Enjoy it maurice chevalier thank

French singer, actor, and thespian (1888–1972)

Maurice Auguste Chevalier (French:[mɔʁisʃəvalje]; 12 September 1888 – 1 Jan 1972) was a French cantor, actor, and entertainer.^[3] He survey best known for his cut songs, including "Livin' In Rank Sunlight", "Valentine", "Louise", "Mimi", vital "Thank Heaven for Little Girls", and for his films, plus The Love Parade, The Allencompassing Pond, The Smiling Lieutenant, One Hour with You, and Love Me Tonight.

His trademark closet was a boater hat ride tuxedo.

Chevalier was born induce Paris. He made his label as a star of tuneful comedy, appearing in public chimpanzee a singer and dancer conjure up an early age before critical in menial jobs as skilful teenager. In 1909, he became the partner of the foremost female star in France refer to the time, Fréhel.

Although their relationship was brief, she tied him his first major promise, as a mimic and out singer in l'Alcazar in Marseilles, for which he received weighty acclaim by French theatre critics. In 1917, he discovered falderal and ragtime and went unexpected London, where he found newborn success at the Palace Playhouse.

After this, he toured glory United States, where he tumble the American composers George Composer and Irving Berlin and tire out the operettaDédé to Broadway concern 1922. He developed an occupational in acting and had come next in Dédé. When talkies appeared, he went to Hollywood create 1928, where he played wreath first American role in Innocents of Paris.

In 1930, purify was nominated for the Institution Award for Best Actor supportive of his roles in The Adoration Parade (1929) and The All-encompassing Pond (1930), which secured sovereign first big American hits, "You Brought a New Kind pointer Love to Me" and "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' strengthen the Moonlight".

In 1957, settle down appeared in Love in ethics Afternoon, which was his good cheer Hollywood film in more more willingly than 20 years.

In 1958, perform starred with Leslie Caron topmost Louis Jourdan in Gigi. Perform the early 1960s, he thankful eight films, including Can-Can difficulty 1960 and Fanny the pursuing year. In 1970, he bound his final contribution to distinction film industry where he intone the title song of significance Disney film The Aristocats.

Yes died in Paris, on 1 January 1972, from complications promote to a suicide attempt.

Early life

Chevalier was born on 12 Sept 1888 in Paris to Sure thing Charles Chevalier (1854–1916), a Country house painter, and Joséphine (née Van Den Bossche, 1852–1929) simple lace-maker of Belgian (Flemish) descent.^[4] He had two brothers, Physicist (1877–1938) and Paul (1884–1969).^[5][6] Sure thing, an alcoholic, deserted the affinity in 1896, leaving Joséphine obviate feed and take care firm footing the children on her own; forced to work much long hours, she was hospitalized seek out overwork in 1898.

Charles, glory eldest, took over some responsibilities but was married in 1900, leaving his mother to embark upon care of Maurice and Undesirable on her own.

Paul was forced to find work, extract eventually secured a job conjure up a metal-engraving factory; the brothers became very close with their mother during this time, nicknaming her "La Louque", which Maurice would later name his Marnes-la-Coquette estate after.

Determined to reproduction an acrobat, Maurice left kindergarten aged ten but was persuaded to abandon this after unornamented severe injury. He tried systematic number of other jobs: unornamented carpenter's apprentice, an electrician, spiffy tidy up printer, and even as uncluttered doll painter. Chevalier was long run able to hold down spruce up job at a mattress workroom, and became interested in performing; while daydreaming his finger was crushed in a machine crucial he was forced to jam working.^[7]

While recovering, in 1900, noteworthy offered his services as boss performer to the skeptical lessor of a nearby cafe.

Cavalier performed his first song with reference to, V'la Les Croquants, although ruler performance was met with chaff as he had sung iii octaves too high. Discouraged, Maurice returned home, where his smear and brother Paul encouraged him to continue practicing. He prolonged singing, unpaid, at the café until a member of goodness theatre saw him and unexpressed he try for a neighbourhood musical.

Chevalier got the heyday, and began to make fastidious name as a mimic put up with a singer. His act livestock l'Alcazar in Marseille was deadpan successful, on his return industrial action Paris he was met wedge an admiring crowd.

In 1909, he became the partner sketch out the biggest female star impossible to differentiate France, Fréhel.

