Simone Simon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Simone Simon
Simon in Love and Hisses (1937)
Born	Simone Thérèse Fernande Simon (1911-04-23)23 April 1911 Marseille, France
Died	22 February 2005(2005-02-22) (aged 93) Paris, France
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1931–1973

Simone Thérèse Fernande Simon (born April 23, 1910 or 1911 – died February 22, 2005) was a famous French film actress. She started her acting career in movies in 1931.

Early Life and Beginnings

Simone Simon was born in Marseille, France. Her father, Henri Simon, was a French engineer and airplane pilot. Her mother, Erma Giorcelli, was Italian. Before growing up in Marseille, Simone lived in many different places. These included Madagascar, Budapest, Turin, and Berlin.

In 1931, she moved to Paris. There, she worked for a short time as a singer, a model, and even a fashion designer. She also thought about becoming a sculptor. Simone worked in theater before getting bigger roles. She performed at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens.

Her Acting Career

Simone Simon was discovered in a restaurant in June 1931. Director Victor Tourjansky offered her a movie contract. This changed her plans to become a fashion designer. Her first movie was Le chanteur inconnu (The Unknown Singer) in 1931. She quickly became one of France's most successful actresses. Simone later said she had no acting experience when she tried out for her first movie.

Simon on an advertisement for an Argentinean magazine. She is wearing a wedding dress from the 1937 movie Seventh Heaven.

In 1932, she started getting more important roles. She became very famous after starring in Marc Allégret's Lac aux dames (Ladies Lake) in 1934. She felt this was her first serious role. Simone was always thankful to Allégret, believing he helped her become famous.

After seeing her in Ladies Lake, Darryl F. Zanuck brought her to Hollywood in 1935. There was a lot of excitement about her arrival. Before going to America, Simone made two more films for Allégret. These were Les yeux noirs (Black Eyes, 1935) and Les beaux jours (1935).

Usually, foreign actresses spent months preparing before working in Hollywood. But Simone only had a few weeks of English lessons. Then, she was told to start filming. The studio had trouble finding the right roles for her. She was supposed to be in A Message to Garcia (1936). She would play a Spanish girl, but Rita Hayworth took her place.

In 1935, she was cast in Under Two Flags (1936). But she was removed from the movie during filming. It was said she left because she was sick. However, it was later shared that Zanuck fired her. This was because of her difficult behavior, which upset the director Frank Lloyd. Simone said she got sick after many tests and rehearsals for the film. She admitted she was difficult at first. She explained she was not used to the American way of life. She felt it was more open than the French way. Her health problems made her want to end her American contract.

Soon after, the studio gave her a role in Girls' Dormitory (1936). Simone liked the story and saw great chances for her character. She reportedly showed some difficult behavior again. This led to problems with Ruth Chatterton, the film's main star. Chatterton felt Simone was getting more attention. Simone said she was nervous during filming. Studio leaders were watching her closely.

Even though Girls' Dormitory was popular, it was soon forgotten. This made Simone's American movie debut less impressive. Still, critics praised her acting. Magazines said she became famous overnight. After this film, she was cast in White Hunter. But she got the flu again and was replaced by June Lang.

Simone performing in Montreal, Canada, in 1942.

Instead, the studio quickly put her in the comedy Ladies in Love (1936). She shared the main female roles with Janet Gaynor, Loretta Young, and Constance Bennett. Some of them did not like how many scenes Simone had. Simone tried to avoid arguments. She hired an assistant to help her avoid bad headlines.

Despite a lot of promotion, Simone's films for 20th Century Fox were only somewhat successful. She played the role of Janet Gaynor in the 1937 remake of Seventh Heaven. This movie also starred James Stewart but did not do well. After that, she was cast in Danger – Love at Work (1937). But her strong French accent meant she had to be replaced by Ann Sothern.

The studio had trouble finding good roles for her. They allowed her to take an eight-week vacation to France. When she returned in June 1937, she was assigned to Suez (1938). But the project was stopped, and she was replaced.

In the late 1930s, Simone returned to France. She was not happy with her American film career. There, she appeared in the Jean Renoir film La Bête Humaine (The Human Beast) in 1938.

When World War II started, she went back to Hollywood. She worked for RKO Radio Pictures. There, she had her biggest successes in English movies. These included The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), Cat People (1942), and The Curse of the Cat People (1944). The last two were horror films produced by Val Lewton. These films did not lead to even greater fame. She continued to act in average films until the end of the war.

She returned to France to act again. She appeared in La Ronde (Roundabout, 1950). After this, she had few film roles. Her last movie appearance was in 1973.

Personal Life and Passing

Cat People promotional photo taken on August 10, 1942.

Simone Simon never married. In the 1950s, she was in a relationship with French banker and racehorse owner Alec Weisweiller. His wife, Francine, was a supporter of artist Jean Cocteau.

She was also in a relationship with Duško Popov, a double agent during World War II.

Simone Simon passed away in Paris, France, on February 22, 2005. She died of natural causes.

In 2011, British actor and writer Stephen Mosley wrote a book about her. It was called The Boy Who Loved Simone Simon.

Filmography

Radio Appearances

See also

In Spanish: Simone Simon para niños