Claude Jade facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Claude Jade
Jade in Domicile conjugal (1970)
Born	Claude Marcelle Jorré (1948-10-08)8 October 1948 Dijon, France
Died	1 December 2006(2006-12-01) (aged 58) Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1967–2006
Spouse(s)	Bernard Coste ​ (m. 1972)​

Claude Jade (born Claude Marcelle Jorré on October 8, 1948 – died December 1, 2006) was a famous French actress. She was well-known for playing Christine in three films by director François Truffaut. These films were Stolen Kisses (1968), Bed and Board (1970), and Love on the Run (1979).

Claude Jade acted in many plays, movies, and TV shows. She also worked in films outside of France, including in the Soviet Union, the United States, Italy, Belgium, Germany, and Japan.

Early Acting Life

Claude Jade's parents were university professors. She studied acting for three years at the Dijon Conservatory of Dramatic Art. In 1964, she performed in a play called L'école des femmes by Molière 40 times.

In 1966, she won an award for her role in the play Ondine. After that, she moved to Paris. She continued her acting studies and started appearing in TV shows. One of her first big TV roles was in the series Les oiseaux rares.

Working with François Truffaut

François Truffaut and Claude Jade at the premiere of their third film Love on the Run

While performing in a play, Claude Jade was noticed by New Wave film director François Truffaut. He was very impressed by her and chose her for the role of Christine Darbon in his film Stolen Kisses (1968).

Truffaut called Claude Jade "French cinema’s little sweetheart." She played the same character, Christine, in three of his films. In Stolen Kisses, her character was loved from afar. In Bed and Board (1970), she was married. Finally, in Love on the Run (1979), her character was divorced but still friendly with her ex-husband.

Films in the Late 1960s

After Stolen Kisses, Claude Jade starred in Alfred Hitchcock's film Topaz (1969). She played Michèle Picard, the daughter of a secret agent. Hitchcock was a famous director, and he chose Claude Jade when she was just 19 years old.

Hitchcock thought she looked like his former star Grace Kelly. Universal Pictures offered her a long contract to work in Hollywood, but she chose to work in French films instead. Topaz was her only Hollywood movie.

Claude Jade, Michel Subor, and Dany Robin in Hitchcock's Topaz

Claude Jade also had a main role as Linda in Sous le signe de Monte-Cristo (1968). This was a modern take on a classic adventure story. She worked with famous French actors like Pierre Brasseur.

In 1969, she starred in My Uncle Benjamin alongside singer and actor Jacques Brel. She also played a young teacher in the Belgian film The Witness. That same year, she played Helena in a film version of Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Movies and TV in the 1970s

In 1970, Claude Jade played Christine again in Truffaut's Bed and Board. She also appeared in The Boat on the Grass (1971) and Hearth Fires (1972). In Hearth Fires, she played a daughter trying to bring her parents back together.

She played a nurse in Home Sweet Home (1973). Claude Jade also starred in three Italian films, including Number One (1973) and A Spiral of Mist (1977). She played a nun in the Japanese film Kita No Misaki - Cap du Nord (1976).

Other films in the 1970s included Malicious Pleasure (1975) and the romantic comedy The Pawn (1978). In The Pawn, she played a young widow who falls in love with her son's teacher. Her final role as Christine Doinel was in Truffaut's Love on the Run.

On TV, she was in the mini-series Mauregard (1970). She also played famous characters like Sheherazade and Louise de La Vallière. One of her biggest TV successes was playing Veronique d'Hergemont in the series The Island of Thirty Coffins.

Movies and TV in the 1980s

In the 1980s, Claude Jade lived in Moscow for three years with her husband and son. She acted in two films there. In Teheran 43 (1981), she played a mysterious character named Françoise. In Lenin in Paris (1981), she played a French revolutionary named Inessa Armand.

Other films from this time include Schools Falling Apart (1981) and A Captain's Honor (1982). She also played the mysterious Alice in the thriller The Man Who Wasn't There (1987).

She continued to appear in many TV movies and series. These included La grotte aux loups (1980), Lise et Laura (1982), and the international series Le grand secret (1989).

TV and Films in the 1990s

During the 1990s, Claude Jade mostly worked in television. She was in TV series like La tête en l'air and Fleur bleue. She also made guest appearances in popular shows like Une femme d'honneur and Julie Lescaut.

Her TV movies included Eugénie Grandet. From 1998 to 2000, she was the main actress in the series Tide of Life. Her last role in an American TV show was in The Hitchhiker.

In movies, she played Gabrielle Martin in Tableau d'honneur (1992), a mother whose husband betrays her. She also appeared in Bonsoir (1994) and the historical film The Raft of the Medusa (1998).

Later Work (2000s)

In her last years, Claude Jade continued to work in TV. She was in the TV movie Sans famille (2000) and episodes of series like La Crim (2004) and Groupe Flag (2005). She also appeared in a short film called À San Remo (2004).

Stage Performances

Claude Jade was part of a theater company in Lyon. She performed in plays by famous writers like Jean Giraudoux and Racine. She acted on stages in Lyon, Nantes, Dijon, and Paris.

Many of her stage performances were also adapted for television. Her last role on stage was as Célimène in the play Celimene and the Cardinal.

Later Life and Death

In 2004, Claude Jade published her autobiography, which was called Baisers envolés.

Claude Jade passed away on December 1, 2006, from a type of cancer that had spread. She continued acting even in her last stage performance in August 2006, where she wore a special prosthetic eye.

Awards and Recognition

Claude Jade received several awards during her career. In 1970, she won an award called "Révelation de la Nuit du cinéma." In 1975, she received the Prix Orange at the Cannes Film Festival, a very important film event.

In 1998, her contributions to French culture were recognized when she was made a knight in the Légion d'honneur, which is a high honor in France. She also won the New Wave Award at the Palm Beach International Film Festival in 2000 for her important role in world cinema.

Legacy

In 2013, a street in her hometown of Dijon, France, was named after her: Allée Claude Jade.

Selected Filmography

Images for kids

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  Jade in Domicile conjugal (1970)