Mathilda Marie Berthilde Paruta (21 November 1907 – 7 December 1999), better known by her stage name Darling Légitimus, was a French actress. In 1983, she received the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for her performance in the film '' Sugar Cane Alley''.

Biography

Born on 21 November 1907 at Le Carbet in

Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...

, she spent her early years in Caracas, Venezuela. Mathilda Paruta arrived in Paris, France, aged 16, wanting to become a dancer. She met Victor-Etienne Légitimus, son of the government deputy, Hegesippe Jean Légitimus, and went on to become his lifelong companion and bear him five children. Known for a long time as Miss Darling, she later chose to go by the name of Darling Legitimus. She performed as a dancer in '' La Revue Nègre'' (1925) with

Josephine Baker Freda Josephine Baker (; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), naturalized as Joséphine Baker, was an American and French dancer, singer, and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in France. She was the first Black woman to s ...

, and posed for

Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

as well as for sculptor Paul Belmondo, father of

Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward, frequently portraying police officer ...

, the actor. During the 1930s, Darling wrote, composed and sang numerous Caribbean songs such as

Biguine Biguine ( , ; ) is a rhythmic dance and music style that originated from Saint-Pierre, Martinique in the 19th century. It fuses West African traditional music genres, such as Bélé, with 19th-century French ballroom dance steps. History Two ...

and Mazurka. She often performed alongside known musicians of the era, including "Pe En Kin Sosso" and his band. She also performed in plays by

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; ; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Th ...

('' Les Nègres'') and

Aimé Césaire Aimé Fernand David Césaire (; ; 26 June 1913 – 17 April 2008) was a French poet, author, and politician from Martinique. He was "one of the founders of the Négritude movement in Francophone literature" and coined the word in French. He ...

. She was directed on the big screen by Raymond Rouleau in ''

Les Sorcieres de Salem ''The Crucible'' (, or ''Hexenjagd'') is a 1957 French-language historical drama film directed by Raymond Rouleau with a screenplay adapted by Jean-Paul Sartre from the 1953 play ''The Crucible'', by Arthur Miller. Plot 1692, Salem, Massachuse ...

'' (''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1692 to 1693. Miller wrote ...

'') alongside

Simone Signoret Simone Signoret (; born Simone Henriette Charlotte Kaminker; 25 March 1921 – 30 September 1985) was a French actress. She received various accolades, including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, a César Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and ...

and

Yves Montand Ivo Livi (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), better known as Yves Montand (), was an Italian-born French actor and singer. He is said to be one of France's greatest 20th-century artists. Early life Montand was born Ivo Livi in Stignano, a ...

, and ''

Le Salaire de la Peur ''The Wages of Fear'' () is a 1953 thriller film directed and co-written by Henri-Georges Clouzot, and starring Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Peter van Eyck and Véra Clouzot. The film centres on a group of four down-on-their-luck European men w ...

'' (''

Wages of Fear ''The Wages of Fear'' () is a 1953 thriller film directed and co-written by Henri-Georges Clouzot, and starring Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Peter van Eyck and Véra Clouzot. The film centres on a group of four down-on-their-luck European men w ...

'') by

Henri Georges Clouzot Henri-Georges Clouzot (; 20 November 1907 – 12 January 1977) was a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best remembered for his work in the thriller film genre, having directed '' The Wages of Fear'' (1953) and '' Les Diabol ...

, with

Sacha Guitry Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry (; 21 February 188524 July 1957) was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre (aesthetic), boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French ac ...

Jean-Claude Brialy Jean-Claude Brialy (30 March 1933 – 30 May 2007) was a French actor and film director. Early life Brialy was born in Aumale (now Sour El-Ghozlane), French Algeria, where his father was stationed with the French Army. Brialy moved to mainland ...

and

Bernardo Bertolucci Bernardo Bertolucci ( ; ; 16 March 1941 – 26 November 2018) was an Italian film director and screenwriter with a career that spanned 50 years. Considered one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema, Bertolucci's work achieved inte ...

. In 1983, at the age of 76, she won the Volpi Cup for the best female interpretation of "The Mostra of Venise", also for her role in '' La Rue Cases-Nègres'' ('' Sugar Cane Alley''), directed by her compatriot Euzhan Palcy. During her long life, she was acquainted with a great number of famous actors, among them Arletty, Fernandel,

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

and

Pierre Brasseur Pierre Brasseur (; 22 December 1905 – 16 August 1972), born Pierre-Albert Espinasse, was a French actor. Biography The son of actors Georges Espinasse and Germaine Brasseur was an actor as well. The family tradition of using the name ''Br ...

