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Nationality: French. Born: Leslie Claire Margaret Caron in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, 1 July 1931. Education: Attended the Convent of the Assumption, Paris; studied dance at the Conservatoire de Paris, 1944–46. Family: Married 1) George Hormel, 1951 (divorced 1954); 2) the director Peter Hall, 1956 (divorced 1965), one son, one daughter; 3) the producer Michael Laughlin, 1969 (marriage dissolved). Career: 1946–47—dancer with Ballet des Champs-Elysées;
1949—head ballerina for Ballet des Champs-Elysées; 1951—discovered by Gene Kelly and chosen for role in An American in Paris, beginning her film career in MGM musicals; 1954–55—toured with Ballet de Paris; 1955—stage debut in Jean Renoir's Orvet ; 1955-on—continued to appear on stage in London, Paris, and on Broadway between films; 1972—began acting mostly in European films; 1974—in TV mini-series QB VII ; 1980—in French TV series Docteur Erica Werner ; 1984—in TV mini-series Master of the Game, and The Man Who Lived at the Ritz, 1988. Awards: Best Foreign Actress, British Academy, for Lili, 1953; Best British Actress, British Academy, for The L-Shaped Room, 1962.
An American in Paris (Minnelli) (as Lise Bouvier); The Man with a Cloak (Markle) (as Madeline Minot)
Glory Alley (Walsh) (as Angela)
"Mademoiselle" ep. of The Story of Three Loves (Minnelli) (as Mademoiselle); Lili (Walters) (title role)
The Glass Slipper (Walters) (as Ella); Daddy Long Legs (Negulesco) (as Julie Andre)
Gaby (Bernhardt) (title role)
Gigi (Minnelli) (title role); The Doctor's Dilemma (Asquith) (as Mrs. Dubedat)
The Man Who Understood Women (Johnson) (as Ann Garantier); Austerlitz (The Battle of Austerlitz ) (Gance) (as Mlle. de Vaudey)
The Subterraneans (MacDougal) (as Mardou Fox); Fanny (Logan) (title role)
"Les Deux Pigeons" ("Two Pigeons") ep. of Les Quatres Vérités (Three Fables of Love ) (Clair); Guns of Darkness (Asquith) (as Claire Jordan); The L-Shaped Room (Forbes) (as Jane Fosset)
Father Goose (Nelson) (as Catherine Freneau)
A Very Special Favor (Gordon) (as Lauren Boullard)
Promise Her Anything (Hiller) (as Michele O'Brien); Paris brûle-t-il? (Is Paris Burning? ) (Clément) (as Françoise Labe)
Il padre di famiglia (The Head of the Family ; Jeux D'adultes ) (Loy) (as Paola)
Madron (Jerry Hopper) (as Sister Mary)
Chandler (Magwood) (as Katherine)
Nicole (Ventilla); Purple Night (film not listed in most sources)
James Dean, the First American Teenager (Connolly—doc) (as herself); Carola (Lloyd—for TV)
Sérail (de Gregorio)
L'Homme qui aimait les femmes (The Man Who Loved Women ) (Truffaut) (as Vera); Valentino (Ken Russell) (as Alla Nazimova)
The Contract (Hui)
Goldengirl (Sargent) (as Dr. Sammy Lee); Tous vedettes (Michel Lang)
Kontrakt (The Contract ) (Zanussi) (as Penelope); Chanel solitaire (Kaczender)
Imperative (Zanussi) (as Mother); Die unerreichbare (The Unapproachable ) (Zanussi)
La Diagonale du fou (Dangerous Moves ) (Dembo) (as Henia Liebskind)
The Sealed Train (for TV)
Guerriers et captives (Warriors and Prisoners ) (Cozarinsky); Courage Mountain (Leitch) (as Jane Hillary)
Blue Notte (Serafini)
Damage (Fatale ) (Malle) (as Elizabeth Prideaux)
The Genius (Joe Gibbons); Jean Renoir (David Thompson—doc)
That's Entertainment! III (Friedgen and Sheridan—compilation)
Funny Bones (Chelsom) (as Katie Parker); Let It Be Me (Bergstein)
The Ring (Armand Mastroianni—for TV) (as madame de Saint Marne); The Great War (Byker—for TV) (Czarina Aleksandra Romanov)
The Reef (Ackerman) (as Regine De Chantelle)
From Russia to Hollywood: The 100-Year Odyssey of Chekhov and Shdanoff (Keeve) (as Herself); Passion's Way (as Regine)
Chocolat (Hallström) (as Madame Audel)
Interview with J. Fieschi and B. Villien, in Cinématographe (Paris), October 1980.
