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- Actress
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Audrey Hepburn was born as Audrey Kathleen Ruston on May 4, 1929 in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium. Her mother, Baroness Ella Van Heemstra, was a Dutch noblewoman, while her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, was born in Úzice, Bohemia, to English and Austrian parents.
After her parents' divorce, Audrey went to London with her mother where she went to a private girls school. Later, when her mother moved back to the Netherlands, she attended private schools as well. While she vacationed with her mother in Arnhem, Netherlands, Hitler's army took over the town. It was here that she fell on hard times during the Nazi occupation. Audrey suffered from depression and malnutrition.
After the liberation, she went to a ballet school in London on a scholarship and later began a modeling career. As a model, she was graceful and, it seemed, she had found her niche in life--until the film producers came calling. In 1948, after being spotted modeling by a producer, she was signed to a bit part in the European film Nederlands in zeven lessen (1948). Later, she had a speaking role in the 1951 film, Young Wives' Tale (1951) as Eve Lester. The part still wasn't much, so she headed to America to try her luck there. Audrey gained immediate prominence in the US with her role in Roman Holiday (1953). This film turned out to be a smashing success, and she won an Oscar as Best Actress.
On September 25, 1954, she married actor Mel Ferrer. She also starred in Sabrina (1954), for which she received another Academy Award nomination. She starred in the films Funny Face (1957) and Love in the Afternoon (1957). She received yet another Academy Award nomination for her role in The Nun's Story (1959). On July 17, 1960, she gave birth to her first son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer.
Audrey reached the pinnacle of her career when she played Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), for which she received another Oscar nomination. She scored commercial success again playing Regina Lampert in the espionage caper Charade (1963). One of Audrey's most radiant roles was in the fine production of My Fair Lady (1964). After a couple of other movies, most notably Two for the Road (1967), she hit pay dirt and another nomination in Wait Until Dark (1967).
In 1967, Audrey decided to retire from acting while she was on top. She divorced from Mel Ferrer in 1968. On January 19, 1969, she married Dr. Andrea Dotti. On February 8, 1970, she gave birth to her second son, Luca Dotti in Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland. From time to time, she would appear on the silver screen.
In 1988, she became a special ambassador to the United Nations UNICEF fund helping children in Latin America and Africa, a position she retained until 1993. She was named to People's magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. Her last film was Always (1989).
Audrey Hepburn died, aged 63, on January 20, 1993 in Tolochnaz, Vaud, Switzerland, from appendicular cancer. She had made a total of 31 high quality movies. Her elegance and style will always be remembered in film history as evidenced by her being named in Empire magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time".- Writer
- Actor
- Director
Considered to be one of the most pivotal stars of the early days of Hollywood, Charlie Chaplin lived an interesting life both in his films and behind the camera. He is most recognized as an icon of the silent film era, often associated with his popular character, the Little Tramp; the man with the toothbrush mustache, bowler hat, bamboo cane, and a funny walk.
Charles Spencer Chaplin was born in Walworth, London, England on April 16, 1889, to Hannah Harriet Pedlingham (Hill) and Charles Chaplin, both music hall performers, who were married on June 22, 1885. After Charles Sr. separated from Hannah to perform in New York City, Hannah then tried to resurrect her stage career. Unfortunately, her singing voice had a tendency to break at unexpected moments. When this happened, the stage manager spotted young Charlie standing in the wings and led him on stage, where five-year-old Charlie began to sing a popular tune. Charlie and his half-brother, Syd Chaplin spent their lives in and out of charity homes and workhouses between their mother's bouts of insanity. Hannah was committed to Cane Hill Asylum in May 1903 and lived there until 1921, when Chaplin moved her to California.
Chaplin began his official acting career at the age of eight, touring with the Eight Lancashire Lads. At age 18, he began touring with Fred Karno's vaudeville troupe, joining them on the troupe's 1910 United States tour. He traveled west to California in December 1913 and signed on with Keystone Studios' popular comedy director Mack Sennett, who had seen Chaplin perform on stage in New York. Charlie soon wrote his brother Syd, asking him to become his manager. While at Keystone, Chaplin appeared in and directed 35 films, starring as the Little Tramp in nearly all.
In November 1914, he left Keystone and signed on at Essanay, where he made 15 films. In 1916, he signed on at Mutual and made 12 films. In June 1917, Chaplin signed up with First National Studios, after which he built Chaplin Studios. In 1919, he and Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and D.W. Griffith formed United Artists (UA).
Chaplin's life and career was full of scandal and controversy. His first big scandal was during World War I, at which time his loyalty to England, his home country, was questioned. He had never applied for American citizenship, but claimed that he was a "paying visitor" to the United States. Many British citizens called Chaplin a coward and a slacker. This and other career eccentricities sparked suspicion with FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), who believed that he was injecting Communist propaganda into his films. Chaplin's later film The Great Dictator (1940), which was his first "talkie", also created a stir. In the film, Chaplin plays a humorous caricature of Adolf Hitler. Some thought the film was poorly done and in bad taste. However, the film grossed over $5 million and earned five Academy Award Nominations.
Another scandal occurred when Chaplin briefly dated 22 year-old Joan Barry. However, Chaplin's relationship with Barry came to an end in 1942, after a series of harassing actions from her. In May 1943, Barry returned to inform Chaplin that she was pregnant and filed a paternity suit, claiming that the unborn child was his. During the 1944 trial, blood tests proved that Chaplin was not the father, but at the time, blood tests were inadmissible evidence, and he was ordered to pay $75 a week until the child turned 21.
