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. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue C ...
, Delair was the daughter of a father who upholstered expensive cars' interiors, and a seamstress mother. She studied music at La Scala.
Film
Born in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
, she acted in films directed 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'' and '' Les Diaboliques' ...
Jean Grémillon
Jean Grémillon (; 3 October 1901 – 25 November 1959)Note that, despite attempts at correction, thIMDb entry on the directorlists his date of birth erroneously as 4 March 1898. The correct date is given in his standard biography, by Geneviève S ...
,
Marcel L'Herbier
Marcel L'Herbier (; 23 April 1888 – 26 November 1979) was a French filmmaker who achieved prominence as an avant-garde theorist and imaginative practitioner with a series of silent films in the 1920s. His career as a director continued unti ...
,
Christian-Jaque
Christian-Jaque (byname of Christian Maudet; 4 September 1904 – 8 July 1994) was a French filmmaker. From 1954 to 1959, he was married to actress Martine Carol, who starred in several of his films, including '' Lucrèce Borgia'' (1953), '' ...
,
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), '' The Devil's Envoy ...
,
Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, stage director, and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, Visconti was one of the fat ...
,
René Clément
René Clément (; 18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter.
Life and career
Clément studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. In 1936, he directed hi ...
and Gérard Oury.
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 comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo ...
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 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 constructed in 19 ...
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 ...
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; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)Let's Touch Wood'' (1933) – La petite compagne d'amusement
* ''Professeur Cupidon'' (1933)
* ''
Casanova
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (, ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, (''Story of My Life''), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about the c ...
'' (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 and producer, writer and actor. A pioneer in the theory and practice of montage, he is best known for three major silent films: '' ...
, 1934) – Poliche (uncredited)
* ''
Gold in the Street
''Gold in the Street'' (French: ''L'Or dans la rue'' ) is a 1934 French comedy film directed by Curtis Bernhardt, written by Henry Koster and Henri Decoin, and starring Danielle Darrieux.The A to Z of French Cinema p.119
The film's sets were d ...
'' (K. Bernhardt, 1934) – Madeleine – L'amie de Gaby
* ''Ferdinand le noceur'' (1935) – Madame Alice – Une prostituée de la maison close (uncredited)
* ''Les Sœurs Hortensias'' (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
* ''Défense d'aimer'' (Richard Pottier, 1942) – Totte
* '' La Vie de Bohème'' (Marcel L'Herbier, 1945) – Phémie / Femia
* ''Confessions of a Rogue'' (Jean Dréville, 1947) – Coralin–
* '' Quai des Orfèvres'' / ''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 imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book '' Utopia'', describing a fictional island socie ...
'' (Léo Joannon, 1951) – Chérie Lamour
* ''Fly in the Ointment'' (Guy Lefranc, 1955) – Lucette Gauthier
* ''Fernandel the Dressmaker'' (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 and later Member of the European Parliament (MEP).
Biography
Born at Luzarches in Val-d'Oise, Autant-Lara was educated in France and at London's Mill Hill ...
, 1960) – Lucilla
* ''
Rocco e i suoi fratelli
''Rocco and His Brothers'' ( it, Rocco e i suoi fratelli) is a 1960 drama film directed by Luchino Visconti and starring Alain Delon, Annie Girardot, Renato Salvatori, Katina Paxinou, Roger Hanin, Paolo Stoppa, and Claudia Cardinale in one of he ...
'' ("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), '' The Devil's Envoy ...
, 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