Born: September 13th, 1903 (Saint-Mandé, France)
Died: July 30th, 1996 (suffering from multiple strokes)
Marriages: Norman Foster (1928-1935), Dr. Joel Pressman (1935-His death in 1968)
Children: None, but she adopted became a godmother to a few including June Allyson's daughter Pamela Powell.
Interesting Fact: You will rarely see the right side of her face in any picture since she had a bump on her nose. The camera-men would call it the "dark side of the moon" and Doris Day later said that "God waisted half a face on Claudette."
Success: She originally began on the stage and only came to films when the depression hit. Her first film "For the Love of Mike" (1927) was a flop and she vowed to never make another film. One of her next films however was a success in "The Lady Lies" (1929) and she continued to become popular. Her most notable achievement was her role in "It Happened One Night" (1934) where she won her only Oscar. She began to wain in popularity around the 1950's and returned to the stage.
Awards: She one a surprising Oscar for "It Happened One Night" in 1934 and received two nominations for "Private Worlds" (1935) & "Since You Went Away" (1944). She also won five other acting achievements and was nominated for her role in "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles" in 1987.
My Favorite Film: I just watched her in "Without Reservations" (1946) with John Wayne and loved it. My two favorite films of her are "Since You Went Away" and of course "It Happened One Night." Another hidden gem is her performance in "The Egg and I" (1947).
Claudette can be both sophisticated and personable at any time she wishes. Her laugh is contiguous as well as any and all of her expressions. She was a Queen of the silver screen.
I mentioned in a previous post about her unexpected Oscar win. Below is a quote from her on the occasion.
"I was surprised when I got the prize. I really had no idea I would get it. In fact, I was ready to leave for New York the night they called to tell me about it. Dressed in a mousy brown suit, I was escorted into the banquet hall full of diamonds and tail coats. It was especially embarrassing because I imagined they thought I was putting on an act, making an entrance."
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