"Polonaises," in Cinématographe (Paris), April 1982.
"Enfin Star!," in Cinématographe (Paris), November 1983.
"Un Ami: Truffaut," in Cinématographe (Paris), December 1984.
Springer, John, All Talking, All Singing, All Dancing, New York, 1966.
Kobal, John, Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance, New York, 1970.
Knox, Donald, The Magic Factory, New York, 1973.
Current Biography 1954, New York, 1954.
Ecran (Paris), March 1979.
Film Dope (London), March 1982.
Stars (Mariembourg), Spring 1994.
Originally a Gallic twinkletoes and all-purpose gamine for MGM, Leslie Caron became the only dancing star of her day to transpose brilliance en pointe to pointedly dramatic performance. While Cyd Charisse, Ann Miller, Ginger Rogers, and Vera-Ellen remain symbols of a glamorous yesterday, Caron (who had never intended to be a thespian, let alone a movie star) has matured into a working actress keenly aware of contemporary trends. Disparaging her early MGM work in the book, The Magic Factory, she has lately softened those ungenerous remarks. Never a happy camper within the studio system, outspoken Caron need not play down her escapist past in order to emphasize her present seriousness.
If An American in Paris now registers as a rather puffed-up sacrifice to the Art of Dance, that musical does have its saving graces including the moonstruck pas de deux that Kelly and Caron dance to "Our Love Is Here to Stay." In all her MGM diversions (although it is least evident in Lili ), there is a disdainful chilliness about Caron as if she is hiding her feelings from the camera. (In retrospect, it may be that she simply was not comfortable making these films.) While her reserve melts whenever she moves to music, the Roland Petit choreography is not much of a godsend to her in the second-rate The Glass Slipper and Daddy Long Legs. Still, an ebullient delight, Lili characterizes the actress's reticence as diffidence and her cool composure as innocence vanquishing the hard heart of sophistication. Bringing immense conviction to the scenes where she converses with poupées, Caron speaks to the inner child in us all—no mean feat since some of the human actors she contends with such as Mel Ferrer are more wooden than the puppets.
In her nonmusicals, Caron was forced to be a one-woman Gallic goodwill ambassador, and you can feel her resentment at having to typify all things French. Since MGM already limited her range, she was probably wise to nix Les Girls, just one more nail in the coffin of the movie musical. Salvation was at hand when the cinema' premiere continental charmer Audrey Hepburn rejected Gigi, for which Caron was ideally suited. Enchanting as the child raised to be a courtesan, she was bewitching as the adult who scandalizes her instructors by preferring l'amour to family traditions of impropriety. At the other end of the soignée scale came the box-office smash Fanny which scuttled the gorgeous Harold Rome score except for the rapturous title theme, failed to come within hailing distance of the Pagnol original, and straitjacketed Caron into embodying the soul of France for one final occasion. Since then, her forays into art films have been as unrewarding as sporadic returns to Hollywood, where her strenuous comedy technique went down for the count with A Very Special Favor and Promise Her Anything. The one bright note of the post-MGM period came with the kitchen-sink soap opera, The L-Shaped Room, for which she earned an Oscar bid for conveying the anguish of an unwed mother. This film, which could be dubbed, "The Death of Innocence" benefited greatly from a supporting cast of consummate British players and from Caron's insight into the plight of an abandoned foreigner.
One wishes late-career highlights such as Il padre di famiglia and Dangerous Moves had offset pretentious misfires and commercial duds. Fortunately, in 1995, Caron graced a little-seen masterwork Funny Bones. It is exactly the kind of personal, offbeat film that she had always championed. Protecting her psychologically damaged son from the unkindness of strangers or vanquishing a crooked cop who mistakes her womanliness for softness, Caron contributed significantly to the film's impact. Looking more lovely than ever, Caron can confidently expect further adventures in cinematic artistry, foreshadowed by her variegated and supremely confident work in Funny Bones.
—Robert Pardi
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Pardi, Robert. "Caron, Leslie." International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2010 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.
