Leslie Caron facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leslie Caron
Caron in 1960
Born	Leslie Claire Margaret Caron (1931-07-01) 1 July 1931 (age 94) Boulogne-sur-Seine, Paris, France
Citizenship	France United States
Occupation	Actress dancer
Years active	1951–2020
Spouse(s)	Geordie Hormel ​ ​ (m. 1951; div. 1954)​ Peter Hall ​ ​ (m. 1956; div. 1965)​ Michael Laughlin ​ ​ (m. 1969; div. 1980)​
Children	Christopher Hall Jennifer Caron Hall

Leslie Claire Margaret Caron (born 1 July 1931) is a famous French and American actress and dancer. She is known for her amazing performances that have won her many awards. These include a Golden Globe Award, two BAFTA Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. She was also nominated for two Academy Awards.

Caron started her career as a ballerina. She became a movie star in the musical An American in Paris (1951). She then starred in many other films. Her role as an orphan in Lili (1953) won her a BAFTA Award and nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.

As a top actress, Caron starred in popular movies like The Glass Slipper (1955), Daddy Long Legs (1955), and Gigi (1958). For her role in The L-Shaped Room (1962), she won a Golden Globe Award and another BAFTA Award.

Later in her career, she appeared in films like Chocolat (2000) and Le Divorce (2003). In 2007, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for her guest role in the TV show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Early Life and Family

Caron's mother, the ballet dancer Margaret Petit, on the cover of Theatre Magazine in October 1921.

Leslie Caron was born in a suburb of Paris, France. Her mother, Margaret, was an American dancer who had performed on Broadway. Her father, Claude Caron, was a French chemist who owned a perfume shop.

From a young age, Caron's mother trained her to be a performer. Her family had been wealthy, but they lost their money during World War II. Life became very difficult for them. Her mother encouraged her to pursue ballet.

Career

A Star is Discovered

Leslie Caron and Gene Kelly in An American in Paris (1951).

Caron began her career as a ballerina. The famous actor and dancer Gene Kelly saw her performing in a ballet in Paris. He chose her to star with him in the musical movie An American in Paris (1951).

Moving to California was a big change for Caron. She had grown up in Paris during World War II, where life was hard. She found people in Hollywood to be very friendly. Gene Kelly was very kind and helped her learn about acting in movies, as she had never spoken on stage before.

Hollywood Success

Caron in 1953

Her role in An American in Paris led to a seven-year contract with the movie studio MGM. She starred in more musicals, including The Glass Slipper (1955) and Daddy Long Legs (1955) with Fred Astaire.

One of her most famous roles was in Lili (1953), where she played a young orphan. This performance earned her a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actress. She also starred in the hit musical Gigi (1958), which became a classic.

Taking on New Challenges

Even though she was successful in musicals, Caron wanted to try more serious acting roles. She studied a famous acting technique called the Stanislavski method.

In the 1960s, she starred in European films. For her performance in the British drama The L-Shaped Room (1962), she won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA award. She was also nominated for another Academy Award. During this time, she also acted alongside stars like Cary Grant in Father Goose (1964).

A Long and Varied Career

Caron in 2009

Caron has continued to act for many decades. In the 1980s, she appeared in the TV series Falcon Crest. She is one of the few actresses from the classic era of MGM musicals who still works in movies and television.

Her later movies include Funny Bones (1995), Chocolat (2000), and Le Divorce (2003). In 2007, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for a guest appearance on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

For her work in movies, Caron received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 8, 2009. In 2016, she appeared in the British TV series The Durrells, which was produced by her son, Christopher Hall.

Personal Life

Caron with her son Christopher and Maurice Chevalier on the set of Gigi (1958)

In September 1951, Caron married George Hormel II. They divorced in 1954.

Her second husband was the British theatre director Peter Hall. They married in 1956 and had two children: a son, Christopher, and a daughter, Jennifer. Caron and Hall divorced in 1965.

From 1969 to 1980, she was married to movie producer Michael Laughlin.

For many years, Caron owned and ran a hotel and restaurant called Auberge la Lucarne aux Chouettes (The Owls' Nest) in a village south of Paris. She returned to live in England in 2013.

In her autobiography, Thank Heaven, she wrote that she became an American citizen so she could vote for Barack Obama for president.

Selected Filmography

Selected Television Work

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Leslie Caron in A Little Night Music at the théâtre du Châtelet, 2010.

See also

In Spanish: Leslie Caron para niños

• List of dancers