Claudette Colbert Biography
Claudette Colbert was a French-born American stage and film actress, one of the most charming and vivacious stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Colbert specialized in witty, sexy and elegant roles in romantic comedies and she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
For three films, ‘It Happened One Night’ (1935), for which she won the Oscar, ‘Private Worlds’ (1936), and ‘Since You Went Away’ (1945). She is the only actress to date, to appear in three films, each of which was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar in the same year. It happened in 1934 and the three nominated movies were Cleopatra. Imitation of Life’ and, the winner of the Best Picture Award, ‘It Happened One Night’
Claudette Colbert Age
She was born Emilie Claudette Chauchoin on September 13, 1903. In Saint-Mandé, Seine, France but was raised in New York City. After her family immigrated to the United States when she was very young.
Claudette Colbert Family
Actress Colbert was the daughter of Georges Claude Chauchoinand Jeanne Marie. A French couple who lived in Saint-Mandé, France. Her parents nicknamed her Lily, after the legendary English actress Lillie Langtry. Colbert’s mother was British by birth and was bilingual. She was one of two children and had an older brother, Charles.
Claudette Colbert Personal Life And Legacy
Colbert was married twice. Firstly to Norman Foster and then to Dr. Joel Pressman from 1936 until his death. Colbert and Pressman had a happy marriage, and she was heartbroken at his relatively earlier death. Colbert spent the last thirty years of her life in Barbados, although she did have an apartment in New York and a flat in Paris. They had no children.
Claudette Colbert Education
Colbert began her training at the P.S. 59 school in Manhattan. She did her high schooling at the Washington Irving High School which had an arts program with a good reputation. Colbert was interested in art, especially painting, but one of her teachers encouraged her to audition for a play.
She got the part, and her first theatrical performance was in The Widow’s Veil, at the Provincetown Playhouse in 1919. After high school, Colbert decided she wanted to become a fashion designer and enrolled in the Arts Student League of New York.
Claudette Colbert Career
Traveling to London in 1927, Colbert appeared in The Baker and won many accolades for her performance. After her contract had run out with A.H.Woods, Colbert turned to screen acting. Her first role was in the film For The Love of Mike (1927). This movie was not a success but The New York Times reviewer was kind to Colbert. The film, The Lady Lies, was shot in the day while she was also doing stage acting at night.
After the stock market crash of 1929, stage productions were affected. Colbert then signed with Paramount Studios. Her contract stipulated that films were to be made Queens, not Los Angeles. Her first role was in Hole in the Wall, followed by The Young Man of Manhattan. During the early 1930s, she starred in Manslaughter (1930), The Mysterious Mr. Parks and The Smiling Lieutenant (1931). Then Paramount closed their studio in New York, and Colbert had to move to Los Angeles.
Claudette Colbert Death
Colbert Dies at 93. The versatile stage, screen and television actress, Colbert, died July 30 on the island of Barbados, where she lived for many years.
Claudette Colbert Height
She looks every 5 feet 4 inches like the young actress who checked into Paramount in the 1930s weighing in at 115 [pounds]
Claudette Colbert Awards And Achievement
Colbert won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1934 for It Happened One Night and received a second nomination for Private Worlds (1935). Then in 1960, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As late as 1988, she won a Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (1987).
Claudette Colbert Net Worth
Colbert’s estimated net worth $41 Million.
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