Chaplin also was scrutinized for his support in aiding the Russian struggle against the invading Nazis during World War II, and the United States government questioned his moral and political views, suspecting him of having Communist ties. For this reason, HUAC subpoenaed him in 1947. However, HUAC finally decided that it was no longer necessary for him to appear for testimony. Conversely, when Chaplin and his family traveled to London for the premier of Limelight (1952), he was denied re-entry to the United States. In reality, the government had almost no evidence to prove that he was a threat to national security. Instead, he and his wife decided to settle in Switzerland.
Chaplin was married four times and had a total of 11 children. In 1918, he married Mildred Harris and they had a son together, Norman Spencer Chaplin, who lived only three days. Chaplin and Harris divorced in 1920. He married Lita Grey in 1924, who had two sons, Charles Chaplin Jr. and Sydney Chaplin. They were divorced in 1927. In 1936, Chaplin married Paulette Goddard, and his final marriage was to Oona O'Neill (Oona Chaplin), daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill in 1943. Oona gave birth to eight children: Geraldine Chaplin, Michael Chaplin, Josephine Chaplin, Victoria Chaplin, Eugene Chaplin, Jane Chaplin, Annette-Emilie Chaplin, and Christopher Chaplin.
In contrast to many of his boisterous characters, Chaplin was a quiet man who kept to himself a great deal. He also had an "un-millionaire" way of living. Even after he had accumulated millions, he continued to live in shabby accommodations. In 1921, Chaplin was decorated by the French government for his outstanding work as a filmmaker and was elevated to the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1952. In 1972, he was honored with an Academy Award for his "incalculable effect in making motion pictures the art form of the century". He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1975 New Year's Honours List. No formal reason for the honour was listed. The citation simply reads "Charles Spencer Chaplin, Film Actor and Producer".
Chaplin's other works included musical scores that he composed for many of his films. He also authored two autobiographical books, "My Autobiography" (1964) and its companion volume, "My Life in Pictures" (1974).
Chaplin died at age 88 of natural causes on December 25, 1977 at his home in Vevey, Switzerland. His funeral was a small and private Anglican ceremony according to his wishes. In 1978, Chaplin's corpse was stolen from its grave and was not recovered for three months; he was re-buried in a vault surrounded by cement.
Six of Chaplin's films have been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress: The Immigrant (1917), The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), and The Great Dictator (1940).
Charlie Chaplin is considered one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of American cinema, whose movies were and still are popular throughout the world and have even gained notoriety as time progresses. His films show, through the Little Tramp's positive outlook on life in a world full of chaos, that the human spirit has and always will remain the same.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
James Mason was born in Huddersfield and had a film career spanning over 50 years during which he appeared in over 100 films in England and America but never won an Oscar. Whatever role he played, from the wounded Belfast gunman in Odd Man Out to Rommel in The Desert Fox, his creamy velvet voice gave him away. Like Charlie Chaplin James left the screen to spend his later life living in Switzerland. His first marriage had been to Pamela Kellino, a Yorkshire mill owner's daughter and his second to Australian actress Clarissa Kaye.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Peter Ustinov was a two-time Academy Award-winning film actor, director, writer, journalist and raconteur. He wrote and directed many acclaimed stage plays and led numerous international theatrical productions.
He was born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinow on April 16, 1921 in Swiss Cottage, London, the son of Nadezhda Leontievna (née Benois) and Jona Freiherr von Ustinow. His father was of one-quarter Polish Jewish, one-half Russian, one-eighth Ethiopian, and one-eighth German descent, while his mother was of one-half Russian, one-quarter Italian, one-eighth French, and one-eighth German ancestry. Ustinov had ancestral connections to Russian nobility as well as to the Ethiopian Royal Family. His father, also known as "Klop Ustinov", was a pilot in the German Air Force during World War I. In 1919, Jona Freiherr von Ustinow joined his own mother and sister in St Petersburg, Russia, where he met his future wife, artist Nadia Benois, who worked for the Imperial Mariinsky Ballet and Opera House in St Petersburg.
In 1920, in a modest and discreet ceremony at a Russian-German church in St Petersburg, Ustinov's father married Nadia. In February 1921, when she was seven months pregnant with Peter, the couple emigrated from Russia in the aftermath of the Communist Revolution. Young Peter was brought up in a multilingual family. He was fluent in Russian, French, Italian and German, as well as English. He attended Westminster College (1934-37), took the drama and acting class under Michel St Denis at the London Theatre Studio (1937-39), and made his stage debut in 1938 at the Stage Theatre Club in Surrey. He wrote his first play at the age of 19. In 1939, he made his London stage debut in a revue sketch, then had regular performances with the Aylesbury Repertory Company. The following year, he made his film debut in Hullo, Fame! (1940).
From 1942-46, Ustinov served with the British Army's Royal Sussex Regiment. He was batman for David Niven, and the two became lifelong friends. Ustinov spent most of his service working with the Army Cinema Unit, where he was involved in making recruitment films, wrote plays and appeared in three films as an actor. At that time he co-wrote and acted in The Way Ahead (1944) (aka "The Immortal Battalion").
