Claudette Colbert
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.
Filmography
Azzedine Alaïa, un couturier français
as Self (archive footage)
Azzedine Alaïa, un couturier français
as Self (archive footage)
Complicated Women
as Self (archive footage)
Complicated Women
as Self (archive footage)
Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel
as Self (archive footage)
Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel
as Self (archive footage)
The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender
as Self (archive footage)
The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender
as Self (archive footage)
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
as Self (archive footage)
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
as Self (archive footage)
That's Entertainment! III
as (archive footage)
That's Entertainment! III
as (archive footage)
Marilyn Monroe
as archive footage
Marilyn Monroe
as archive footage
Parrish
as Ellen McLean
Parrish
as Ellen McLean
One Coat of White
as Betsy Gregg
One Coat of White
as Betsy Gregg
The Comedian
as Self (intro)
The Comedian
as Self (intro)
Blithe Spirit
as Ruth Condomine
Blithe Spirit
as Ruth Condomine
Texas Lady
as Prudence Webb
Texas Lady
as Prudence Webb
Daughters of Destiny
as Elizabeth Whitefield (segment "Elisabeth")
Daughters of Destiny
as Elizabeth Whitefield (segment "Elisabeth")
Royal Affairs in Versailles
as Mrs. de Montespan
Royal Affairs in Versailles
as Mrs. de Montespan
Let's Make It Legal
as Miriam Halsworth
Let's Make It Legal
as Miriam Halsworth
Thunder on the Hill
as Sister Mary Bonaventure
Thunder on the Hill
as Sister Mary Bonaventure
The Secret Fury
as Ellen Ewing
The Secret Fury
as Ellen Ewing
Three Came Home
as Agnes Newton Keith
Three Came Home
as Agnes Newton Keith
Bride for Sale
as Nora Shelley
Bride for Sale
as Nora Shelley
Family Honeymoon
as Katie Armstrong Jordan
Family Honeymoon
as Katie Armstrong Jordan
The Egg and I
as Betty MacDonald
The Egg and I
as Betty MacDonald
The Secret Heart
as Lee Addams
The Secret Heart
as Lee Addams
Without Reservations
as Kit Madden
Without Reservations
as Kit Madden
Tomorrow Is Forever
as Elizabeth Hamilton
Tomorrow Is Forever
as Elizabeth Hamilton
Guest Wife
as Mary Price
Guest Wife
as Mary Price
Practically Yours
as Peggy Martin
Practically Yours
as Peggy Martin
Since You Went Away
as Anne Hilton
Since You Went Away
as Anne Hilton
No Time for Love
as Katherine Grant
No Time for Love
as Katherine Grant
Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6
as Herself
Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6
as Herself
The Palm Beach Story
as Geraldine 'Gerry' Jeffers
The Palm Beach Story
as Geraldine 'Gerry' Jeffers
Remember the Day
as Nora Trinell
Remember the Day
as Nora Trinell
Skylark
as Lydia Kenyon
Skylark
as Lydia Kenyon
Arise, My Love
as Augusta Nash
Arise, My Love
as Augusta Nash
Boom Town
as Betsy Bartlett
Boom Town
as Betsy Bartlett
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
as Self (archive footage)
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
as Self (archive footage)
Drums Along the Mohawk
as Lana (Magdelana)
Drums Along the Mohawk
as Lana (Magdelana)
It's a Wonderful World
as Edwina Corday
It's a Wonderful World
as Edwina Corday
Midnight
as Eve Peabody
Midnight
as Eve Peabody
Zaza
as Zaza
Zaza
as Zaza
Breakdowns of 1938
as Tatiana (archive footage) (uncredited)
Breakdowns of 1938
as Tatiana (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hollywood Goes to Town
as Self
Hollywood Goes to Town
as Self
Bluebeard's 8th Wife
as Nicole De Loiselle
Bluebeard's 8th Wife
as Nicole De Loiselle
Tovarich
as Grand Duchess Tatiana Petrovna Romanov
Tovarich
as Grand Duchess Tatiana Petrovna Romanov
I Met Him in Paris
as Kay Denham
I Met Him in Paris
as Kay Denham
Maid of Salem
as Barbara Clarke
Maid of Salem
as Barbara Clarke
Under Two Flags
as Cigarette
Under Two Flags
as Cigarette
The Bride Comes Home
as Jeannette Desmereau
The Bride Comes Home
as Jeannette Desmereau
She Married Her Boss
as Julia Scott
She Married Her Boss
as Julia Scott
Private Worlds
as Dr. Jane Everest
Private Worlds
as Dr. Jane Everest
The Gilded Lily
as Marilyn David
The Gilded Lily
as Marilyn David
Cleopatra
as Cleopatra
Cleopatra
as Cleopatra
Hollywood on Parade No. B-10
as Self
Hollywood on Parade No. B-10
as Self
It Happened One Night
as Ellie Andrews
It Happened One Night
as Ellie Andrews
Four Frightened People
as Judy Jones
Four Frightened People
as Judy Jones
Torch Singer
as Sally Trent, aka Mimi Benton
Torch Singer
as Sally Trent, aka Mimi Benton
Three Cornered Moon
as Elizabeth Rimplegar
Three Cornered Moon
as Elizabeth Rimplegar
I Cover the Waterfront
as Julie Kirk
I Cover the Waterfront
as Julie Kirk
Tonight Is Ours
as Princess Nadya
Tonight Is Ours
as Princess Nadya
The Sign of the Cross
as Empress Poppaea
The Sign of the Cross
as Empress Poppaea
The Phantom President
as Felicia Hammond
The Phantom President
as Felicia Hammond
Make Me a Star
as Claudette Colbert (uncredited)
Make Me a Star
as Claudette Colbert (uncredited)
The Man from Yesterday
as Sylvia Suffolk
The Man from Yesterday
as Sylvia Suffolk
The Misleading Lady
as Helen Steele
The Misleading Lady
as Helen Steele
His Woman
as Sally Clark
His Woman
as Sally Clark
Secrets of a Secretary
as Helen Blake
Secrets of a Secretary
as Helen Blake
The House That Shadows Built
as (archive footage)
The House That Shadows Built
as (archive footage)
Honor Among Lovers
as Julia Traynor
Honor Among Lovers
as Julia Traynor
The Big Pond
as Barbara Billings
The Big Pond
as Barbara Billings
The Lady Lies
as Joyce Roamer
The Lady Lies
as Joyce Roamer
The Hole in the Wall
as Jean Oliver
The Hole in the Wall
as Jean Oliver