Claudette Colbert Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Claudette Colbert

Born	Emilie Chauchoin September 13, 1903 Saint-Mandé, France
Died	July 30, 1996 (aged 92) Barbados
Spouse(s)	Norman Foster (m. 1928-1935, divorced) Joel Pressman (m. 1935-1968, his death)

Claudette Colbert (born September 13, 1903 – died July 30, 1996) was a famous American actress. She won an Academy Award for her role in the movie It Happened One Night.

Claudette Colbert was known for being great at both funny comedies and serious dramas. She became one of the biggest movie stars of her time. In 1999, the American Film Institute named her the 12th greatest female star ever. She once said that audiences seemed happy to see her, and she was happy to see them too!

Early Life and First Steps in Acting
A Star's Journey in Hollywood
Life Outside of Movies
Filmography
Radio Appearances
Television Appearances
Broadway Plays
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and First Steps in Acting

Claudette Colbert was born Emilie "Lily" Chauchoin in Saint-Mandé, France, on September 13, 1903. Her parents were Georges and Jeanne Chauchoin. Her family moved to the United States and settled in New York City. She had a brother named Charles, who later became her agent.

She started acting when she was in high school. In 1923, she got a small part in a play on Broadway. She loved it so much that she decided to become an actress instead of a fashion designer. Her first movie was a silent film called For the Love of Mike in 1927. Two years later, she appeared in her first "talkie" (a movie with sound) called The Hole in the Wall.

A Star's Journey in Hollywood

Claudette Colbert in Cleopatra, 1934

In 1930, Claudette Colbert signed a contract with Paramount Pictures. Movie studios were looking for actors who could speak well in the new "talkies." Claudette's clear, musical voice was a big advantage for her. Some of her early successful movies included Manslaughter (1930) and Honor Among Lovers (1931).

Her career really took off when director Cecil B. DeMille cast her as the Roman empress Poppaea in his big historical movie The Sign of the Cross (1932). She worked with DeMille again and was amazing as Cleopatra (1934).

In 1934, she won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the comedy It Happened One Night. She starred alongside Clark Gable in this movie. At first, she thought it was the "worst picture in the world"! But her performance showed everyone that she was a fantastic comedian. In one famous scene, she had to lift her skirt to get a car to stop. She thought it was unladylike, but when a body double was brought in, she quickly decided to do the scene herself! After that, she also starred in the original Imitation of Life (1934).

Throughout the rest of the 1930s, Claudette skillfully switched between romantic comedies and dramas. She found success in both types of films. She worked with many top directors like Frank Capra, Cecil B. DeMille, and John Ford.

Claudette believed that her face was hard to light for cameras. She was very careful not to show her right side because of a small bump from a broken nose she had as a child.

From 1936 to 1944, she was a regular on Cecil B. DeMille's Lux Radio Theater, a very popular radio show. In 1952, she went back to her home country, France, and worked there until 1955.

After making two more Hollywood movies, she returned to Broadway in 1958. She starred in "The Marriage Go-Round" and was nominated for a Tony Award. She also won the Sarah Siddons Award for her theater work in Chicago in 1980. Her last movie was Parrish in 1961. For the next twenty years, she continued to act in many Broadway plays. In 1987, she appeared in a TV mini-series called The Two Mrs. Grenvilles. She was nominated for an Emmy Award and won a Golden Globe Award for her role in 1988. In 1989, she received the Kennedy Center Honors, a very special award.

During her long career, Claudette Colbert acted in sixty-five movies. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to honor her contributions to movies.

Life Outside of Movies

Claudette Colbert and her mother Jeanne in 1936

Claudette Colbert was married twice. Her first husband was Norman Foster, an actor and director. They married in 1928 and divorced in 1935. Four months after her divorce, in December 1935, Claudette married Dr. Joel J. Pressman, a doctor who specialized in throats. He passed away in 1968.

When she stopped making movies, Claudette and her husband moved to Palm Springs. Later, she moved to Barbados, an island in the Caribbean. She got the idea to move there after visiting Noël Coward's house in Jamaica. At her home in Barbados, called Bellerive, she often hosted famous and important people. Guests included Ronald Reagan, who was president at the time, and other stars like Kirk Douglas and Jack Benny. She even had a small guest house built for Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow's honeymoon.

Claudette Colbert passed away at her home in Barbados on July 30, 1996, at the age of 92, after having some small strokes. She was buried there with her mother and husband.

Claudette Colbert did not have children. She left most of her money and homes to a friend named Helen O'Hagan.