Suzy Delair (born Suzette Pierrette Delaire;
December 31, 1917 – March 15, 2020) was a French actress, dancer, singer, comedian and star of vaudeville.
Early years
Growing up in
Montmartre
Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...
, Delair was the daughter of a father who upholstered expensive cars' interiors, and a seamstress mother. She studied music at
La Scala
La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...
.
Film
In 1947, Delair had a supporting role in ''The Murder Lives at Number 21'', which had its American premiere in New York City.
Today's audiences probably know her best as the feminine lead in the
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) ...
comedy ''
Atoll K'' (also known as ''Utopia''), filmed in France and released in 1951.
[
]
Music
Before Delair began performing in films, she starred in operettas. On 28 February 1948 she sang '' C'est si bon'' at the Hotel Negresco
The Hotel Negresco is a luxury hotel and site of the restaurant ''Le Chantecler'', located on the Promenade des Anglais on the Baie des Anges in Nice, France. It was named after Henri Negresco (1868–1920), who had the palatial hotel construct ...
during the first Nice Jazz Festival. Louis Armstrong
Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
was present and loved the song. On 26 June 1950 he recorded the American version of the song (English lyrics by Jerry Seelen) in New York City with Sy Oliver
Melvin James "Sy" Oliver (December 17, 1910 – May 28, 1988) was an American jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader.
Life
Sy Oliver was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. His mother was a piano teacher, and his f ...
and his orchestra. When it was released, the disc was a worldwide success and the song was then performed by the greatest international singers.
Personal life
For 12 years, Delair was the companion of French film director, producer and screenwriter Henri-Georges Clouzot.
Selected filmography
* '' A Caprice of Pompadour'' (Willy Wolff et Joë Hamman, 1931) – Une soubrette de la Pompadour
* '' Imperial Violets'' (Henri Roussell), 1932)
* ''La Dame de chez Maxim's'' (Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; ; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956) ), 1933)
* '' Let's Touch Wood'' (1933) – La petite compagne d'amusement
* ''Professeur Cupidon'' (1933)
* '' Casanova'' (1934)
* '' Poliche'' (1934) – Une Danseuse (uncredited)
* ''The Depression Is Over'' (Robert Siodmak, 1934)
* '' The Crisis is Over'' (1934) – (uncredited)
* ''Dédé'' (Abel Gance
Abel Gance (; born Abel Eugène Alexandre Péréthon; 25 October 188910 November 1981) was a French film director, producer, writer and actor. A pioneer in the theory and practice of montage, he is best known for three major silent films: ''J'ac ...
, 1934) – Poliche (uncredited)
* '' Gold in the Street'' (K. Bernhardt, 1934) – Madeleine – L'amie de Gaby
* '' Ferdinand the Roisterer'' (1935) – Madame Alice – Une prostituée de la maison close (uncredited)
*'' The Hortensia Sisters'' (1935) – Une femme au cabaret (uncredited)
* ''Prends la route'' (Jean Boyer, 1936)
* ''Trois Six Neuf'' (Raymond Rouleau, 1937)
* '' The Last of the Six'' (Georges Lacombe, 1941) – Mila Malou
* '' The Murderer Lives at Number 21'' (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1942) – Mila Malou
* '' No Love Allowed'' (Richard Pottier, 1942) – Totte
* '' La Vie de Bohème'' (Marcel L'Herbier, 1945) – Phémie / Femia
* ''Carbon Copy
Before the development of photographic copiers, a carbon copy was the under-copy of a typed or written document placed over carbon paper and the under-copy sheet itself (not to be confused with the carbon print family of photographic reproduc ...
'' (Jean Dréville, 1947) – Coraline–
* ''Quai des Orfèvres
''Quai des Orfèvres'' (; "Goldsmiths' Quay"; also known as ''Jenny Lamour'') is a 1947 French police procedural drama film based on the book ''Légitime défense'' by Stanislas-Andre Steeman. Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot the film stars ...
'' / ''Jenny Lamour'' (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1947) – Jenny Lamour
* ''Par la fenêtre'' (Gilles Grangier, 1948) – Fernande
* '' White Paws'' (Jean Grémillon, 1949) – Odette Kerouan
* '' I'm in the Revue'' (Mario Soldati, 1950) – La Chanteuse
* '' Lady Paname'' (Henri Jeanson, 1950) – Raymonde Bosset, dite Caprice
* '' Lost Souvenirs'' (Christian-Jaque, 1950) – Suzy Henebey (episode "Une couronne mortuaire")
* ''Utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', which describes a fictiona ...
'' (Léo Joannon, 1951) – Chérie Lamour
* '' Fly in the Ointment'' (Guy Lefranc, 1955) – Lucette Gauthier
* ''Fernandel the Dressmaker
''Fernandel the Dressmaker'' (French: ''Le Couturier de ces dames'') is a 1956 French comedy film directed by Jean Boyer and starring Fernandel, Suzy Delair and Fred Pasquali.Oscherwitz & Higgins p.163 It was shot at the Saint-Maurice Studio ...
'' (Jean Boyer, 1956) – Adrienne Vignard
* '' Gervaise'' (René Clément, 1956) – Virginie Poisson
* ''The Regattas of San Francisco'' (Claude Autant-Lara
Claude Autant-Lara (; 5 August 1901 – 5 February 2000) was a French film director, screenwriter, set designer and costume designer who worked in films for over 50 years. He made films characterised by bourgeois Realism (arts), realism, anti- ...
, 1960) – Lucilla
* '' Rocco e i suoi fratelli'' ("Rocco and his Brothers", Luchino Visconti, 1960) – Luisa
* '' Du Mouron pour les petits oiseaux'' ("Chicken Feed for Little Birds", Marcel Carné
Marcel Albert Carné (; 18 August 1906 – 31 October 1996) was a French film director. A key figure in the poetic realism movement, Carné's best known films include ''Port of Shadows'' (1938), ''Le Jour Se Lève'' (1939), ''Les Visiteurs du Soi ...
, 1963) – Antoinette – La bouchère
* '' Paris brûle-t-il?'' (René Clément, 1966) – A Parisienne (uncredited)
* '' The Mad Adventures of "Rabbi" Jacob'' (Gérard Oury, 1973) – Germaine Pivert
* ''Forget Me, Mandoline'' (1976) – Mireille
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Delair, Suzy
1917 births
2020 deaths
French film actresses
20th-century French women singers
Singers from Paris
Actresses from Paris
French women centenarians
French vaudeville performers
French women comedians
Comedians from Paris