Simone Signoret

Henriette Charlotte Simone Kaminker came into the world on March 25, 1921, in Wiesbaden (Germany), the daughter of a Jewish father. The family returned to France. During the German occupation of World War II, she Simone began to frequent Café de Flore, in St. Germain-des-prés. “The person I am was born in that cafe, in 1941,” the actress even said. There she joined a group of intellectuals who formed the radical October Group, with writers and artists such as the director Yves Allegret, who would become her first husband, and father of Catherine, her only daughter. . This director encouraged her to work as an actress, but Simone had to change Kaminker to Signoret, her mother’s maiden name, so that the occupation authorities would allow her to work without suspecting her Jewish origin.

At the end of the war, Simone became a star starring in Dédée Dynvers , directed by Allegret in 1947, in which she played a prostitute who finds true love, but is not allowed to leave the underworld of crime. Years later, she would play a similar role in the legendary Paris Underworld , the masterpiece in which Jacques Becker describes the humblest part of 19th-century France. Based on a true story, Signoret appears more attractive than ever, with enchanting blonde hair that gives the film its title, Casque D’Or (Golden Helmet) in the original. Before this interpretation, Simone Signoret had done another of her best works in the highly original La Ronda , byMax Ophüls . Signoret shone like never before in the role of Leocadia, the prostitute who seduces the soldier.

In December 1951, the actress, who had divorced, joined the legendary actor Yves Montand , who would accompany him until her death off the screen, but also on it, in titles such as The Witches of Salem , Is Paris Burning? , Police Python 357 , The rails of the crime and The confession . She gave a lot of talk about the extramarital affair that Montand starred in with the explosive Marilyn Monroe , his co-star in The Billionaire. But Signoret showed his style, suffering in silence. “If Marilyn has fallen in love with my husband, it shows that she has good taste,” the actress declared. Despite this tragic situation, Signoret continued to succeed with titles like Teresa Raquin , and especially with Las diabolicas , where she played a conniving teacher who carried out a macabre revenge against the school director, after countless humiliations. This classic of Henri-Georges Clouzot ‘s intrigue cinema made her famous internationally. Her biggest hit was Jack Clayton ‘s A Place on the Hill , for which she won the Best Actress Oscar. She would later be nominated forThe Ship of Fools , by Stanley Kramer . She continued to play varied roles until 1982, when she retired from the movies, afflicted with pancreatic cancer. As a consequence of this disease, Simone Signoret died on September 30, 1985, at her residence in Auteuil-Anthovillet.