. She also took part in numerous ORTF (Office de Radio-diffusion de la Television Française) productions, of which a telefilm by

Jean-Christophe Averty Jean-Christophe Averty (; 6 August 1928 – 4 March 2017) was a French television and radio director, and Satrap of the College of 'Pataphysique. Many of his television productions from the 1960s were early examples of French video art. His stud ...

, ''Les verts Paturages'' ('' The Green Pastures'', written by

Marc Connelly Marcus Cook Connelly (December 13, 1890 – December 21, 1980) was an American playwright, director, producer, performer, and lyricist. He was a key member of the Algonquin Round Table, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1930. Biogra ...

), was produced.

Death

She died on 7 December 1999 at Kremlin-Bicetre in the Val de Marne near Paris, in France, without any more acting roles after ''Sugar Cane Alley'' in spite of hopes of her nomination and rewards.

Public tribute

The writer, Calixthe Beyala and Caribbean actor Luc Saint-Eloy, representatives of "Liberté" collective came up on stage at the César ceremony in 2000, to claim one of the largest presence on French television screens and to pay her a public tribute, since the organizers had "forgotten" to name Darling as one of the previous year's great losses.

Filmography

Cinema

*1934: '' Bouboule 1er, roi nègre'' (by

Léon Mathot Léon Mathot (5 March 1886, Roubaix, Nord-Pas-de-Calais - 6 March 1968, in Paris) was a French film actor and film director best known perhaps for playing Edmond Dantes in ''The Count of Monte Cristo (1918 series), The Count of Monte Cristo'' se ...

) *1937: '' The Pearls of the Crown'' (by

and Christian Jaque) – (uncredited) *1946: '' Un ami viendra ce soir'' (by Raymond Bernard) – (uncredited) *1946: ''Le Bateau à soupe'' (by Maurice Gleize) – (uncredited) *1947: ''Les Trois cousines'' (by

Jacques Daniel-Norman Jacques Daniel-Norman (real name Joseph Jacques Compère Casimir Casimir is a Latin version of the Polish male name Kazimierz (). The original Polish feminine form is Kazimiera, in Latin and other languages rendered as Casimira. It has two possible meanings: "preacher of peace" or alternatively "destroyer of p ...

'' (by

Richard Pottier Richard Pottier (6 June 1906, in Graz – 2 November 1994, in Le Plessis-Bouchard) was a film director in France. He was born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire as Ernst Deutsch. Selected filmography * ''If I Were Boss (1934 film), If I Were Boss'' ( ...

) – Caroline *1952: ''Le Chemin de Damas'' (by Max Glass) *1953: ''

Le Salaire de la peur ''The Wages of Fear'' () is a 1953 thriller film directed and co-written by Henri-Georges Clouzot, and starring Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Peter van Eyck and Véra Clouzot. The film centres on a group of four down-on-their-luck European men w ...

'' (by

Henri-Georges Clouzot Henri-Georges Clouzot (; 20 November 1907 – 12 January 1977) was a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best remembered for his work in the thriller film genre, having directed '' The Wages of Fear'' (1953) and '' Les Diabo ...

) *1953: ''Tourbillon'' (by Alfred Rode) *1954: '' Flesh and the Woman'' (by

Robert Siodmak Robert Siodmak (; 8 August 1900 – 10 March 1973) was a German Jewish film director. His career spanned some 40 years, working extensively in the United States and France, as well as in his native country. Though he worked in many genres, he was ...

) *1955: ''

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

'' (by

and Eugène Lourié) – La nourrice (uncredited) *1955: '' Le Port du désir'' (by Edmond T. Gréville) – La mère de Baba (uncredited) *1955: ''

A Missionary ''A Missionary'' (French: ''Un missionnaire'') is a 1955 French drama film directed by Maurice Cloche and starring Yves Massard, Marie-France Planeze and René Blancard. It was shot in Guinea and Cameroon.Crisp p.157 The film is in Eastmancolor ...

'' (by

Maurice Cloche Maurice Cloche (17 June 1907, in Commercy, Meuse (department), Meuse – 20 March 1990, in Bordeaux, France) was a French people, French film director, screenwriter, photographer and film producer. Best known for his Oscar-winning film ''Monsieur V ...

) *1957: '' Les Sorcières de Salem'' (by Raymond Rouleau) – Tituba *1960: '' Women Are Like That'' (by

Bernard Borderie Bernard Borderie (10 June 1924 in Paris – 28 May 1978 in Paris) was a French film director and screenwriter. His father, Raymond Borderie, was one of the producers of ''Children of Paradise, Les Enfants du Paradis'' (''Children of Paradise'', 194 ...

) – Palmyre *1962: '' La Poupée'' (by Jacques Baratier) – (uncredited) *1963: ''Le Feu follet'' (by

Louis Malle Louis Marie Malle (; 30 October 1932 – 23 November 1995) was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. Described as "eclectic" and "a filmmaker difficult to pin down", Malle made document ...

