Leslie Caron facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leslie Caron
Caron in 2009
Born	Leslie Claire Margaret Caron (1931-07-01) 1 July 1931 (age 93) 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 has won many awards, including 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 ballet dancer. She became a movie star in the musical An American in Paris (1951). She then starred in other films like The Man with a Cloak (1951) and Glory Alley (1952). Her role as an orphan in Lili (1953) earned her a BAFTA Award and nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

As a leading actress, Caron appeared in movies such as The Glass Slipper (1955) and Daddy Long Legs (1955). She also starred in Gigi (1958) and Fanny (1961), both of which earned her Golden Globe nominations. For her role in The L-Shaped Room (1962), she won a Golden Globe and a second BAFTA Award. She also received another Academy Award nomination for this film.

Caron's other notable films include Chocolat (2000) and Le Divorce (2003). In 2007, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role in the TV show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Early Life and Family Background

Leslie Caron was born in Boulogne-sur-Seine, France. Her mother, Margaret, was a Franco-American dancer who performed on Broadway. Her father, Claude Caron, was a French chemist and perfumer.

Leslie's mother prepared her for a performing career from a young age. During World War II, her family lost their money. This was a difficult time for them.

Leslie Caron's Acting Career

Caron began as a ballet dancer. The famous dancer and actor Gene Kelly discovered her. He chose her to star with him in the musical film An American in Paris (1951). This was a big change for Caron, who had lived through the war in Paris. She found the sunny, prosperous California very different from her home.

Kelly helped Caron, who was new to acting, learn about filmmaking. She had never spoken on stage before. This role led to a seven-year contract with MGM, a major movie studio.

Her films included the musical The Glass Slipper (1955) and the drama The Man with a Cloak (1951). She also starred in musicals like Lili (1953), Daddy Long Legs (1955) with Fred Astaire, and Gigi (1958).

Caron in 1953

Even with her success, Caron wanted to do more than just musicals. She studied acting methods to improve her skills. In the 1960s, she started working in European films. Her role in the British drama The L-Shaped Room (1962) earned her a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe. She was also nominated for an Oscar for this role.

Other films from this time include Father Goose (1964) with Cary Grant and Damage (1992). In 1967 and 1989, she was part of the jury for major international film festivals.

Caron returned to France in the early 1970s. She later felt this was a mistake because French audiences were sometimes harder on French actors who had become famous in Hollywood. In the 1980s, she appeared in the TV show Falcon Crest.

She is one of the few actresses from the classic era of MGM musicals who is still active in film. Her recent films include Funny Bones (1995), Chocolat (2000), and Le Divorce (2003). In 2007, she won an Emmy Award for her guest role in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

In 2009, Leslie Caron received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2016, she appeared in the TV series The Durrells, which was produced by her son.

Personal Life and Family

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

In 1951, Leslie Caron married George Hormel II. They later separated in 1954.

Her second husband was British theatre director Peter Hall. They married in 1956 and had two children: Christopher John Hall and Jennifer Caron Hall. They separated in 1965.

In 1969, Caron married Michael Laughlin. They separated in 1980.

From 1993 to 2009, Caron owned and ran a hotel and restaurant in France called Auberge la Lucarne aux Chouettes. She moved back to England in 2013.

In her autobiography, Thank Heaven, she shared that she became an American citizen so she could vote for Barack Obama. In 2021, she received the Oldie of the Year Award.

Filmography

Leslie Caron in A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim, théâtre du Châtelet, 2010

Theatre Performances

• 1955: Orvet, by Jean Renoir, directed by Jean Renoir, Paris
• 1955: Gigi, by Anita Loos, directed by Sir Peter Hall, London
• 1961: Ondine, by Jean Giraudoux, directed by Peter Hall, London
• 1965: Carola, by Jean Renoir, directed by Norman Lloyd, Los Angeles
• 1975–1981: 13, rue de l'amour (Monsieur Chasse), by Georges Feydeau, directed by Basil Langton, US and Australia
• 1978: Can-Can, musical by Cole Porter & Abe Burrows, directed by John Bishop, US and Canadian tour
• 1983: The rehearsal by Jean Anouilh, directed by Gillian Lynne, English tour
• 1984: On your toes by Rodgers and Hart, directed by George Abbott, US tour
• 1985: One for the Tango (Apprends-moi Céline) by Maria Pacôme, directed by Pierre Epstein, US tour
• 1985: L'inaccessible, written and directed by Krzysztof Zanussi, Paris and Spoleto Festival, Italy
• 1991: Grand hotel, adapted from the novel by Vicki Baum, directed by Tommy Tune, Berlin
• 1991: Le martyre de Saint Sebastien by Claude Debussy and Gabriele d'Annunzio, narration, directed by Michael Tilson Thomas, London Symphony Orchestra
• 1995: George Sand et Chopin, by Bruno Villien, Greenwich Festival, Great Britain
• 1997: Nocturne for lovers, adapted by Gavin Lambert, directed by Kado Kostzer, Chichester Festival Theatre, Great Britain
• 1997: The story of Babar, by Jean de Brunhoff, narration, music by Francis Poulenc, Chichester Festival, Great Britain
• 1998: Apprends-moi Céline, by Maria Pacôme, directed by Raymond Acquaviva, French tour
• 1999: Readings from Colette, directed by Roger Hodgeman, Melbourne Festival, Australia
• 1999: Nocturne for lovers, directed by Roger Hodgeman, Melbourne Festival, Australia
• 2006: I Remember It Well Special Guest Artist in a tribute to Lyricist Alan Jay Lerner, San Francisco
• 2009: Thank Heaven – 'platform' at the Théâtre National of London
• 2009: A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim, directed by Lee Blakeley, Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris
• 2014: Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks by Richard Alfieri, directed by Michael Arabian, Laguna Playhouse, Laguna Beach, California

Recordings

• Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien by Claude Debussy and Gabriele d'Annunzio, with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas
• Gigi by Colette in English on cassettes, recorded in New York City, 1996
• Narrated "Carnival of the Animals" music by Camille Saint-Saëns with the Nash Ensemble – Wigmore Hall, 1999

Honors and Awards

• Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honor) in June 1993
• Ordre National du Mérite (National Order of Merit) in February 1998
• Officier de la Légion d'Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honor) in June 2004
• Medaille D'Or De La Ville De Paris (Gold Medal of the City of Paris) in 2012
• Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur (Commander of the Legion of Honor) in March 2013
• John F Kennedy Center Gold Medal in the Arts in 2015
• The Oldie of the Year (TOOTY) in 2021
• Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2007

See also

In Spanish: Leslie Caron para niños

• List of dancers