Ustinov had a stellar film career as actor, director, and writer. Among his numerous screen acting gems were his unparalleled, Academy Award-nominated interpretation of Nero in Quo Vadis (1951) and roles in Max Ophüls's masterpiece Lola Montès (1955), Barefoot in Athens (1966), The Comedians (1967), Robin Hood (1973) and Logan's Run (1976). He also wrote and directed such brilliant films as Billy Budd (1962), Lady L (1965) and Memed My Hawk (1984). He was awarded two Oscars for Best Supporting Actor, one for his role in Spartacus (1960) and one for his role in Topkapi (1964), and received two more Oscar nominations as an actor and writer. His career slowed down a bit in the 1970s, but made a comeback as Hercule Poirot in Death on the Nile (1978) by director John Guillermin. In the 1980s, Ustinov recreated Poirot in several subsequent television movies and theatrical films, including Evil Under the Sun (1982) and Appointment with Death (1988), while his cinema work in the 1990s also includes his superb performance as Professor Gus Nikolais in George Miller's excellent dramatic film, Lorenzo's Oil (1992), a character partially inspired by Hugo Wolfgang Moser, a research scientist who had been director of the Neurogenetics Research Center at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University.
His expertise in dialectic and physical comedy made him a regular guest of talk show hosts and late-night comedians. His witty and multidimensional humor was legendary, and he later published a collection of his jokes and quotations summarizing his wide popularity as a raconteur. He was also an internationally acclaimed TV journalist. Ustinov covered over 100,000 miles and visited more than 30 Russian cities during the making of his well-received BBC television series Russia (1986).
In his autobiographies, "Dear Me" (1977) and "My Russia" (1996), Ustinov revealed his observations on his life, career, and his multicultural and multi-ethnic background. He wrote and directed numerous stage plays, successfully presenting them in several countries. His drama, "Photo Finish", was staged in New York, London and St. Petersburg, Russia, where Ustinov directed the acclaimed production, starring Elena Solovey and Petr Shelokhonov. Ustinov also served as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and a president of WFM, a global citizens movement. Ustinov served as Rector of Dundee University for six years. He was awarded the Benjamin Franklin Medal from the Royal Society of Arts in 1957 and was knighted in 1990.
From 1971 until his death in 2004, Ustinov's permanent residence was a château in Bursins, Vaud, Switzerland. He died of heart failure on March 28, 2004, in a clinic in Genolier, also in Vaud. His funeral service was held at Geneva's historic Cathedral of St. Pierre, and he was laid to rest in the village cemetery of Bursins. He was survived by three daughters (Tamara, Pavla, and Andrea) and one son (Igor). His epitaph may be gleaned from his comment, "I am an international citizen conceived in Russia, born in England, working in Hollywood, living in Switzerland, and touring the World".- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
As an actress she came to prominence in the 60s nouvelle vague. As a chanteuse she was noted for her beautifully emotional, melancholy voice and went on to sell more than 35 million albums. Marie Laforet was born Maïtena Doumenach in the seaside resort of Soulac-sur-Mer in the Gironde region of Acquitane. After being raped by a neighbour at the age of three, she was unable to speak for a long time. Marie had also developed a natural shyness which she took great pains to overcome as a youngster. She was enrolled at the prestigious Lycée Jean-de-La-Fontaine when the family moved to Paris. Eventually she undertook drama classes with actor/director Raymond Rouleau. At the age of twenty, she won a radio talent contest. Soon thereafter -- thrust into almost instant stardom -- Marie was cast as the female lead in her first film, the René Clément-directed thriller Purple Noon (1960) (based on the Patricia Highsmith novel The Talented Mr. Ripley), starring Alain Delon and Maurice Ronet. In her next high profile picture she was The Girl with the Golden Eyes (1961), permanently taking on the tag and remaining strongly identified with this role for years to come. The director, Jean-Gabriel Albicocco became the first of her five husbands. All those marriages ultimately ended in divorce.
The world of music being still more competitive than that of acting has often prompted hopeful musicians to start out as actors. Marie Laforet was no exception. Her career as a vocalist only took off after she sang the jaunty title song in Saint-Tropez Blues (1961), a musical comedy in which she also starred. However, after that, she went from strength to strength with renditions of romantic ballads and pop hits like Apres Toi Qui Sait, Un amour qui s'est eteint, Les vendanges de l'amour, Viens Viens and the haunting Tu Fait Semblant. She also recorded successful cover versions of Bob Dylan's t Blowin' in the Wind," Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" and The Rolling Stones number "Paint It Black," (as "Marie Douceur, Marie Colère"). In the 70s, Laforet revamped her style and her repertoire and widened her appeal by branching out into American and Eastern European folk music.
Her screen career meanwhile continued through the 60s with unabated success in generally above-average productions, usually paired with seasoned box-office stars: in Dark Journey (1961) (playing Angele, a prostitute, this story of a love triangle partnered her with Louis Jourdan and the magnificent Lilli Palmer); Rat Trap (1963) (an adventure, filmed in Paraguay with Charles Aznavour); the Franco-Italian rom-com Male Hunt (1964) (one of several films in which she appeared with Jean-Paul Belmondo); the slick caper comedy How Not to Rob a Department Store (1965) (with Jean-Claude Brialy) and (as a resourceful heroine outwitting international spies) in Claude Chabrol's sub-Hitchcockian action thriller Blue Panther (1965). Laforet lent a touch of continental sophistication to Jack of Diamonds (1967), an international co-production about a team of cat burglars filmed in Germany and released by MGM, but the picture proved somewhat less than satisfactory. Television became a viable medium for character roles later in her career.
Despite enduring popular acclaim and sold-out concerts, Laforet was less than content with her career, famously declaring "I'm ashamed of doing what I do: interpreting pop songs in a superficial way." By 1978, she had ceased going on tour (though she did make a final comeback in 2005), resettled in Geneva, became a Swiss citizen and opened an art gallery. She spent the succeeding decades tending to art, writing songs as well as a book of biographical reminiscences. In the late 90s, she returned to the stage at the Théâtre Antoine and at the Opéra Comique in Paris with a tour-de-force portrayal of opera diva Maria Callas in Terrence McNallys play "Master Class". Laforet finally retired from screen acting in 2010 and died in Genolier, Switzerland, on November 2 2019 at the age of 80.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
James Clavell was born on October 10, 1921, in Sydney, New South Wales, as Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell. He was a film and TV writer and producer. During World War II, he was a British soldier and a Japanese prisoner on Java and in Singapore, which led to his great interest in things East Asian and Japanese, and the experiences of prisoners of war. Clavell is very well-known for "The Great Escape" (1963), "The Satan Bug" (1965), "King Rat" (1965), "To Sir, with Love" (1967), "Tai-Pan" (1986), "Noble House" (1988), and especially "Shogun" (1980). Shogun won the Golden Globe Award for Best TV-Series - Drama and the Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series: James Clavell (executive producer).
Clavell was married to April Stride, and they were parents of two children. He died on September 7, 1994, in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland.- Born Olga Vladimirovna Baklanova, one of six children of Vladimir Baklanoff and his wife Alexandra, later billed as the Russian Tigress in her early talking films, was born August 19, 1893. She graduated from the Cherniavsky Institute in Moscow prior to her selection in 1912 at age 19 to apprentice at the Moscow Art Theatre. During her early years at M.A.T. (1914-1918) she appeared in perhaps 18 films bringing her into contact with Tourjansky, Boleslawski and M. Chekov among others. Her last Russian film, Bread (1918) was the first communist agitprop vehicle. From 1917 she appeared in the "classics" on the parent stage and at the M.A.T. First Studio. Her mentor, Nemirovich-Danchenko, showcased her in avant-garde productions of the newly created M.A.T. Musical Studio from 1920-1925. She was honored with the Worthy Artist Of The Republic by the Soviet regime.
Eight months after her M.A.T. New York debut in December 1925, she declined to return with the M.A.T. company to Russia and subsequently defected. She was noticed by the Hollywood studios while performing on stage in Los Angeles in The Miracle in the role of the nun. Her film debut was a bit in The Dove (1927). Her dramatic Portrayals in The Man Who Laughs (1928), Street of Sin (1928), The Docks of New York (1928) and Forgotten Faces (1928) brought her critical acclaim in 1928. Her subsequent vamp/tramp roles in early Paramount and Fox talking films nearly destroyed her promising start. Stagey mannerisms and a heavy accent relegated her to supporting roles. She appeared to advantage in three films at MGM including the infamous Freaks (1932) with an unrestrained and legendary performance.
After appearing in west coast stage productions in 1931-32, she permanently left for the Broadway stage in 1933 following one last film at Paramount. From 1933 to 1943 she starred in various Broadway productions and then toured in road companies of Cat And The Fiddle, Twentieth Century, Grand Hotel and Idiot's Delight. She debuted on the London stage in 1936 in Going Places. One last big role in Claudia (1943) kept her busy for two years (1941-1943). She returned to Hollywood in 1943 to recreate her stage role. Some summer stock and occasional night club appearances followed as she moved into retirement.
During the mid-1960s Olga was interviewed by Richard Lamparski, Kevin Brownlow and John Kobal who all recognized her unique contributions in the performing arts. Her death occurred at Vevey, Switzerland on September 6, 1974 after a period of declining health. - Writer
- Actor
- Producer
Graham Greene was one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century and his influence on the cinema and theatre was enormous. He wrote five plays and almost all of his novels, including "Brighton Rock", "The Ministry of Fear" and "The End of the Affair", have been brought to the screen. A superb storyteller, he also wrote the screenplays for such classics as The Fallen Idol (1948) and The Third Man (1949).
A colorful and larger-than-life figure, Greene traveled widely throughout the world, from the jungles of Liberia to the Mexican desert to the Far East and the Soviet Union. In World War Two was a member of MI-6 (the British intelligence service) working with the double-agent Kim Philby, and he numbered among his friends such diverse personalities as Evelyn Waugh, Noël Coward and Panamanian dictator Gen. Omar Torrijos. A notorious womanizer, he married only once but had a string of extra-marital affairs and confessed he was "a bad husband and a fickle lover." During the 1920s and 1930s he confessed that he had had relationships with over 50 prostitutes.
Born in Hertforshire, England, in 1904, the son of the headmaster of Berkhamstead School, Greene was educated at Berkhamstead and later Oxford. At Oxford he published more than 60 poems and stories and soon after graduation converted to Roman Catholicism. "I had to find a religion to measure my evil against" he said. His first novel, "The Man Within", came out in 1929, to public and critical acclaim. "Stamboul Train" (1934), a topical political thriller, was the first to reach the screen (as Orient Express (1934)) and a string of other taut suspense dramas followed: "This Gun For Hire" (1942), "The Ministry of Fear" (1943) and "The Confidential Agent" (1945). It was his novel "Brighton Rock", however, which depicted Pinkie, a teenage gangster with demonic spirituality, that eventually became a milestone in British cinema. Originally a successful stage play starring Richard Attenborough as Pinkie, Greene co-wrote the 1947 screenplay Brighton Rock (1948)) with Terence Rattigan.
Greene's collaboration with director _Carol Reed' produced three distinctive films: The Fallen Idol (1948), starring Ralph Richardson, The Third Man (1949) and Our Man in Havana (1959). One of the peaks in British filmmaking, "The Third Man", starring Orson Welles as Harry Lime, was a skillful tale of deception and drug trafficking. Greene developed the screenplay from a single sentence: "I had paid my last farewell to Harry a week ago, when his coffin was lowered into the frozen February ground, so that it was with incredulity that I saw him pass by, without a sign of recognition, amongst a host of strangers in the Strand". The character of Harry Lime later inspired an American radio series starring Orson Welles, short stories published by the News of the World and the TV series The Third Man (1959), starring Michael Rennie. In Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures (1994). Kate Winslet fantasizes about Harry.
As well as writing novels, Greene reviewed films for "The Spectator", then for the short-lived "Night and Day", which folded after he was accused of a "gross outrage" on 'Shirley Temple (I)'--then nine years old--in his review of Wee Willie Winkie (1937). He wrote that "her admirers--middle-aged men and clergymen--respond to her dubious coquetry, to the sight of her well-shaped and desirable little body, packed with enormous vitality". In the view of the prosecuting counsel it was "one of the most horrible libels one could well imagine."
Greene was an intelligent and sophisticated playwright. His first play written directly for the stage was "The Living Room" (1953), a powerful drama of suicide and despair which starred Dorothy Tutin. It was followed by "The Potting Shed" (1957), a drama about an atheist's pact with God, and "The Complaisant Lover" (1959), a comedy of manners in which a husband and lover knowingly share a wife's favors, which starred Michael Redgrave. Many of his played were televised.
Greene's work continues to fascinate actors, filmmakers and cinema goers throughout the world. In 1973 Maggie Smith and Alec McCowen starred in "Travels With My Aunt" (Smith's role had originally been offered to Katharine Hepburn), Nicol Williamson and Ann Todd starred in The Human Factor (1979) and Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore starred in a remake of The End of the Affair (1999).
Greene said of his writing: "When I describe a scene . . . I capture it with the moving eye of the cine-camera rather than with the photographer's eye--which leaves it frozen. In this precise domain I think the cinema has influenced me."
Towards the end of his life Greene lived in Vevey, Switzerland, with his companion Yvonne Cloetta. He died there peacefully on April 13, 1991.- Heinz Bennent was born on 18 July 1921 in Stolberg, Germany. He was an actor, known for Possession (1981), The Last Metro (1980) and Im Jahr der Schildkröte (1988). He was married to Paulette Renou. He died on 12 October 2011 in Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland.
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Chase was born in London and educated at King's School, Rochester, Kent. He left home at the age of 18 and worked as children encyclopedia salesman and book wholesaler before devoting himself to writing. He wrote his first book No Orchids for Miss Blandish in the age of 33. During his career Chase published some 80 books. Although many of his stories are located in the US, he paid there only two brief visits, one to Miami and one in New Orleans. Most of the author's knowledge of America was derived from encyclopedias, maps and slang dictionaries.- Writer
- Additional Crew
Georges Simenon was a Belgian novelist, writing in the French language. He published nearly 500 different novels, and a large number of short stories. He became internationally famous for creating the French police detective Jules Maigret, as the protagonist in a celebrated series of mystery novels. Between 1931 and 1972, Simenon published 75 novels and 28 short stories about Maigret and his supporting cast. The Maigret stories have often been adapted into films, television series, and radio shows.
In 1903, Simenon was born in Liège, Belgium. His parents were the accountant Désiré Simenon and his wife Henriette Brüll. His father worked as an accountant for an insurance company. They were members of the wider Simenon family, a line of peasants from Limburg whose history had been recorded since the 1580s. Simenon's maternal ancestry was primarily German and Dutch. His mother was reputedly a distant descendant of the famed robber Gabriel Brühl (died in 1743). Simenon would later use the family name "Brühl" as one of his pen names.
In 1905, the Simenon family moved to the Outremeuse neighborhood of Liège, where Simenon would spend most of his childhood. In 1911, they moved to a larger house in the same neighborhood. The family started taking in lodgers to supplement their income. The young Simenon regularly interacted with these lodgers, who were apprentices and students of various nationalities. These interactions gave him his first taste of cosmopolitanism.
In September 1914, Simenon started attending the Collège Saint-Louis, a Jesuit high school. He dropped out of high school in June 1918, deciding against taking his year-end exams. He supported himself through a series of odd-jobs. In January 1919, the adolescent Simenon was hired as a journalist by the newspaper "Gazette de Liège". His assignments consistent of "human interest" stories, which were thought to be of trivial importance. Simenon grew interested in the seamier side of life in Liège, and started to frequent bars and cheap hotels in search of information. He also grew interested in police investigations, and attended lectures on police technique by the famed criminologist Edmond Locard (1877-1966).
Simenon wrote his first novel in June 1919, but it was not published in book form until 1921. During the early 1920s, Simenon started hanging out with members of "La Caque", a group of Bohemian artists. He was introduced by them to Régine "Tigy" Renchon, who became his girlfriend. In 1922, Simenon's father died. Simenon took the decision to move with Tigy to Paris, where he got acquainted with ordinary working-class Parisians. The city's bistros, cheap hotels, bars and restaurants would later become settings for his novels.
In 1928, Simenon took an extended sea voyage for a journalistic assignment. He discovered that he liked water travel. In 1929, he had a boat house constructed for himself and his wife, called the "Ostrogoth". They used it to travel through the French canal system. Joining them in their travels was their housekeeper Henriette "Boule" Liberge, who became Simenon's mistress. Their romantic relationship lasted for decades, unlike Simenon's previous short-lived affairs.
In 1930, Simenon wrote the first Maigret story during a boat trip in the Netherlands. It was published the following year. In 1932, Simenon's journalistic assignments caused him to travel across Africa, eastern Europe, Turkey, and the Soviet Union. In 1933, Simenon interviewed the exiled politician Leon Trotsky in Istanbul. Simenon took a trip around the world from 1934 to 1935. For much of the 1930s, Simenon was a permanent foreign resident in France.
During World War II, Simenon lived in Vendée, France. He maintained decent relationships with the German occupation authorities, and negotiated film rights of his books with German studios. Following the end of the war, Simenon was accused of being a German collaborator, but with little apparent evidence. In 1950, the French authorities temporarily forbid him to publish new works as punishment for his supposed collaboration, but the sentence was not enforced.
In 1945, Simenon left France with his wife for an extended stay in Quebec, Canada. He wrote three novels in the local city of Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson. For the following decade, Simenon and his family moved constantly across Canada and the United States. He learned to speak English with relative ease, and so did his mistress Boule. In 1949, Simenon divorced Tigy, but continued living in close proximity with her, in accordance with the divorce agreement. In 1950, Simenon married his second wife Denyse Ouimet (a French-Canadian) in Reno, Nevada. She was 17 years younger than Simenon himself. Denyse was his former secretary, and they had been romantically involved since 1945.
In 1952, Simenon briefly returned to Belgium, as he was made a member of the "Académie Royale de Belgique" (Royal Academy of Belgium). He had not actually lived in Belgium since 1922, but he remained a Belgian citizen and had become the country's most famous writer. Simenon permanently left the United States in 1955. He initially settled back in France, but then decided to move to Switzerland. In 1963, he had a new house constructed for himself in Épalinges, Vaud.
In 1964, Simenon and his wife Denyse separated permanently. His housekeeper Teresa had become his new long-term mistress. In 1978, Simenon was shocked when his daughter Marie-Jo committed suicide at the age of 25. In 1984, Simenon underwent surgery for a brain tumor. He recovered well, but his health further deteriorated during the last years of his life. In September 1989, he died in his sleep while staying in Lausanne,. He was 86-years-old at the time of his death, and had not published any major work for several years.
Simenon's works have remained popular into the 21st century. According to the 2019 version of the Index Translationum by UNESCO, Simenon was the 17th most translated writer on a global scale. In the Index, Simenon outranked the likes of of Astrid Lindgren (18th) and Pope John Paul II (19th). He ranked just below Fyodor Dostoevsky (16th) and Mark Twain (15th).- Baroness Ella Van Heemstra was born on 12 June 1900 in Velp, Gelderland, Netherlands. She was an actress. She was married to Joseph Hepburn-Ruston and Hendrik Quarles van Ufford. She died on 26 August 1984 in Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Zizi Jeanmaire was born on 29 April 1924 in Paris, France. She was an actress, known for Anything Goes (1956), Charmants garçons (1957) and Folies-Bergère (1956). She was married to Roland Petit. She died on 17 July 2020 in Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland.- Henryk Sienkiewicz was born on 5 May 1846 in Wola Okrzejska, Poland, Russian Empire [now Wola Okrzejska, Lubelskie, Poland]. He was a writer, known for Quo Vadis (1951), Na jasnym brzegu (1921) and Invasion 1700 (1962). He was married to Maria Babska, Maria Romanowska and Maria Emilia Kazimiera Szetkiewicz. He died on 15 November 1916 in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland.
- Madeleine Robinson grew up in a struggling working class background but found her métier as an actress after attending the theater school run by Charles Dullin, six years that she considered the happiest of her life. The stage would stay her main love even though she would lend her striking presence to over 100 roles in film and on Tv over six decades.She was particularly acclaimed in the theater for her Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire (a role Arletty also played) and her ferocious Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Sensitive to what she saw as unfair treatment by the French press and media she left her native country after 50 years and retired to Switzerland. She was still able to catch touring productions of plays there, but this way, she said in an interview, she was able to see only the worthwhile ones and not the mediocre ones she might have gone to were she still in Paris. She wrote a memoir on her career, Belle Et Rebelle. She regretted never having become a "star" in the sense that she was the woman the main male character would embrace in the fadeout, but she was grateful for the fellow actors she got to know and for getting to work with major directors like Jean Gremillon.
- Music Artist
- Composer
- Actor
Lucio Dalla was born on 4 March 1943 in Bologna, Italy. He was a music artist and composer, known for Talcum Powder (1982), Beyond the Clouds (1995) and The Rogues (1987). He died on 1 March 2012 in Montreux, Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut, Vaud, Switzerland.- Writer
- Soundtrack
Rainer Maria Rilke was born in Prague on the 4th of December 1878 as the son of a military man working with railroads. After he visited a military Upper School he tried to avoid the army and did the preparations for the final exams and the final exams in private. He went to university to study literature and art. Rilke left Germany for a journey to Russia which had a big influenced on him. He settled down 1900 in Worpswede, a German village with artists only, most of them painters. He married one of them, Clara Westhoff, but the marriage was divorced in 1902. After journeys to Spain, North Africa, Egypt and France he finally found a man with money: After World War One he settled down in Switzerland in a castle owned by Werner Reinhart, but free to use for him. On the 29th of December 1926 he died in a sanatory in Valmont on Leucaemia. Rilke made some important contributions to the German literature. His work, including the novel "Malte Laurids Brigge" and many famous poems, are the standing examples of the literary "Jugendstil", an epoche in which the authors tried to reflect their inner views.- Writer
- Director
- Additional Crew
Jean Anouilh was born on 23 June 1910 in Bordeaux, Gironde, France. He was a writer and director, known for Deux sous de violettes (1951), Le Voyageur sans bagage (1944) and Anna Karenina (1948). He was married to Nicole Lançon and Monelle Valentin. He died on 3 October 1987 in Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland.- Actress
- Producer
Lois Wheeler was born on 12 July 1920 in Stockton, California, USA. She was an actress and producer, known for My Foolish Heart (1949), Guiding Light (1952) and Suspense (1949). She was married to Edgar Snow. She died on 3 April 2018 in Nyon, canton de Vaud, Switzerland.- Jacques Chessex was born on 1 March 1934 in Payerne, Vaud, Switzerland. He was a writer, known for A Jew Must Die (2016), L'ogre (1986) and La confession du pasteur Burg (1992). He died on 9 October 2009 in Yverdon-les-Bains, Vaud, Switzerland.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Nicolai Harry Gustav Gedda (Nikolaj Ustinov) was born on July 11, 1925, in Stockholm, Sweden. He was adopted by his Russian-Swedish aunt, named Olga Gedda, and her Russian husband, named Mikhail Ustinov; who came to Sweden after the Russian Civil War and sang with an émigré Don Cossac choir and also was a cantor in a Russian Orthodox Church.