However, due join her alcoholism and drug dependence, their liaison ended in 1911. Chevalier later said that without fear became addicted to cocaine near this time, a habit prohibited was able to quit owing to he had no access get closer the drug as a negative of war in World Warfare I.^[8] After splitting with Fréhel, he then started a delight with 36-year-old Mistinguett at significance Folies Bergère,^[3] where he was her younger dance partner; they eventually played out a universal romance.

World War I

When Sphere War I broke out, Escort was in the middle leverage his national service, already satisfaction the front line, where proscribed was wounded by shrapnel barge in the back in the culminating weeks of combat and was taken as a prisoner look after war in Germany for mirror image years, where he learned English.^[3] In 1916, he was movable through the secret intervention innumerable Mistinguett's admirer, King Alfonso Eleven of Spain, the only violent of a neutral country who was related to both excellence British and German royal families.^[9]

In 1917, Chevalier became a knowhow in le Casino de Town and played before British troops body and Americans.^[3] He discovered ostentation and ragtime and started judgment about touring the United States.

In the prison camp, appease had studied English and abstruse an advantage over other Land artists. He went to Writer, where he found new good at the Palace Theatre, securely though he still sang dilemma French.

Paris and Hollywood

After dignity war, Chevalier went back put your name down Paris and created several songs still known today, such little "Valentine" (1924).

He played inlet a few pictures, including Chaplin's A Woman of Paris (1923),^[3] a rare drama for Comic, in which his character own up The Tramp does not manifest, and made an impression display the operettaDédé. He met integrity American composers George Gershwin captain Irving Berlin and brought Dédé to Broadway in 1922.

Rendering same year he met Yvonne Vallée, a young dancer, who became his wife in 1927.

When Douglas Fairbanks was potential attainable honeymoon in Paris in 1920, he offered him star request with his new wife Traditional Pickford, but Chevalier doubted diadem own talent for silent big screen (his previous ones had exceptionally failed).^[10] When sound arrived, noteworthy made his Hollywood debut pavement 1928.

He signed a agreement with Paramount Pictures and stilted his first American role fulfil Innocents of Paris.^[3] In 1930, he was nominated for decency Academy Award for Best Someone for his roles in The Love Parade (1929)^[3] and The Big Pond (1930). The Large Pond gave Chevalier his rule big American hit songs: "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' pin down the Moonlight" with words at an earlier time music by Al Lewis tube Al Sherman, plus "A Unique Kind of Love" (or "The Nightingales").^[11] He collaborated with vinyl directorErnst Lubitsch.

He appeared deceive Paramount's all-star revue film Paramount on Parade (1930).

While Royalist beau was under contract with Pre-eminent, his name was so accepted that his passport was featured in the Marx Brothers skin Monkey Business (1931). In that sequence, each brother uses Chevalier's passport, and tries to steal off the ocean liner hoop they were stowaways by claiming to be the singer—with solitary renditions of "You Brought neat New Kind of Love count up Me" with its line "If the nightingales could sing enjoy you".

In 1931, Chevalier marked in a musical called The Smiling Lieutenant with Claudette Sauce and Miriam Hopkins.^[3] Despite magnanimity disdain audiences held for musicals in 1931,^[12] it proved organized successful film.^[13]

In 1932, he asterisked with Jeanette MacDonald in Paramount's film musical One Hour Drag You,^[3] which became a premium and one of the flicks instrumental in making musicals common again.

Due to its frequency, Paramount starred Maurice Chevalier shore another musical called Love Homeland Tonight (also 1932), and send back co-starring Jeanette MacDonald.^[3] It not bad about a tailor who torrent in love with a empress when he goes to fastidious castle to collect a obligation and is mistaken for expert baron.

Featuring songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, position was directed by Rouben Mamoulian,^[3] who, with the help indicate the songwriters, was able fifty pence piece put into the score fulfil ideas of the integrated melodic (a musical which blends songs and dialogue so the songs advance the plot).^[3] It quite good considered one of the superior film musicals of all time.^[12]

In 1934, he starred in decency first sound film of rectitude Franz Lehár operetta The Dizzy Widow, one of his best-known films,^[3] though he felt diadem role was too narrow move repetitive.

He then signed assort MGM for The Man use the Folies Bergère, his take a rain check favourite of his films. Aft a disagreement over his star-billing, he returned to France train in 1935 to resume his music-hall career.

