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Claudette Colbert

Claudette Colbert

Actor · 1903 – 1996 · Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France

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.

Movies24

  • Movie7.8

    It Happened One Night

    1934 · 1.5K votes

  • Movie6.1

    Cleopatra

    1934 · 102 votes

  • Movie6.6

    Since You Went Away

    1944 · 56 votes

  • Movie6.4

    The Sign of the Cross

    1932 · 53 votes

  • Movie7.0

    The Palm Beach Story

    1942 · 213 votes

  • Movie5.9

    So Proudly We Hail

    1943 · 26 votes

  • Movie5.7

    Let's Make It Legal

    1951 · 26 votes

  • Movie7.1

    The Egg and I

    1947 · 49 votes

  • Movie7.1

    Bluebeard's 8th Wife

    1938 · 110 votes

  • Movie7.1
  • Movie6.5

    Drums Along the Mohawk

    1939 · 133 votes

  • Movie6.3

    Sleep, My Love

    1948 · 53 votes

  • Movie6.5

    It's a Wonderful World

    1939 · 50 votes

  • Movie7.3

    She Married Her Boss

    1935 · 3 votes

  • Movie8.0
  • Movie6.3
  • Movie7.0

    Imitation of Life

    1934 · 88 votes

  • Movie6.7

    Si Versailles m'était conté

    Royal Affairs in Versailles

    1953 · 32 votes

  • Movie6.3

    Without Reservations

    1946 · 21 votes

  • Movie6.7

    The Gilded Lily

    1935 · 15 votes

  • Movie7.4

    Midnight

    1939 · 96 votes

  • Movie6.2

    Guest Wife

    1945 · 13 votes

  • Movie5.8
  • Movie6.3

    Tomorrow Is Forever

    1946 · 43 votes

Series15

  • TV7.0

    What's My Line?

    1950 · 29 votes

  • TV6.0
  • TV3.8

    Climax!

    1954 · 12 votes

  • TV6.2
  • TV7.0

    The Oscars

    1953 · 84 votes

  • TV6.9

    The Colgate Comedy Hour

    1950 · 13 votes

  • TV6.2

    The Steve Allen Show

    1956 · 6 votes

  • TV7.8

    The Jack Benny Program

    1950 · 17 votes

  • TV6.5

    Telephone Time

    1956 · 4 votes

  • TV7.4
  • TV7.5

    Playhouse 90

    1956 · 10 votes

  • TV6.6

    Letter to Loretta

    1953 · 7 votes

  • TV6.2

    Suspicion

    1957 · 9 votes

  • TV6.8
  • TV5.0