happened One Night

The Smiling Lieutenant

Let's Make It Legal

Bluebeard's Eighth Wife

Midnight

No Time for Love

The Palm Beach Story

Without Reservations

I Cover the Waterfront

Parrish

The Egg and I

Since You Went Away

Tovarich

Four Frightened People

Cleopatra

Tomorrow Is Forever

The Lady Lies

It's a Wonderful World

Imitation of Life

Royal Affairs in Versailles

She Married Her Boss

The Sign of the Cross

Torch Singer

Drums Along the Mohawk

Three-Cornered Moon

The Gilded Lily

The Secret Fury

Sleep, My Love

Boom Town

Under Two Flags

Maid of Salem

Remember the Day

Thunder on the Hill

Skylark

Three Came Home

Family Honeymoon

The Hole in the Wall

Private Worlds

The Bride Comes Home

So Proudly We Hail

Arise, My Love

Guest Wife

I Met Him in Paris

Honor Among Lovers

Frank Capra Jr. Remembers: 'It Happened One Night'

Make Me a Star

Manslaughter

The Phantom President

Tonight Is Ours

Texas Lady

The Misleading Lady

Practically Yours

Secrets of a Secretary

The Man from Yesterday

The Planter's Wife

Young Man of Manhattan

Zaza

The Big Pond

His Woman

The Secret Heart

Bride for Sale

For the Love of Mike

Blithe Spirit

Daughters of Destiny

The Wiser Sex

The Fashion Side of Hollywood

That's Entertainment! III

Breakdowns of 1938

Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

Hollywood: Style Center of the World

Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6

Complicated Women

Hollywood Goes to Town

The House That Shadows Built

The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender