Acting
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
Film · 2022
Complicated Women
Film · 2003
Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel
Film · 2001
Frank Capra Jr. Remembers: 'It Happened One Night'
Film · 1999
The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender
Film · 1997
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Film · 1995
That's Entertainment! III
Film · 1994
The Two Mrs. Grenvilles
Series · 1987
Marilyn Monroe
Film · 1986
The Kennedy Center Honors
Series · 1978
Parrish
Film · 1961
The Comedian
Film · 1957
One Coat of White
Film · 1957
Suspicion
Series · 1957
Blithe Spirit
Film · 1956
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Series · 1956
The Steve Allen Show
Series · 1956
Telephone Time
Series · 1956
Playhouse 90
Series · 1956
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Series · 1956
The Steve Allen Show
Series · 1956
Texas Lady
Film · 1955
Daughters of Destiny
Film · 1954
Climax!
Series · 1954
Climax!
Series · 1954
Climax!
Series · 1954
Royal Affairs in Versailles
Film · 1953
General Electric Theater
Series · 1953
The Oscars
Series · 1953
Letter to Loretta
Series · 1953
The Planter's Wife
Film · 1952
Let's Make It Legal
Film · 1951
Thunder on the Hill
Film · 1951
The Secret Fury
Film · 1950
Three Came Home
Film · 1950
The Colgate Comedy Hour
Series · 1950
Robert Montgomery Presents
Series · 1950
The Jack Benny Program
Series · 1950
What's My Line?
Series · 1950
Bride for Sale
Film · 1949
Sleep, My Love
Film · 1948
Family Honeymoon
Film · 1948
The Egg and I
Film · 1947
Without Reservations
Film · 1946
Tomorrow Is Forever
Film · 1946
The Secret Heart
Film · 1946
Guest Wife
Film · 1945
Since You Went Away
Film · 1944
Practically Yours
Film · 1944
No Time for Love
Film · 1943
So Proudly We Hail
Film · 1943
The Palm Beach Story
Film · 1942
Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6
Film · 1942
Remember the Day
Film · 1941
Skylark
Film · 1941
Boom Town
Film · 1940
Arise, My Love
Film · 1940
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
Film · 1940
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Film · 1940
Midnight
Film · 1939
It's a Wonderful World
Film · 1939
Drums Along the Mohawk
Film · 1939
Zaza
Film · 1939
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife
Film · 1938
Breakdowns of 1938
Film · 1938
Hollywood Goes to Town
Film · 1938
Tovarich
Film · 1937
Maid of Salem
Film · 1937
I Met Him in Paris
Film · 1937
Under Two Flags
Film · 1936
She Married Her Boss
Film · 1935
The Gilded Lily
Film · 1935
Private Worlds
Film · 1935
The Bride Comes Home
Film · 1935
The Fashion Side of Hollywood
Film · 1935
It Happened One Night
Film · 1934
Four Frightened People
Film · 1934
Cleopatra
Film · 1934
Imitation of Life
Film · 1934
Hollywood on Parade No. B-10
Film · 1934
I Cover the Waterfront
Film · 1933
Torch Singer
Film · 1933
Three Cornered Moon
Film · 1933
Tonight Is Ours
Film · 1933
The Sign of the Cross
Film · 1932
Make Me a Star
Film · 1932
The Phantom President
Film · 1932
The Misleading Lady
Film · 1932
The Man from Yesterday
Film · 1932
The Wiser Sex
Film · 1932
The Smiling Lieutenant
Film · 1931
Honor Among Lovers
Film · 1931
Secrets of a Secretary
Film · 1931
His Woman
Film · 1931
The House That Shadows Built
Film · 1931
Manslaughter
Film · 1930
Young Man of Manhattan
Film · 1930
The Big Pond
Film · 1930
Mysterious Mr. Parkes
Film · 1930
The Lottery Bride
Film · 1930
The Lady Lies
Film · 1929
The Hole in the Wall
Film · 1929
For the Love of Mike
Film · 1927