His first voice and music teacher was his father. He took his adopted son to the Cossac choir rehearsals and to a Russian Orthodox Church services in Leipzig, where they lived from 1928-1934. The family had to flee from the tide of Nazism under Adolf Hitler. Back in Stockholm he continued singing with his father in the Russian church. Gedda initially worked as a bank teller at a local Stockholm bank, where a wealthy client overheard him speaking of his dream of becoming a professional opera singer. The sponsor paid for his studies with tenor Karl Martin Oehmann at the Stockholm Conservatory.
Gedda made his debut in April 1952 at the Stockholm Opera in the role of Chapelou in Adam's 'Postillon de Longjumeau'. After a success in Stockhiln, he was auditioned by Herbert von Karajan. He was so impressed that he took Gedda along to Italy, promoting him both in concerts and opera performances. In 1953 he was contracted by La Scala to sing Don Ottavio in "Don Giovanni" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In 1954 he made his Paris Opera debut in Oberon by Carl Maria von Weber. A few months later he sang the title role in Faust by Charles Gounod. Since then Gedda had a permanent engagement with the Paris opera for several years and established himself as the leading interpreter of the French repertoire.
In 1957, Gedda made his debut at the Pittsburg Opera with the title role in 'Faust'. In November of 1957 he made his Metropolitan Opera debut with the same role. In 1958, Gedda created the role of Anatol in the premiere of 'Vanessa'. The role was specially written for him by Samuel Barber. Gedda sang with the Met for the next 26 seasons and performed 28 roles there. He also continued his voice training in New York with the international teacher Paola Novikoa. She taught Gedda a healthy technique, contributing to his long and successful career. His latest recordings were made in 2003.
Gedda's mastery of nine languages enables him to singing with total freedom the entire standard operatic repertoire. He sings with natural beauty on Italian, English, Latin, Hebrew, French, German, Pan-Scandinavian, and his native Russian and Swedish. Nicolai Gedda is arguably the most versatile of tenors in the second half of the 20th Century. Luciano Pavarotti said of him, "there is no tenor with a greater ease in the upper register than Gedda." He is equally strong in opera and song. He made over 200 recordings over the course of his career. In the autobiography 'My Life and Art' (1999), written in collaboration with his third wife, Aino Sellermark Gedda, he revealed his devotion to art and his indifference to fame.
Nicolai Gedda is living in retirement in Switzerland.- Producer
- Writer
Paul de Vallière was born on 17 May 1877 in Lausanne, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland. Paul was a producer and writer, known for Notre armée (1939). Paul died on 4 August 1959 in Lausanne, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland.- Writer
- Director
- Editor
Alfred Gehri was born on 28 March 1895 in Morges, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland. He was a writer and director, known for L'enfance qui meurt (1922), Le satyre du Bois-Gentil (1923) and Les amoureux de Gaby (1921). He died on 8 January 1972 in Morges, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Italo Alfaro was born in 1928 in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. He was a director and writer, known for Canterbury proibito (1972), Guardami nuda (1972) and Decameron n° 3 - Le più belle donne del Boccaccio (1972). He died in 1979 in Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland.- Balthus was born on 29 February 1908 in Paris, France. He was an actor, known for Âme belge (1921), Saïda a enlevé Manneken-Pis (1913) and Ettore Sottsass - Der Sinn der Dinge (2007). He was married to Setsuko Ideta and Antoinette de Watteville. He died on 18 February 2001 in Rossinière, Vaud, Switzerland.
- Additional Crew
- Director
- Actor
Maurice Béjart was born on 1 January 1927 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. He was a director and actor, known for Bhakti (1970), Le sacre du printemps (1970) and Ballet for Life (1997). He died on 22 November 2007 in Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland.- Costume Designer
Robert Piguet was born on 6 May 1898 in Yverdon-les-Bains, Vaud, Switzerland. He was a costume designer, known for Personal Column (1939), The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949) and Dernier amour (1949). He died on 22 February 1953 in Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland.- Writer
- Director
- Editor
Yves Yersin was born on 4 October 1942 in Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland. He was a writer and director, known for Tableau noir (2013), Die letzten Heimposamenter (1974) and Les petites fugues (1979). He died on 15 November 2018 in Baulmes, Vaud, Switzerland.- Writer
- Actor
- Music Department
Charles Ferdinand Ramuz was born on 24 September 1878 in Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland. He was a writer and actor, known for The Soldier's Tale (1964), Farinet ou l'or dans la montagne (1939) and The Kidnapping (1934). He was married to Cécile Cellier. He died on 23 May 1947 in Pully, Vaud, Switzerland.- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Alfred Cortot was born on 26 September 1877 in Nyon, Switzerland. He is known for Swing Kids (1993) and Children's Corner (1936). He was married to Renée Chaine, Clotilde Breal and Clotilde Bréal. He died on 15 June 1962 in Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland.- Gustaf Mannerheim was born on 4 June 1867 in Askainen, Finland. He was married to Anastasia Arapova. He died on 27 January 1951 in Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland.
