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Françoise Rosay

Françoise Rosay

Acting

Born: April 17, 1891Paris, France

Françoise Rosay born Françoise Bandy de Nalèche, (19 April 1891 – 28 March 1974) was a French opera singer, diseuse, and actress who enjoyed a film career of over sixty years and who became a legendary figure in French cinema. She went on to appear in over 100 movies in her career. Rosay was born Françoise Bandy de Nalèche in Paris, the illegitimate daughter of Marie-Thérèse Chauvin, an actress known as Sylviac. She originally planned to become an opera singer, and in 1917, won a prize at the Paris Conservatoire and made her debut at the Palais Garnier in the title role of Salammbô by Ernest Reyer. She also sang in Castor et Pollux by Rameau and Thaïs by Massenet. Her first recorded film was Falstaff in 1911, and she began to work in Hollywood from 1929 onwards. In 1917, she married the director Jacques Feyder, with whom she remained until his death in 1948, having three sons. She appeared in several films under her husband's direction, including Le Grand Jeu (1933), Pension Mimosas (1934), La Kermesse héroïque (Carnival in Flanders) (1935) and Les Gens du voyage (1937). Rosay spent the duration of World War II in England and Switzerland, where she taught acting classes at the Conservatoire de Genève. She still appeared in films during this time, notably the British Halfway House (1944) as the refugee French wife of a British sea captain. During her career, she appeared with all the great stars of French cinema, including Jean Gabin, Michèle Morgan, Raimu, Jeanne Moreau, Danielle Darrieux, Micheline Presle, Paul Meurisse, Gérard Philipe, Louis Jouvet, Michel Simon, Simone Signoret, Fernandel and Jean-Louis Barrault. In Hollywood, she co-starred with Charles Boyer, Maurice Chevalier and Buster Keaton and worked with directors such as William Dieterle (September Affair, 1949), Martin Ritt (The Sound and the Fury, 1958), Ronald Neame (The Seventh Sin, 1956) and Peter Glenville (Me and the Colonel, 1957) with Danny Kaye. In England she appeared in The Alien Corn, a segment of the W. Somerset Maugham anthology film Quartet. A highly accomplished pianist herself in real life, she played the role of a famous piano virtuoso who gives aspiring pianist Dirk Bogarde a compassionate but honest and devastating critical appraisal of his likelihood of becoming a great musician – which results in his suicide. She performs in the film Schubert's Impromptu in E flat. In 1950 she appeared on stage at London's Winter Garden Theatre, playing the title role in 'Madame Tic Tac' but it had only a short run. It was not until 1938 that her biological father, Count François Louis Bandy de Nalèche, acknowledged her as his daughter. Her final appearance on film was in the Maximilian Schell-directed Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winner for Best Foreign-Language Foreign Film of 1974, Der Fußgänger (English title: The Pedestrian). She died in Montgeron, Île-de-France, near Paris. Her grave is located in Sorel-Moussel, Île-de-France, where she is buried with her husband, movie director Jacques Feyder. They had three sons. There are streets named after Françoise Rosay in Limoges, Montpellier, Chevry-Cossigny, Launaguet and Martigues. Source: Article "Françoise Rosay" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Known For
Filmography
Michel Audiard et le mystère du triangle des Bermudes

Michel Audiard et le mystère du triangle des Bermudes

Self (archive footage)

2002
The Pedestrian

The Pedestrian

Frau Dechamps

1973
Not Dumb, the Bird

Not Dumb, the Bird

Mrs. Morelli-Johnson

1972
3000 Million Without an Elevator

3000 Million Without an Elevator

Madame Dubreuil

1972
Un merveilleux parfum d'oseille

Un merveilleux parfum d'oseille

Louise de Kerfuntel

1969
Don't Take God's Children for Wild Geese

Don't Take God's Children for Wild Geese

Léontine Palpicart aka 'La Gâteuse'

1968
The 25th Hour

The 25th Hour

Mme Nagy (uncredited)

1967
L'Âge heureux

L'Âge heureux

Mme Aubry

1966
Cloportes

Cloportes

Gertrude, supplies specialist in the mafia

1965
Up from the Beach

Up from the Beach

Lili's Grandmother

1965
Ruy Blas

Ruy Blas

La duchesse d'Albuquerque

1965
Full Hearts and Empty Pockets

Full Hearts and Empty Pockets

Borgia

1964

Frau Cheneys Ende

Mrs. Webley

1962
The Counterfeiters of Paris

The Counterfeiters of Paris

Madame Pauline

1961
The Full Treatment

The Full Treatment

Madame Prade

1960
Stefanie in Rio

Stefanie in Rio

Leonora Guala

1960
Lovers Woods

Lovers Woods

Madame Parisot

1960
Twentieth Century Theatre: Colombe

Twentieth Century Theatre: Colombe

Madame Alexandra

1960
Without Trumpet or Drum

Without Trumpet or Drum

La grand-mère de Marguerite

1959
Eyes of Love

Eyes of Love

Mrs. Montcatel mother

1959
Riff Raff Girls

Riff Raff Girls

Berthe

1959
The Sound and the Fury

The Sound and the Fury

Caroline Compson

1959
The Gambler

The Gambler

Aunt Antonia

1958
Me and the Colonel

Me and the Colonel

Madame Bouffier

1958
Non sono più guaglione

Non sono più guaglione

Vincenzino's mother

1957
Interlude

Interlude

Comtesse Reinhart

1957
The Seventh Sin

The Seventh Sin

Mother Superior

1957
Girls of Today

Girls of Today

padrona della pensione

1955
That Lady

That Lady

Bernardine

1955
Queen Margot

Queen Margot

Catherine de Médicis / Catharine of Medici

1954

Les éloquents

Self

1954
Sul ponte dei sospiri

Sul ponte dei sospiri

Lady of Sant'Agata

1953
He Who Is Without Sin...

He Who Is Without Sin...