Pardi, Robert. "Caron, Leslie." International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2010). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3406801610.html
Pardi, Robert. "Caron, Leslie." International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. 2001. Retrieved February 10, 2010 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3406801610.html
(Including press releases, facts, information, and biographies)
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LESLIE CARON REVELS IN GIGI'S OTHER SIDE
Newspaper article from: The Boston Globe Elaine Ganley, Associated Press September 2, 1988 700+ words ...the 1950s and early '60s. Today, Leslie Caron, the "Gigi" of yesteryear, is...I have two sides to my nature," Caron said in an interview. "But I...Whatever I am, cute is not the word." Caron retains a place in film history... |
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Film star Leslie Caron lends sparkle to Bal des Etoiles fete.(Arts and...
Newspaper article from: The Boston Herald Bisbee, Dana March 8, 2004 700+ words ...ballroom Saturday night. Actress Leslie Caron, star of the 1958 Oscar-winning...test that then-18-year-old Caron made for a role she did not get...Sunday. Caption: FRENCH DRESSING: Leslie Caron, from left, and French Library... |
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Life is sweet for `Chocolat' star Leslie Caron
Newspaper article from: Chicago Sun-Times Angela Dawson February 23, 2001 700+ words ...comic fable "Chocolat," Leslie Caron has a supporting role...all it took to persuade Caron to take the role of Madame...going to say, `What is Leslie doing there? What's...with that white wig?' " Caron says. "But I get such... |
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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO LESLIE CARON?(KNOW)
Newspaper article from: Daily News (Los Angeles, CA) December 12, 2007 700+ words ...Staff Writer When screen legend Leslie Caron swept onto the stage during the...Still glamorous at age 76, Caron has been married four times and...S): photo Photo: (color) Leslie Caron, who starred in "Gigi," attends... |
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'Ah, Yes' the Academy Remembers it Well with Leslie Caron
News Wire article from: US Fed News Service, Including US State News September 15, 2008 700+ words ...Paris, French actress and dancer Leslie Caron will be celebrated by the Academy...held by those organizations in Caron's honor, visit americancinematheque...note that "An Academy Salute to Leslie Caron" is sold out. Additional tickets... |
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Hub-bound Leslie Caron on her toes career-wise.(News)
Newspaper article from: The Boston Herald Sullivan, Paul January 31, 2000 700+ words In the late 1940s, Leslie Caron was a young ballerina...and very forbidding," Caron says. "I was shy and...out and bought one." Leslie will be at the Wang Center...days, the still-lovely Caron lives in Burgundy in an... |
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Interview: The mouse that soared - John Walsh meets Leslie Caron
Newspaper article from: The Independent - London John Walsh June 14, 1997 700+ words Leslie Caron makes a startling appearance in the pages...grey, Fifties bacchanal, you encounter Ms Caron. She jumps off the page at you: 21 that...correspondence, memorised and dramatised by La Caron. "I haven't read George Sand's novels... |
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Culture: Tempting tale of seduction; She was wooed in Gigi and danced off her...
Newspaper article from: The Birmingham Post (England) February 23, 2001 700+ words ...very sweet. A very nice person. Leslie's co-star is Johnny Depp The...confectionery. But to actress Leslie Caron, the most tempting thing on the...It is hard to believe that Leslie Caron is 70. Petite and well-groomed... |
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Pick Of The Week: "Private Screenings: Leslie Caron," Mon, 8pm ET, Turner...
Newspaper article from: CableFAX May 14, 1999 700+ words Leslie Caron, who describes Hollywood as "work, work...evening progresses. The interview with Caron is a value-added move from TCM, which features a number of Caron films during the net's week-long celebration... |
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my perfect sunday Leslie Caron actress
Newspaper article from: The Sunday Telegraph London She was talking to Daniella Gomes October 11, 2009 700+ words ...the television. But unlike most children, I can drift straight to sleep, reassured in the knowledge that all the Law and Order villains are safely behind bars. 'Thank Heaven' by Leslie Caron (JR books) is available for pounds 18.99. |
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Dictionary entry from: International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers ...and quaint, with every set begging for a background of accordion music and spatially constructed for the Gene Kelly-Leslie Caron dance numbers. One of the less reproduced but fascinating designs was for a Follies Bergèretype number that... |
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