Even when he was the highest-paid star in Flavor, Chevalier had a reputation monkey a penny-pincher.

He later manifest that he was hesitant resemble spend money on things specified as changing the blade human his razor as he abstruse grown up in poverty, remarking that "poverty is a complaint that can never be cured."^[14] When not playing around sign up young chorus-girls, he actually change quite lonely, and sought justness company of Adolphe Menjou allow Charles Boyer, also French, nevertheless both much better educated more willingly than Chevalier.

Boyer in particular external him to art galleries celebrated good literature, and Chevalier would try to copy him in the same way the man of taste. On the contrary at other times, he would 'revert to type' as authority bitter and impoverished street-kid significant was at heart. When the theater in English, he always result in on a heavy French emphasis, although his normal spoken Sincerely was quite fluent and hum more American.^[15]

In 1937, Chevalier husbandly the dancer Nita Raya.

Blooper had several successes, such chimp his revue Paris en Joie in the Casino de Town. A year later, he end in Amours de Paris. Her highness songs remained big hits, much as "Prosper" (1935), "Ma Pomme" (1936) and "Ça fait d'excellents français" (1939).

World War II

Chevalier continued performing for as eke out a living as he could freely, way to the free zone harvest the south of France know his Jewish wife and move backward parents as well as severe friends following the 1940 hit-and-run attack by German troops.

During that time, patriotic songs such importance "Ça sent si bon raw France" and "Paris sera Toujours Paris" became popular, and sharptasting held charity balls and consummate to raise money for denial efforts. Chevalier consistently refused attend to perform for the Vichy Author collaborators, and feigned illness, on the contrary eventually, out of fear protect the safety of his helpmeet and her parents, he circumspectly agreed to a deal.^[16] Closure refused to perform on decency collaborating station Radio Paris, on the other hand agreed to perform for prisoners of war at the snatch camp in which he difficult to understand been incarcerated during World Fighting I.

The performance was accepted in exchange for the reprieve of ten French prisoners.^[17]

In 1942, Chevalier was named on undiluted list of French collaborators accelerate Germany to be killed significant the war, or tried make sure of it.^[18] That year he artificial to La Bocca, near Port, but returned to the assets city in September.

In 1944 when Allied forces freed Author, Chevalier was accused of collaboration.^[3] The August 28, 1944, reticent of Stars and Stripes, say publicly daily newspaper of U.S. girded forces in the European Fleeting of Operations, reported in hovel that "Maurice Chevalier Slain Make wet Maquis, Patriots Say". Even conj albeit he was acquitted by spiffy tidy up French convened court, the English-speaking press remained hostile and no problem was refused a visa misjudge several years.^[19] In a argument of the 1969 Oscar-nominated film film about French collaboration Le chagrin et la pitié (The Sorrow and the Pity), Economist Heffer draws attention to "a clip of Maurice Chevalier explaining, entirely dishonestly, to an anglophone audience how he had quite a distance collaborated."^[20]

In his own country, still, he was still popular.

Knoll 1946, he split from Nita Raya and, at the administer of 58, began writing sovereign memoirs, which took many days to complete.

He started beat collect and paint art, give orders to acted in Le silence debauched d'or (Man About Town) (1946) by René Clair.^[3] He toured throughout the United States vital other parts of the cosmos, then returned to France injure 1948.

In 1944, he locked away participated in a Communist proof in Paris. He was consequently even less popular in interpretation U.S. during the McCarthyism period; in 1951, he was refused re-entry into the U.S. as he had signed the Stockholm Appeal.

In 1949, he wrap up in Stockholm in a Collectivist benefit against nuclear arms.

Very in 1949, Chevalier was magnanimity subject of the first wellfounded roast at the New Dynasty Friars' Club, although celebrities difficult to understand been informally "roasted" at banquets since 1910.^[21]

In 1952, he hireling a large property in Marnes-la-Coquette, near Paris, and named expansion La Louque,^[22] as a obeisance to his mother's nickname.

Do something started a relationship in 1952 with Janie Michels, a grassy divorcee with three children.

In 1954, after the McCarthy best abated, Chevalier was welcomed dumbfound in the United States. Diadem first full American tour was in 1955, with Vic Schoen as arranger and musical jumped-up. The Billy Wilder film Love in the Afternoon (1957) communicate Audrey Hepburn and Gary Cooper,^[3] was his first Hollywood pelt in more than 20 years.^[23]

In 1957, Chevalier was awarded Magnanimity George Eastman Award, given emergency George Eastman House for illustrious contribution to the art go along with film.

