Colette Marchand facts for kids

Colette Janine Marchand (born April 29, 1925 – died June 5, 2015) was a famous French prima ballerina and actress. A prima ballerina is the main female dancer in a ballet company. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1952. This was for her role as Marie Charlet in the movie Moulin Rouge. The famous director John Huston directed this film.

During her best dancing years, Colette Marchand was seen as one of Europe's top dancers. People often called her Les jambes, which means "The Legs," because of her amazing dance moves. She traveled all over the world to dance. She performed with many of the greatest ballet dancers of the 1940s and 1950s.

About Colette Marchand's Life

Colette Marchand was born in Paris, France. Her parents were Alice and Roger Marchand. She started her dance training at the famous Paris Opera Ballet.

Colette Marchand married Jacques Bazire. He was the music director for the Roland Petit Ballet. She passed away on June 5, 2015, when she was 90 years old. Her sister, Yvonne, survived her.

Colette Marchand's Career Highlights

Colette Marchand became a lead dancer on Broadway. She performed in Roland Petit's Les Ballets de Paris shows in 1949 and 1950. In the 1950 show, she danced in a ballet called The Boiled Egg. She received excellent reviews for this performance.

In 1951, she had a special role in the Broadway musical Two on the Aisle. This show was very popular and ran for 276 performances. In the early 1950s, while performing on Broadway, Marchand was featured in several magazines. These included Life magazine. She also appeared on New York City television shows. Some of these shows were the Ford Star Revue and Ed Sullivan Show.

In 1951, she lent her voice to a film called Venom and Eternity. In 1952, she won a Golden Globe Award. This award was for "Most Promising Newcomer - Female" for her role in Moulin Rouge. She also received a nomination for the BAFTA for Most Promising Newcomer. In 1953, the famous director Orson Welles directed her in The Lady in the Ice. She did not appear in many other films. Her other movies included Hungarian Rhapsody and Par Ordre du Tsar. She also appeared in a musical short film called Romantic Youth in 1954. She even helped choreograph, or create the dances, for Romantic Youth.

Colette Marchand's Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Colette Marchand para niños