EARLY DAYS PRODUCTIONS
Colbert was born Émilie Chauchoin on September 13, 1903 in Saint-Mandé, Seine, France, to Georges Claude, a banker, and Jeanne Loew Chauchoin, a pastry-cook. After some financial reversals, her family emigrated to New York City in 1906. Colbert eventually became a naturalized citizen of the U.S. Colbert studied at Washington Irving High School, where her speech teacher, Alice Rossetter encouraged her to audition for a play she had written, and Colbert made her stage debut at the Provincetown Playhouse in "The Widow's Veil", at the age of fifteen. Inspired to pursue a career in theater, Colbert ended her studies and embarked on a stage career in 1925. She adopted the name "Claudette Colbert" as her stage name two years later; she had been using the name of Claudette since high school. Colbert was the maiden name of her paternal grandmother.
1903-1996
Stats:
Full Name: Émilie Claudette Chauchoin
Height: 5' 4 1/2"
Hair: Red
Eye Color: Brown
Nickname: "Lily"
Quote: "Most of us don't know about happiness until it's over."
Full Name: Émilie Claudette Chauchoin
Height: 5' 4 1/2"
Hair: Red
Eye Color: Brown
Nickname: "Lily"
Quote: "Most of us don't know about happiness until it's over."
After signing a five-year contract with the producer Al Woods, Colbert played ingenue roles on Broadway from 1925 through 1929. she was noticed by the theatrical producer Leland Hayward, who suggested her for a role in Frank Capra's film "For the Love of Mike" (1927), now believed to be a lost film. The film, Colbert's only silent film role, was a box office failure. After the failure of "For the Love of Mike", Colbert did not make any films for two years, but ultimately signed a film contract with Paramount Pictures in 1928. Her first sound film was "The Hole in the Wall" (1929), co-starring another newcomer, Edward G. Robinson, which was followed by "The Lady Lies" (1929).
She co-starred with Fredric March in "Manslaughter" (1930), and received positive reviews for her performance as a rich girl, jailed for vehicular manslaughter. The New York Times wrote, "It cannot be denied that Claudette Colbert, given an even chance, is capable of excellent acting." She was briefly paired with March, and they made four films together, including Dorothy Arzner's "Honor Among Lovers" (1931). She sang in her role opposite Maurice Chevalier in the Ernst Lubitsch musical "The Smiling Lieutenant" (1931), which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, and was acknowledged by critics for her ability to assert herself opposite the more experienced Miriam Hopkins.
Cecil B. DeMille cast her as the Roman empress Poppaea in his historical epic, "The Sign of the Cross" (1932), opposite Fredric March. In 1933, Colbert renegotiated her contract with Paramount to allow her to appear in films for other studios. Colbert was reluctant to appear as the "runaway heiress", Ellie Andrews, in the Frank Capra romantic comedy, "It Happened One Night" (1934), opposite Clark Gable and released by Columbia Pictures. Colbert felt that the script was weak. She won the academy award for best actress for this role.
In 1936, she signed a new contract with Paramount Pictures, which required her to make seven films over a two year period, and this contract made her Hollywood's highest paid actress. Her films during this period include "The Gilded Lily" (1935) and "The Bride Comes Home" (1935) with Fred MacMurray, "She Married Her Boss" (1935), with Melvyn Douglas, "Under Two Flags" (1936), with Ronald Colman, "Maid of Salem" (1937), again with MacMurray, "Tovarich" (1937), with Charles Boyer, "Bluebeard's Eighth Wife" (1938), with Gary Cooper, "Zaza" (1939), with Herbert Marshall, "Midnight" (1939), with Don Ameche and "It's a Wonderful World" (1939), with James Stewart.
In 1940, Colbert refused a seven-year contract that would have paid her $200,000 a year, as she had found that she could command a fee of $150,000 per film as a freelance artist. With her brother as her manager, Colbert's film career continued successfully into the 1940s, in films such as "Boom Town" (1940), with Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, and Hedy Lamarr; "Arise, My Love" (1940), with Ray Milland; and the Preston Sturges comedy "The Palm Beach Story" 1942, opposite Joel McCrea.
In 1940, Colbert refused a seven-year contract that would have paid her $200,000 a year, as she had found that she could command a fee of $150,000 per film as a freelance artist. With her brother as her manager, Colbert's film career continued successfully into the 1940s, in films such as "Boom Town" (1940), with Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, and Hedy Lamarr; "Arise, My Love" (1940), with Ray Milland; and the Preston Sturges comedy "The Palm Beach Story" 1942, opposite Joel McCrea.
