Simone Simone is a French actress who has also starred in many Hollywood films. She was born on April 22, 1910, and died on February 22, 2005, 2 months before her 95th birthday.
Biography
The full name of the star of French and Hollywood cinema is Simone Teresa Fernanda Simon. She was born in Bethune, which belongs to the province of Pas-de-Calais. Simone is from a simple family. Father is an engineer, mother is a housewife - these are the roots of the future star. Simone was their only child. Since childhood, she loved music and theater. As a girl, Simona wanted to be a singer and independently studied the art of vocal.
The parents of the future actress supported her in everything. They lived modestly, giving the girl everything she needed, but not overly pampering her. Both Simone's father and mother helped her in her striving to get on stage, took her to the theater and to concerts. Soon the family moved to Paris, where her parents send Simone to professional vocal courses.
Career
Since 1931, Simone has been working as a singer in Paris. Despite the growth of 1, 57 m, she tries herself in the role of a model. A bright, beautiful girl did not go unnoticed. At 21, she starred in the drama "The Unknown Singer", getting a supporting role. Some time after the French premiere, the film was shown in Sweden and Hungary. The film debut of the actress turned out to be successful, and Simone realized that she wanted to be an actress, not a singer. After 3 years of acting training, Simone appeared in Mark Allegra's film "Ladies' Lake", after which she received an offer from Hollywood producer Darryl Zanuck, who played one of the important roles in the formation of the American film industry at that time.
Unfortunately, the relationship between Hollywood and Simon did not develop immediately. Zanuck carried out a large-scale PR campaign for the French actress, but Simone was not satisfied with her career in the United States. In 1938 she returned to France. During her Hollywood period, she starred in several films. The most successful of them were such paintings as:
- "Seventh heaven";
- "Love and hiss";
- “Women in love”.
The 1937 film Seventh Heaven was directed by Henry King. The main female role was given to Simone, and the main male role was played by James Stewart. The picture tells about the pre-war Parisian period. It tells of the love between a sewer worker and a brothel worker. The film was shown not only in the USA, but also in Finland, the Netherlands, France, Hungary, Sweden, Portugal, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Denmark, Spain and the USSR.
Love and Hiss is a 1937 film directed by Sydney Lanfield. He turned out to be one of the highest rated in Simone's filmography. Walter Winchell and Ben Bernie became her colleagues in the painting. In addition to the Americans, in 1938 the people of Finland and Denmark were lucky to see the film. In the film Women in Love, Simon plays with the American Janet Gaynor, the first Oscar winner.
During World War II, Simone traveled to the states again, choosing the more spectacular paintings The Devil and Daniel Webster, 1941, Cat People, 1942, and The Curse of Cat People, 1944. The horror film "Cat People" did not leave the screens for a long time. It received high critical acclaim and was listed on the United States National Film Register. The Curse of Cat People was filmed in the genre of fantasy melodrama and had a more subdued reception from the public and critics. According to experts, it is not a sequel to the film "Cat People", despite the efforts of the creators of the picture to pass it off as a continuation of a successful horror.
After 10 years, Simone returned to her native country and in the period from 1950 to 1952 starred in the following successful films:
- "Carousel";
- "Olivia";
- "Enjoyment".
The 1950 film "Carousel" is a screen version of Arthur Schnitzler's "Round Dance", which received scandalous fame. The director of the film, Max Ophuls, gave Simone the role of the maid Marie. The tape was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Screenplay and Best Production Designer sections. The motion picture won a BAFTA award.
In the 1951 drama Olivia directed by Jacqueline Audrey, Simone plays the hysterical Mademoiselle Cara, one of the companions of an elite girls' school. The 1952 film Delight was directed by Max Ophüls, as was Carousel. Simone plays a minor role. In 1955, the painting was nominated for an Oscar in the "Best Work of an Artist Among Black and White Films" section.
1972 was the final film career of the famous actress. Her last role was in the film "The Woman in Blue". This drama by Michel Deville tells the story of a man who was looking for a lady in blue, whom he once met. Simone plays Lady Meudona in the film. Later, Simone can be seen in the 1995 film "History of American Cinema by Martin Scorsese".
Simone Simone could be seen not only on the screen, but also on the stage. She played in the following productions:
- "Oh, my beautiful unfamiliar operetta," 1933 directed by Sasha Guitri, composer Reinaldo Hahn at the Théâtre des Buff-Parisians;
- You Are Me, 1934 - operetta by Moses Simons and Henri Duvernois at the Théâtre des Buff-Parisiens;
- 1948 Place Peru directed by Louis Ducre at the Théâtre Saint-Georges;
- Shelter in 1967 under the direction of author Jean Meyer at the Théâtre de la Potineres.
Personal life
Simone was a very pretty, charming woman. Despite her amazing appearance, she never got married, did not start a family and did not have children. Behind Simone's shoulders is more than one romance, including with famous personalities, for example, with director Mark Allegre, composer George Gershwin. Simon also dated rich and powerful men, spy Dusko Popov and banker Alec Weisweiller. Simone Simone died of natural causes in old age in Paris and was buried in the Château-Gombert cemetery in Marseille.
