
Acting
Born September 13, 1903 · Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France
Claudette Colbert (September 13, 1903 — July 30, 1996) was an American actress. Born Emilie Claudette Chauchoin in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France, she was brought to the United States as a child three years later and went to high school in New York. While studying at the Art Students League when, in 1923, she took the name Claudette Colbert for her first Broadway role in "The Wild Westcotts". Her most noteworthy stage vehicle was the "The Barker" in 1927. Her first film was a silent For the Love of Mike (1927), directed by Frank Capra. Made on a shoestring, the movie was a flop, and she vowed that it would be her last film role: "I only left Broadway when the crash came. The Depression killed the theater, and the pictures were manna from heaven". She had her first film success the next year, however, in The Lady Lies (1929). Her early notable films were all box-office hits and included Cleopatra (1934), in which she played the title role enticingly. She had her greatest triumph playing a runaway heiress, with enormous charm, opposite Clark Gable in Capra's comedy It Happened One Night (1934), for which she won the Academy Award as Best Actress. By 1938 her keen ability in business made her the highest paid star in Hollywood. By 1950, though, her star had begun to wane. She returned to the stage in 1956 when she replaced Margaret Sullavan during the spring and summer in the comedy "Janus". Appearances in other Broadway productions followed, including "The Marriage-Go-Round". Besides the stage, she did TV specials and had a supporting role in a notable TV movie, The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (1987), for which she received a Golden Globe award. In 1989 she was presented with a Life Achievement award from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She married actor Norman Foster in 1928, although they never lived together and were divorced after seven years. She married surgeon Dr. Joel Pressman soon after and remained married until his death in 1968. In latter years she divided her time between an apartment in New York and a 200-year-old plantation house in Speightstown, Barbados, where she entertained such guests as Frank Sinatra and Ronald Reagan. She remained on Barbados Island after her stroke. On July 30, 1996, Claudette died in Speightstown, Barbados. She was 92.

Complicated Women
2003

Frank Capra Jr. Remembers: 'It Happened One Night'
1999

The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender
1997

That's Entertainment! III
1994

Parrish
1961

One Coat of White
1957

The Comedian
1957

Blithe Spirit
1956

Texas Lady
1955

Daughters of Destiny
1954

Royal Affairs in Versailles
1953

The Planter's Wife
1952

Let's Make It Legal
1951

Thunder on the Hill
1951

The Secret Fury
1950

Three Came Home
1950

Bride for Sale
1949

Family Honeymoon
1948

Sleep, My Love
1948

The Egg and I
1947

The Secret Heart
1946

Without Reservations
1946

Tomorrow Is Forever
1946

Guest Wife
1945

Practically Yours
1944

Since You Went Away
1944

So Proudly We Hail
1943

No Time for Love
1943

Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6
1942

The Palm Beach Story
1942