- Music Department
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Karol Szymanowski was born on 6 October 1882 in Timoshovka, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Timoshivka, Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a writer, known for Le roi Roger (2009), Television Theater (1953) and The Polish Bride (1998). He died on 29 March 1937 in Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland.- Sound Department
- Music Department
- Composer
David Richards was born on 28 February 1956 in Croydon, Surrey, England, UK. He was a composer, known for When the Wind Blows (1986), Queen: I'm Going Slightly Mad (1991) and Queen: You Don't Fool Me (1996). He was married to Collette Nora McCready and Vivian Wong. He died on 20 December 2013 in Montreux, Vaud, Switzerland.- Guy Fallot was born in 1927 in Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France. He died on 25 July 2018 in Lausanne, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland.
- Make-Up Department
Jean-Louis David was born on 24 March 1934 in Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes, France. He is known for Macédoine (1970), Carnaval (1984) and C'est à lire (1984). He was married to Danièle Falke, Danielle Henriot-Decomis, Lynn Sutherland and Zhenya Xia. He died on 3 April 2019 in Epalinges, Vaud, Switzerland.- Stacy Aumonier was born on 31 March 1877 in St Pancras, London, England, UK. Stacy was a writer, known for The Brown Wallet (1936), Dark Red Roses (1929) and Spy for a Day (1940). Stacy died on 21 December 1928 in Clarens, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland.
- Bernard Arczynski was born on 24 June 1913 in Fribourg, Canton de Fribourg, Switzerland. He was an actor, known for Die Auslieferung (1974), Nathalie ciné-roman (1971) and Somnifia (1969). He died on 4 June 1982 in Lausanne, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland.
- Cinematographer
- Director
- Editor
Arthur Porchet was born on 11 May 1879 in Neuchâtel, Canton de Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He was a cinematographer and director, known for L'appel de la montagne (1923), Mob 39 (1940) and L'oasis dans la tourmente (1942). He died on 1 February 1956 in Lausanne, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland.- Georges Haldas was born on 14 August 1917 in Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. He was a writer, known for The Death of Mario Ricci (1983), Jean-Luc persécuté (1966) and The Roads of Exile (1978). He died on 24 October 2010 in Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland.
- Music Department
Paul-André Gaillard was born on 26 April 1922 in Veytaux, Vaud, Switzerland. Paul-André is known for Le voyage dans la lune (1986), Lucia di Lammermoor (1983) and Barbe-Bleue (1984). Paul-André died on 28 April 1992 in Pully, Vaud, Switzerland.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Denise Duval was born on 23 October 1921 in Paris, France. She was an actress, known for Meu Japão Brasileiro (1964), La Voix humaine (1971) and La joie de vivre (1952). She died on 25 January 2016 in Bex, Vaud, Switzerland.- Carlo Hemmerling was born on 8 November 1903 in Vevey, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland. He was a composer, known for Manouche (1943). He was married to Rose Dumur and Marguerite Claire Vuilleumier. He died on 3 October 1967 in Cully, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland.
- Rudolph Jung was born on 27 July 1882 in Winterthur, Kanton Zürich, Switzerland. He was an actor, known for William Tell (1924). He died on 15 December 1958 in Lausanne, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland.
- Lise Ramu was born on 10 August 1932 in Genève, Canton de Genève, Switzerland. She was an actress, known for After Darkness (1985), A Young Emmanuelle (1976) and Le dessous du ciel (1974). She died on 17 January 2023 in Renens, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland.
- Jacques Piccard was born on 28 July 1922 in Brussels, Belgium. He died on 1 November 2008 in La Tour-de-Peilz, Vaud, Switzerland.
- Heinrich Sutermeister was a Swiss composer known for his concert, chamber and religious music (Capriccio for solo clarinet in A, Missa da Requiem etc.) and stage and broadcast works (Romeo und Julia, The Black Widow, Madame Bovary etc.). He was the brother of Hans Martin Sutermeister and the granduncle of Navid Taslimi and Omid Taslimi.
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Sebastian Santa Maria was born in 1959 in Chile. He was a composer, known for Mon cher sujet (1988), Le voyage de Noémie (1986) and Strike! (2018). He died on 20 October 1996 in Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Hugues Cuénod was born on 26 June 1902 in Corseaux, Vaud, Switzerland. He was an actor, known for Turandot (1987), Love Reinvented (1996) and On Such a Night (1956). He died on 6 December 2010 in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland.- Jacqueline Burnand was born on 25 January 1930 in Paris, France. She was an actress, known for Docteur Erika Werner (1978), Nightcap (2000) and Le jour de noces (1977). She died on 25 August 2023 in Morges, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland.
- King Michael was born on 25 October 1921 in Sinaia, Prahova, Romania. He was married to Former Queen Anne of Romania. He died on 5 December 2017 in Aubonne, Vaud, Switzerland.