After more than a decade as a leading actress, Colbert began to make a transition to more mature characters, starting with "So Proudly We Hail! (1943), with Paulette Goddard and Veronica Lake. Impressed by her performance in this film, but aware of Colbert's sensitivity to her age, David O. Selznick approached her to play the lead role in "Since You Went Away" (1944). Eventually, Colbert accepted. Colbert received her final Academy Award nomination for this performance. In 1945, Colbert ended her association with Paramount Studios, and continued to free-lance. She achieved her last great success opposite Fred MacMurray in the comedy "The Egg and I" (1947). The film was one of the year's biggest hits. Her subsequent films failed to capitalize on her renewed success, with the exception of the suspense film "Sleep, My Love" (1948) with Robert Cummings. By 1955 she had stopped making films, although she returned to the screen in "Parrish" (1961) for Warner Brothers. In the late 1960s, a reporter asked her why she had made no more films, to which she replied, "Because there have been no offers." Claudette Colbert died on July 30, 1996, at age 92.
For more information about Claudette Colbert please visit: Wikipedia
Claudette Colbert's Filmography
1927 For the Love of Mike
1929 The Hole in the Wall
1929 The Lady Lies
1930 Young Man of Manhattan
1930 The Big Pond
1930 Manslaughter
1930 Mysterious Mr. Parkes
1931 Honor Among Lovers
1931 The Smiling Lieutenant
1931 Secrets of a Secretary
1931 His Woman
1932 The Wiser Sex
1932 Misleading Lady
1932 The Man from Yesterday
1932 The Phantom President
1932 The Sign of the Cross
1933 Tonight Is Ours
1933 I Cover the Waterfront
1933 Three-Cornered Moon
1933 Torch Singer
1934 Four Frightened People
1934 It Happened One Night
1934 Cleopatra
1934 Imitation of Life
1935 The Gilded Lily
1935 Private Worlds
1935 She Married Her Boss
1935 The Bride Comes Home
1936 Under Two Flags
1937 Maid of Salem
1937 I Met Him in Paris
1937 Tovarich
1938 Bluebeard's Eighth Wife
1939 Zaza
1939 Midnight
1939 It's a Wonderful World
1939 Drums Along the Mohawk
1940 Boom Town
1940 Arise, My Love
1941 Skylark
1941 Remember the Day
1942 The Palm Beach Story
1943 No Time for Love
1943 So Proudly We Hail!
1944 Since You Went Away
1944 Practically Yours
1945 Guest Wife
1946 Tomorrow Is Forever
1946 Without Reservations
1946 The Secret Heart
1947 The Egg and I
1948 Sleep, My Love
1949 Family Honeymoon
1949 Bride for Sale
1950 Three Came Home
1950 The Secret Fury
1951 Thunder on the Hill
1951 Let's Make It Legal
1952 The Planter's Wife
1954 Daughters of Destiny
1954 Royal Affairs in Versailles
1955 Texas Lady
1961 Parrish
1929 The Hole in the Wall
1929 The Lady Lies
1930 Young Man of Manhattan
1930 The Big Pond
1930 Manslaughter
1930 Mysterious Mr. Parkes
1931 Honor Among Lovers
1931 The Smiling Lieutenant
1931 Secrets of a Secretary
1931 His Woman
1932 The Wiser Sex
1932 Misleading Lady
1932 The Man from Yesterday
1932 The Phantom President
1932 The Sign of the Cross
1933 Tonight Is Ours
1933 I Cover the Waterfront
1933 Three-Cornered Moon
1933 Torch Singer
1934 Four Frightened People
1934 It Happened One Night
1934 Cleopatra
1934 Imitation of Life
1935 The Gilded Lily
1935 Private Worlds
1935 She Married Her Boss
1935 The Bride Comes Home
1936 Under Two Flags
1937 Maid of Salem
1937 I Met Him in Paris
1937 Tovarich
1938 Bluebeard's Eighth Wife
1939 Zaza
1939 Midnight
1939 It's a Wonderful World
1939 Drums Along the Mohawk
1940 Boom Town
1940 Arise, My Love
1941 Skylark
1941 Remember the Day
1942 The Palm Beach Story
1943 No Time for Love
1943 So Proudly We Hail!
1944 Since You Went Away
1944 Practically Yours
1945 Guest Wife
1946 Tomorrow Is Forever
1946 Without Reservations
1946 The Secret Heart
1947 The Egg and I
1948 Sleep, My Love
1949 Family Honeymoon
1949 Bride for Sale
1950 Three Came Home
1950 The Secret Fury
1951 Thunder on the Hill
1951 Let's Make It Legal
1952 The Planter's Wife
1954 Daughters of Destiny
1954 Royal Affairs in Versailles
1955 Texas Lady
1961 Parrish
Early Days Productions: Claudette Colbert 09/15/2011
Full Movie: It Happened One Night (1934)
A spoiled heiress, running away from her family, is helped by a man who's actually a reporter looking for a story. But then he falls for her.... - From the IMDB
