Deslys, Gaby (1881-1920)

Deslys, Gaby

DANCER, ACTOR (FRANCE)

BORN 4 Nov 1881, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône: 63 rue de la Rotonde - DIED 11 Feb 1920, Paris: rue Antoine-Chantin, 14e
BIRTH NAME Caire, Marie Élise Gabrielle
CAUSE OF DEATH influenza
GRAVE LOCATION Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône: Cimetière St.-Pierre, 380 Rue Saint-Pierre (near the grave of Edmond Rostand)

Gaby Deslys was the daughter of the merchant Marie Victor Hippolyte Caire and Anne Eudoxie Terrasse. She was educated at the religious institution of the ladies of Saint-Maur in Marseille before she entered the conservatory of Marseille in 1899. In 1900 she went to Paris, where she adopted the stage name Gaby Deslys that was suggested to her by the actress Mary Thérèse Kolb. She started in small cafés and worked her way up to larger venues. Meanwhile she took dancing and singing lessons.

In 1904 she had a main part in "À fleur de peau" next to Josep Gabin and she appeared at the Olympia in 1906. In the same year she was invited to England by Georges Edward and there she was an instant success. She made so much money that she was able to buy a house at 3 rue Henri-de-Bornier in Paris in 1907. In 1908 she appeared at the Moulin Rouge. In 1909 king Manuel II of Portugal came to Paris and he became her lover. He took her to Portugal, but their affair attracted too much attention and she returned to Paris.

In 1910 she performed in London again and she met Manuel II again when he attended Edward VII's funeral that year. In 1911 she performed in the USA. The dancer Henry Pilcer became her companion and accompanied her when she returned to Europe in 1912. She performed in Vienna and toured in the USA from August 1913 to March 1914. In London she performed in the play "Rosy Rupture" that was written for her by J.M. Barrie.

She suffered from a nasty cough and returned to Marseille to rest. She bought a villa there in 1918. She participated in several movies in 1918 and 1919. In December 1919 she underwent several unsuccessful operations. In 1920 she died in a sanatorium in Paris. She was buried in her hometown Marseille.

Images
The grave of Gaby Deslys at the Cimetière St.-Pierre in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône. Picture by Androom (14 Nov 2024)	The grave of Gaby Deslys at the Cimetière St.-Pierre in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône. Picture by Androom (14 Nov 2024)	The grave of Gaby Deslys at the Cimetière St.-Pierre in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône. Picture by Androom (14 Nov 2024)