Elvira Popescu
Elvira Popescu (10 May 1894 – 11 December 1993) was a Romanian-French stage and film actress and theatre director. During the 1930s and 1940s, she starred in a number of French comedy films. Born in Bucharest, Popescu studied drama at the Music and Drama Conservatory in her native city, under the guidance of Constantin Nottara and Aristizza Romanescu. In 1911 Grigore Brezeanu was making the first Romanian films to deal with fiction. He employed Popesco as well as other leading actors like Nottara and Romanescu. The first two films were called "Fatal Love" and "Spin a Yarn". No copies are known of these films. Popesco made her debut at the National Theatre Bucharest at age 16. In 1912, she played herself in the movie Independența României, directed by Aristide Demetriade. In 1919 she became artistic director of the Excelsior Theatre. In 1921, Popescu started Teatrul Mic, which she managed in parallel with the Excelsior. In 1923, she starred in the movie Ţigăncuşa de la iatac, directed by Alfred Halm. At the urging of Louis Verneuil, the French playwright, Popescu moved in 1924 to Paris. Under Verneuil's direction, she played the leading role in Ma Cousine de Varsovie, at the Théâtre Michel (1923). She also played in Tovaritch (1933), La Machine infernale (1954), Nina (1949), and La Mamma (1957). Later on, she was director of Théâtre de Paris (1956–1965), and Théâtre Marigny (1965–1978).[5] At age 84, she played again in La Mamma. Elvira Popescu also played in movies, such as La Présidente (Fernand Rivers, 1938), Tricoche et Cacolet (Pierre Colombier, 1938), Ils étaient neuf célibataires (Sacha Guitry, 1939), Paradis perdu (Abel Gance, 1940), Austerlitz (Abel Gance, 1960),[6] and Purple Noon (René Clément, 1960). Shortly after her debut in 1910, Popescu married comedian Aurel Athanasescu and they had a daughter named Tatiana. After a few years, she divorced, and married Ion Manolescu-Strunga, Minister of Industry and Commerce (who was to die in Sighet prison in the 1950s). Her third husband was Count Maximilien Sébastien Foy (born in Paris on 17 April 1900, died in Neuilly-sur-Seine on 11 November 1967). She died in Paris at age 99, and was interred at Père Lachaise Cemetery. Source: Article "Elvira Popescu" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Filmography
La Voyante
as Karma, la voyante
La Voyante
as Karma, la voyante
Austerlitz
as Lætitia Bonaparte
Austerlitz
as Lætitia Bonaparte
Purple Noon
as Mrs. Popova
Purple Noon
as Mrs. Popova
Fou d'amour
as Arabella
Fou d'amour
as Arabella
The Blue Veil
as Mona Lorenza
The Blue Veil
as Mona Lorenza
Frédérica
as Frédérica
Frédérica
as Frédérica
Mademoiselle Swing
as Sofia de Vinci
Mademoiselle Swing
as Sofia de Vinci
L'âge d'or
as Véra Termutzki
L'âge d'or
as Véra Termutzki
Le Valet maître
Le Valet maître
Parade in 7 Nights
as Madame Fanny
Parade in 7 Nights
as Madame Fanny
The Mondesir Heir
as Erika, l'aventurière
The Mondesir Heir
as Erika, l'aventurière
Sacred Woods
as Francine Margerie
Sacred Woods
as Francine Margerie
Four Flights to Love
as Sonia Vorochine
Four Flights to Love
as Sonia Vorochine
Nine Bachelors
as Countess Stacia Batchefskaïa
Nine Bachelors
as Countess Stacia Batchefskaïa
The Fatted Calf
as Princess Dorothée
The Fatted Calf
as Princess Dorothée
Behind the Facade
as Mrs. Rameau, wife of an industrialist and mistress of Alfredo
Behind the Facade
as Mrs. Rameau, wife of an industrialist and mistress of Alfredo
Deputy Eusèbe
as Mariska
Deputy Eusèbe
as Mariska
Mon curé chez les riches
as Lisette Cousinet
Mon curé chez les riches
as Lisette Cousinet
Bargekeepers Daughter
as The Queen of Silistrie
Bargekeepers Daughter
as The Queen of Silistrie
Tricoche and Cacolet
as Bernardine Van der Pouf
Tricoche and Cacolet
as Bernardine Van der Pouf
La Présidente
as Vérotcha
La Présidente
as Vérotcha
In Venice, One Night
as Nadia Mortal
In Venice, One Night
as Nadia Mortal
Le Club des Aristocrates
as La comtesse Irène Waldapowska
Le Club des Aristocrates
as La comtesse Irène Waldapowska
The House Across the Street
as Mme Anna
The House Across the Street
as Mme Anna
The Man of the Day
as Mona Thalia
The Man of the Day
as Mona Thalia
The King
as Thérèse Marnix
The King
as Thérèse Marnix
L'Amant de madame Vidal
L'Amant de madame Vidal
Dora Nelson
as Dora Nelson / Suzanne Verdier
Dora Nelson
as Dora Nelson / Suzanne Verdier
Une femme chipée
as Hélène Larsonnier
Une femme chipée
as Hélène Larsonnier
Sa meilleure cliente
as Edwige
Sa meilleure cliente
as Edwige
My Cousin From Warsaw
as Sonia Varilovna
My Cousin From Warsaw
as Sonia Varilovna
The stranger
as Dora Clarkson
The stranger
as Dora Clarkson
Tigancusa de la iatac
as Maria Tortusanu - Vasil's fiancée
Tigancusa de la iatac
as Maria Tortusanu - Vasil's fiancée