) – (uncredited) *1971: '' Boulevard du Rhum'' (by

Robert Enrico Robert Georgio Enrico (April 13, 1931 – February 23, 2001) was a French film director and scriptwriter best known for making the Oscar-winning short '' An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge'' (1961). He was born in Liévin, Pas-de-Calais, in the no ...

) – La noire qui fredonne (uncredited) *1971: '' Le Cri du cormoran le soir au-dessus des jonques'' (by Michel Audiard) *1972: ''Églantine'' (by Jean-Claude Brialy) – Lolo *1972: '' Le Dernier Tango à Paris'' (by

) – La concierge *1973: '' La dernière bourrée à Paris'' (by

Raoul André Raoul André (24 May 1916 in Rabat (Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has ...

) *1976: ''Les vécés étaient fermés de l'intérieur'' (by

Patrice Leconte Patrice Leconte (; born 12 November 1947) is a French film director, screenwriter and comic strip writer. Life and career Leconte grew up in Tours, and began making little amateur films at 15. He went to Paris in 1967 and studied at Institut des ...

) – Rose *1979: ''O Madiana'' (by Constant Gros-Dubois) – Mme Jonas *1980: ''La Bande du Rex'' −108-13 (by Jean-Henri Meunier) – Nounou *1980: ''5% de risques'' (by Jean Pourtalé) *1983: '' Rue Cases-Nègres'' (by Euzhan Palcy) – M'Man Tine (final film role)

Television

* ''La Case de l'oncle Tom'' (

Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two Volume (bibliography), volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans ...

), written by

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and wrote the popular novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (185 ...

(1963) .... Dinah * ''Les Verts Pâturages'' ( The Green Pastures), written by

Christmas 1964* * ''La Redevance du fantôme'' (1966), adapted from a

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

novel by Jean Gruault and realised by

.... Belinda * ''Noëlle aux quatre vents'', (1965 to 1969) realised by Henri Colpi. TV * ''Face aux Lancaster'' (1971) realised by Adonis Kyrou TV * ''François Gaillard : La Vie des autres'' – France, by Jacques Ertaud (1971) TV .... Datifa (segment Pierre)

Theater

* '' Les Sorcières de Salem'' by Raymond Rouleau, adapted by

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...

from

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

's novel

, in the Sarah Bernhardt Theater * ': created 4 August 1964, presented at the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...

, and in France the next year, at the Odéon theater in Paris, by the Dramatic Art Company: Europa Studio. It was a success in Berlin, Brussels, and the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

; in the 1966 Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres (

World Festival of Black Arts The World Festival of Black Arts (French: ''Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres''), also known as FESMAN or FMAN, has been a series of month-long culture and arts festivals taking place in various parts of Africa. The festival features participant ...

) in

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

, where the was built for the occasion; for

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...

, the Montreal World's Fair; in

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

, and in the Piccolo Teatro of Milan. * '' Une saison au Congo'', created on 4 October 1967 in Théâtre de l'Est Parisien by the Jean-Marie Serreau-Perinetti company. * '' Équateur Funambule'', juillet 1975, in the municipal theater of

Fort-de-France Fort-de-France (, , ; ) is a Communes of France, commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. History Before it was ceded to France by Spain in 1635, the area of Fort-de-Fra ...

in Martinique. * '' À la rencontre du petit matin'', March 1976, filmed in

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...

and in Martinique. November 1976, the " Nouveau Carré" Sylvia Montfort. May 1976, "Ciné royal" in Boulogne-Billancourt. February 1977,in Vesinet (near Paris). December 1990, Biennale of Dakar (Senegal) 1st part of "Aventure ambiguë" filmed in

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

for Memory of South. * '' Gouverneur de la rosée'' written in 1944, by Jacques Roumain, paru en 1944, adapted for the "Théâtre Noir" (Black Theater), Paris, 1975. * ''Vous ne l'emporterez pas avec vous'' ( You Can't Take It with You) (1978) by

Moss Hart Moss Hart (October 24, 1904 – December 20, 1961) was an American playwright, librettist, and theater director. Early years Hart was born in New York City, the son of Lillian (Solomon) and Barnett Hart, a cigar maker. He had a younger brother ...

and George S. Kaufman, produced and directed by Jean-Luc Moreau by Pierre Sabbagh (Au théâtre ce soir) ... Rébad * ''Le Diable aux collants verts''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Legitimus, Darling 1907 births 1999 deaths Martiniquais actresses French people of Martiniquais descent 20th-century French actresses Volpi Cup for Best Actress winners Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery People from the French West Indies