La contessa Lamieri

1952
Wanda the Sinner

Wanda the Sinner

Anna Steiner

1952
Smuggler's Ball

Smuggler's Ball

Gabrielle Demeuse

1952
The Seven Deadly Sins

The Seven Deadly Sins

Elisabeth de Pallières, the mother (segment "L'Orgueil")

1952
Nobody's Children

Nobody's Children

La contessa Canali

1951
The Red Inn

The Red Inn

Marie Martin

1951
K – Das Haus des Schweigens

K – Das Haus des Schweigens

Noemi, die Amme

1951
The 13th Letter

The 13th Letter

Mrs. Gauthier

1951
The Naked Heart

The Naked Heart

Laura Chapdelaine

1950
September Affair

September Affair

Maria Salvatini

1950
One Only Loves Once

One Only Loves Once

Mme Monnier

1950
Women Without Names

Women Without Names

The Countess

1950
The Barton Mystery

The Barton Mystery

Élisabeth

1949
The Dream Vagabonds

The Dream Vagabonds

Mireille Dombreval

1949
Quartet

Quartet

Lea Makart (segment "The Alien Corn")

1948
Saraband for Dead Lovers

Saraband for Dead Lovers

The Electress Sophia

1948
La Dame de Haut-le-Bois

La Dame de Haut-le-Bois

Countess Brévannes

1947
Back Streets of Paris

Back Streets of Paris

Mrs. Rose, hotel landlady

1946
Johnny Frenchman

Johnny Frenchman

Lanec Florrie

1945
The Halfway House

The Halfway House

Alice Meadows

1944
Portrait of a Woman

Portrait of a Woman

Fanny Helder

1944
They Were Twelve Women

They Were Twelve Women

La duchesse de Vimeuse

1940
Serge Panine

Serge Panine

Madame Devarenne

1939
Fahrendes Volk

Fahrendes Volk

Madame Flora

1938
The Chess Player

The Chess Player

Catherine II

1938
Peace on the Rhine

Peace on the Rhine

Francoise Scheffer

1938
The Stream

The Stream

Régina Berry

1938
People Who Travel

People Who Travel

Flora

1938
Ramuntcho

Ramuntcho

Dolorès Detcharry

1938
Bizarre, Bizarre

Bizarre, Bizarre

Margaret Molyneux

1937
Life Dances On

Life Dances On

Marguerite Audié

1937

My Son the Minister

Sylvie - seine Mutter

1937
The Robber Symphony

The Robber Symphony

The fortune teller

1937
Armchair 47

Armchair 47

Gilberte Boulanger

1937
Jenny

Jenny

Jenny Gauthier

1936
The Secret of Polichinelle

The Secret of Polichinelle

Mrs. Jouvenel

1936
Carnival in Flanders

Carnival in Flanders

Cornelia

1936
Carnival in Flanders

Carnival in Flanders

Madame Burgomaster

1935
Marie des angoisses

Marie des angoisses

Mme de Quersac

1935
Gangster malgré lui

Gangster malgré lui

1935

Maternité

Mrs. Duchemin

1935
Whirlpool

Whirlpool

Madame Gardane

1935
Pension Mimosas

Pension Mimosas

Louise Noblet

1935
Le Billet de mille

Le Billet de mille

Russian Countess

1935
Marchand d'amour

Marchand d'amour

Clara

1935
Die Insel

Die Insel

Silvia

1934
Vers l'abîme

Vers l'abîme

Sylvia

1934
Coralie and Company

Coralie and Company

1934
The Great Game

The Great Game

Blanche

1934

Tambour battant

The Princess Mother

1934
Abbot Constantine

Abbot Constantine

La comtesse de Laverdens

1933
All for Nothing

All for Nothing

Mrs. Bossu

1933
La Pouponnière

La Pouponnière

Mrs. Delannoy

1933
The Woman Dressed As a Man

The Woman Dressed As a Man

Princess Marie

1932

A Father Without Knowing It

Madame Jacquet

1932
He

He

Madame Husson

1932

Luck

Mme Mougeot

1931
The Trial of Mary Dugan

The Trial of Mary Dugan

The widow

1931
Casanova wider Willen

Casanova wider Willen

Blanche Brissac

1931
Jenny Lind

Jenny Lind

Rosatti

1931
The Magnificent Lie

The Magnificent Lie

Rosa Duchêne

1931
Buster se marie

Buster se marie

Polly Hathaway

1931

Let Us Be Gay

Madame Boucijon

1931
The Little Cafe

The Little Cafe

Mademoiselle Edwige

1931

Échec au roi

The Queen

1930
Si l'empereur savait ça

Si l'empereur savait ça

Princess Plata d'Ettingen

1930
Marius à Paris

Marius à Paris

1930
The One Woman Idea

The One Woman Idea

Zuleide, Alizar's Mother

1929
Two Timid Souls

Two Timid Souls

The aunt

1928
Madame Récamier

Madame Récamier

Madame de Staël

1928
Le bateau de verre

Le bateau de verre

Madame d'Arcy, his wife

1927
Gribiche

Gribiche

Edith Maranet

1926
Crainquebille

Crainquebille

Shoe Store Customer

1922