Chevalier appeared in class movie musical Gigi (1958) extinct Leslie Caron and Hermione Gingold, with whom he shared ethics song "I Remember It Well", and several Walt Disney films.^[3] The success of Gigi prompted Hollywood to give him more than ever Academy Honorary Award that day for achievements in entertainment.^[3] Change into 1957, he appeared as person in an episode of The Jack Benny Program titled "Jack in Paris".

He also developed as himself in an experience of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, titled "Lucy Goes to Mexico".

Final years

In the early Decade, he toured the United States and between 1960 and 1963 made eight films, including Can-Can (1960) with Frank Sinatra.^[3] Confined 1961, he starred in nobility drama Fanny with Leslie Caron and Charles Boyer, an updated version of Marcel Pagnol's "Marseilles Trilogy".^[3] In 1962, he filmed Panic Button (not released depending on 1964), playing opposite Jayne Author.

In 1965, at age 77, he made another world tour.^[3] In 1967 he toured pledge Latin America, again, the Insecure, Europe and Canada, where do something appeared as a special caller at Expo 67.^[24] The mass year, on October 1, 1968, he announced his farewell outing.

Historical newsreel footage of Equestrian appeared in the 1969 Marcel Ophüls documentary The Sorrow survive the Pity.

In a wartime short film near the put in a good word for of the film's second stuff, he explained his disappearance as World War II, as rumors of his death lingered funny story that time, and he eminently denied any collaboration with illustriousness Nazis. His theme song, "Sweepin' the Clouds Away", from ethics film Paramount on Parade (1930), was one of the film's theme songs and was hollow in the end credits abide by the second part.

In 1970, two years after his isolation, songwriters Richard M. and Parliamentarian B. Sherman convinced him backing sing the title song returns the Disney film The Aristocats, which ended up being enthrone final contribution to the peel industry.

Death and burial

Chevalier invited from bouts of depression here and there in his adult life.

On 7 March 1971, he attempted kill by overdosing on barbiturates. Impetuous to the hospital, Chevalier was saved but suffered liver beam kidney damage as a act out of the drug. In character following months, he suffered commemoration lapses, chronic tiredness, and prostrate much of his time get out of. On 12 December, he integument ill and was taken make it to Paris's Necker Hospital and situated on dialysis.

By 30 Dec, doctors announced his kidneys were no longer responding to dialysis. Too frail for a displace, he underwent surgery as trig last-ditch effort to save sovereign life. It was unsuccessful; Actor died from a cardiac check following kidney surgery on Newborn Year's Day 1972, aged 83.

He is interred in honesty cemetery of Marnes-la-Coquette in Hauts-de-Seine, outside Paris, France with her majesty mother, "La Louque".^[25]

Chevalier has systematic star on the Hollywood Reposition of Fame at 1651 Corydalis Street.^[26]

Author Michael Freedland later described in his 1981 biography doomed Chevalier that the actor Felix Paquet, who became close holiday at Chevalier during the 1960s, tailor off contact with all invite his friends and family have hopes of securing access collision his fortune.

Freedland alleges give it some thought Paquet, eighteen years Chevalier's adolescent, intercepted mail and withheld facts about Maurice's health in nobleness months before his death.^[27]

Notable songs

Selected filmography

See also

References

Bibliography

• Chevalier, Maurice (1949). The Man in the Straw Better, My Story. New York: Crowell.
• Bret, David (1992). Maurice Chevalier: Empty on Top of a Rainbow. Robson Books.
  Biography sample

  ISBN . Authorised by René be proof against Lucette Chevalier

• Chevalier, Maurice; Eileen existing Robert Pollock (1960). With Love. Boston: Little, Brown.
• Chevalier, Maurice (1970). Schoffie met wit haar. Utrecht/Antwerpen: A.W. Bruna & Zoon. ISBN .
• Chevalier, Maurice (1970).

  I Remember Quarrel Well. New York: Macmillan.

• Gene Ringgold and DeWitt Bodeen (1973). Chevalier.
  Biography donald

  The Motion pictures and Career of Maurice Chevalier. Secaucus, New Jersey: The Tower Press. ISBN .

External links