Morgan, Michèle |
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BORN 29 Feb 1920, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France - DIED 20 Dec 2016, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine BIRTH NAME Roussel, Simone Renée GRAVE LOCATION Paris: Cimetière du Montparnasse, 3 Boulevard Edgar Quinet (division 05 (carré juif, caveau Oury)) |
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Michèle Morgan was born Simone Renée Roussel. When she was fifteen years old, she left home to become an actress in Paris. She took acting lessons with René Simon and served as an extra in films to cover the costs. At that time, she started using the name Michèle Morgan. In 1937 Marc Allégret gave her an important part in "Gribouille" (1937). In her next movie, Marcel Carné's "Le Quai des brumes" (1938), she played opposite Jean Gabin. "Remorques" followed in 1941. After the invasion of France by Germany she left for the USA. There she married the singer and actor William Marshall (1917-1944). In 1944 they had a son, Mike Marshall (1944-2005). She appeared with Paul Henreid in "Joan of Paris" (1942) and in "Higher and Higher" (1943) with Frank Sinatra. She was also considered for the main part in "Casablanca" but Warner Bros offered not enough money to pay off her contract with RKO Pictures. After she refused the lead role in "Johnny Belinda" it was given to Jane Wyman, who won the Oscar for best actress for it. Her Hollywood career had disappointed her and after the war she returned to France. In 1946 she won the award for Best Actress at the first festival in Cannes for her part in "La Symphonie Pastorale". In 1948 she divorced Marshall and in 1950 she married the actor Henry Vidal (1919-1959). This marriage lasted until he suddenly died of a heart attack. After that she lived with the filmmaker Gérard Oury until his death in 2006. She appeared in many more movies until the 1960s, including "Marie-Antoinette reine de France" (1956) and "Lost Command" (1960). In 1970 she made a limited number of further appearances and ceoncentrated on painting. She died in 2016 at the age of ninety-six and was buried in the Oury family tomb at Montparnasse cemetery. |
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 The grave of Michèle Morgan at the Cimetière de Montparnasse, Paris. Picture by Androom (02 Nov 2022) |
