Lila Kedrova facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lila Kedrova
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Kedrova in 1965
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| Born | 9 October 1909 |
| Died | 16 February 2000 (aged 90) Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
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| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1938–1994 |
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Lila Kedrova (born Elizaveta Nikolaevna Kedrova) was a famous actress. She was born in Russia on October 9, 1909. Later, she became a French citizen.
Lila Kedrova was known for her amazing acting. She won an Academy Award (also called an Oscar) for her role in the movie Zorba the Greek in 1964. She also won a Tony Award for playing the same character in the musical version of Zorba the Greek. She passed away on February 16, 2000.
Early Life and Career
Lila Kedrova was born in Petrograd, which is now Saint Petersburg, Russia. Her family was very musical. Her parents were both opera singers. Her father, Nikolay Kedrov Sr., was a singer and composer. He even started the first Russian male singing group for church music. Her mother, Sofia Gladkaya, was a singer at the Mariinsky Theatre and taught music in Paris. Lila's brother, Nikolay Kedrov Jr., was also a singer and composer. Her sister, Irene Kedroff, was a soprano singer.
After the October Revolution in Russia, her family moved to Berlin in 1922. In 1928, they moved to France. There, Lila's mother taught at a famous music school in Paris. Her father also started his singing group again.
In 1932, Lila joined a touring theater group called the Moscow Art Theatre. Soon after, she began acting in movies. Most of her early films were French.
Becoming a Star
Lila Kedrova's first English-language movie was Zorba the Greek in 1964. She played a character named Mme Hortense. Her performance was so good that she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. This is one of the highest honors in movies!
After her Oscar win, Lila acted in other big films. She was in Alfred Hitchcock's movie Torn Curtain in 1966. She played Countess Kuchinska, a Polish noblewoman who wanted to move to the United States. In 1968, she also performed on stage in London. She played Fräulein Schneider in the musical Cabaret.
Lila Kedrova often played interesting and sometimes quirky characters in Hollywood movies. In 1983, she returned to the role of Mme Hortense. This time, she played the character in the Broadway musical version of Zorba the Greek. For this role, she won both a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical and a Drama Desk Award. She also performed in another musical, A Little Night Music, in London in 1989.
Lila Kedrova's second husband was Richard Howard. He was a stage director from Canada.
Later Life and Death
Lila Kedrova passed away on February 16, 2000. She died at her summer home in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. She had pneumonia and had also been living with Alzheimer's disease for a long time. After her death, she was cremated. Her ashes are buried with her family in the Russian cemetery in Paris, France.
Film Roles
Lila Kedrova acted in many films and television shows throughout her career. Here are some of her notable roles:
- Ultimatum (1938) as Irina
- No Way Back (1953) as Ljuba
- Flesh and the Woman (1954) as Rose
- Razzia sur la chnouf (1955) as Léa
- Futures vedettes (1955) as Mme. Dimater
- The Lovers of Montparnasse (1958) as Mme. Sborowsky
- Zorba the Greek (1964) as Madame Hortense
- A High Wind in Jamaica (1965) as Rosa
- Torn Curtain (1966) as Countess Kuchinska
- Penelope (1966) as Sadaba
- The Kremlin Letter (1970) as Madam Sophie
- Soft Beds, Hard Battles (1974) as Madame Grenier
- Footprints on the Moon (1975) as Mrs. Heim
- The Cursed Medallion (1975) as Contessa Cappelli
- The Tenant (1976) as Madame Gaderian
- Womanlight (1979) as Sonia Tovalski
- Tell Me a Riddle (1980) as Eva
- Blood Tide (1982) as Sister Anna
- Sword of the Valiant (1984) as Lady of Lyonesse
- Some Girls (1988) as Granny
- A Star for Two (1991) as Simone
- Next Time the Fire (1993) as Mother (her last film role)
See also
In Spanish: Lilia Kédrova para niños
