Danielle Darrieux
Affectionately known as "D.D." to her fans, Danielle Darrieux established herself early on as a dramatic actress in films like "Mayerling" (1936), but choices she made during World War II inadvertently threatened her life. A resident of France during the occupation by Nazi Germany, Darrieux continued to work as an entertainer, an act that led her to being labeled a collaborator by the French underground and subjected to death threats. That cloud eventually faded and she continued to display considerable ability in classic films like "La Ronde" ("The Round") (1950), "Le Plaisir" ("Pleasure") (1952), "The Earrings of Madame de " (1953), and "The Young Girls of Rochefort" (1967). One of France's most enduring performers, Darrieux had one of the longest-lasting careers in entertainment history, appearing in both motion picture and television productions well into her nineties. Danielle Yvonne Marie Antoinette Darrieux was born on May 1, 1917 in Bordeaux, Gironde, France, but spent her formative years in Paris. Thanks to her utility with the cello, a musical career seemed in the cards for Darrieux, but that changed after she made her film debut in "Le Bal" ("The Ball") (1931). Thirteen at the time of shooting, Darrieux earned attention for her portrayal of an obstinate teenager, which led to invitations for more movie work. She really made her mark a few years later opposite international matinee idol Charles Boyer in the period romantic drama "Mayerling" (1936) and the success of that production resulted in an invitation from Universal Pictures' to play the female lead in the screwball comedy "The Rage of Paris" (1938). Both the film and Darrieux were well-received, but her stay in Hollywood proved short-lived. Electing to go back home to France, she was forced to endure the German occupation of the country during World War II. To the anger of the French underground, Darrieux continued to act and sing, a decision that resulted in charges of collaboration and threats against her safety. Darrieux's marriage to director Henri Decoin ended in 1941 and she wed notorious playboy Porfrio Rubirosa soon after. It was a union that brought her more heartbreak than happiness and led to actions that further compromised her image among some French citizens. Following the end of the war, Darrieux returned to movie screens in "Adieu chérie" ("Goodbye Darling") (1946) and her perceived indiscretions during the war were eventually overlooked. Notable credits during that time included Max Ophüls' classic "La Ronde" ("The Round") (1950), and she gave Hollywood another try in the MGM musical "Rich, Young and Pretty" (1950) and the spy thriller "5 Fingers" (1952). Darrieux also impressed in Ophüls' "Le Plaisir" ("Pleasure") (1952) and "The Earrings of Madame de " (1953), as well as the three-hour epic "Napoléon" (1955) and the controversial adaptation of "Lady Chatterley's Lover" (1955). She made two more English language features, "Alexander the Great" (1956) and "The Greengage Summer" (1961), before concentrating solely on European productions, including "The Devil and the Ten Commandments" (1962) and Jacques Demy's musical "The Young Girls of Rochefort" (1967). Darrieux brought her facility for live stage work to Broadway in "Coco" (1969-1970), where she replaced original star Katherine Hepburn, and the short-lived musical "Ambassador" (1972). The 1970s, '80s, and '90s found her cast in fewer motion pictures, but she more than made up for that with numerous TV-movie and miniseries appearances. As the new century dawned, Darrieux showed few signs of slowing down, adding even more credits to an incredible resumé that was among the longest and most impressive for any performer from any country. Based on such films as "8 Women" (2002) and "Towards Zero" (2007), Darrieux's talents remained well in evidence during her ninth decade. Her final film role came in Denys Granier-Deferre's "Pièce montée" (2010), after which she quietly retired. Danielle Darrieux died on October 17, 2017, only a few months after her 100th birthday, of complications following a fall.
Photos
Danielle Darrieux
Filmography
Movies
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The Wedding Cake | Madeleine (Character) | - | 2010 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Me & the Girls | Isabel Esteva (Character) | - | 2008 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Heure Zero | Unknown (Character) | - | 2008 |
No Score Yet |
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Towards Zero | Camilla Tressilian (Character) | - | 2007 |
96% |
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Persepolis | La grand-mère de Marjane (Voice) | $4.4M | 2007 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Oh La La! | Unknown (Character) | - | 2006 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | I've Been Waiting So Long | Emilie (Character) | - | 2004 |
79% |
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8 Women | Mamy (Character) | $3.1M | 2002 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Tomorrow's Another Day | Eva (Character) | - | 2000 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Les mamies | Lolotte (Character) | - | 1992 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Le Jour des rois | Unknown (Character) | - | 1990 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Bille en tête | Unknown (Character) | - | 1989 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Quelques jours avec moi | Madame Pasquier (Character) | - | 1988 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Scene of the Crime | La grand-mère (Character) | - | 1986 |
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A Room in Town | Margot Langlois (Character) | - | 1982 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Practice Makes Perfect | Unknown (Character) | - | 1978 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Holy Year | Christina (Character) | - | 1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Divine | Unknown (Character) | - | 1975 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Lonely Woman | Teresa (Character) | - | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Birds in Peru (Les Oiseaux Vont Mourir Au Peru) | Unknown (Character) | - | 1968 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Man in the Buick | Unknown (Character) | - | 1968 |
98% |
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The Young Girls of Rochefort | Yvonne Garnier (Character) | $88.5K | 1967 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Friend of the Family | Dith Rollo (Character) | - | 1964 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Bluebeard | Unknown (Character) | - | 1963 |
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Bluebeard | Berthe Heon (Character) | - | 1963 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Gentle Art of Murder | Lucienne Marsais (Character) | - | 1962 |
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The Devil and the Ten Commandments | Clarisse Ardan (Character) | - | 1962 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Murder at 45 R.P.M. | Eve Faugeres (Character) | - | 1961 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Lions Are Loose | Marie-Laure Robert-Guichard (Character) | - | 1961 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Long Live Henry IV... Long Live Love | Henriette d'Entragues (Character) | - | 1961 |
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Loss of Innocence | Madame Zisi (Character) | - | 1961 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Murder by Two |
Gabrielle / |
- | 1960 |
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Marie Octobre | Unknown (Character) | - | 1959 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Disorder and Night | Thérèse (Character) | - | 1958 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Un drôle de dimanche | Unknown (Character) | - | 1958 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Le septième ciel | Brigitte de Lédouville (Character) | - | 1958 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Typhoon on Nagasaki | Françoise Fabre (Character) | - | 1957 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Lady Chatterley's Lover | Constance Chatterley (Character) | - | 1956 |
0% |
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Alexander the Great | Olympias (Character) | - | 1956 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Typhoon Over Nagasaki | Unknown (Character) | - | 1956 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Hangman and the Witch | Françoise Athénaïs de Montespan (Character) | - | 1955 |
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Napoleon | Eléonore Denuelle (Character) | - | 1955 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | One Step to Eternity | Constance Andrieux dite Poussy (Character) | - | 1954 |
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The Red and the Black | Mme de Rénal (Character) | - | 1954 |
97% |
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The Earrings of Madame De ... | Comtesse Louise de (Character) | - | 1953 |
100% |
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Five Fingers | Countess Anna Staviska (Character) | - | 1952 |
80% |
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House of Pleasure | Rosa (segment "La Maison Tellier") (Character) | - | 1952 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Truth of Our Marriage | Elisabeth "Bébé" Donge (Character) | - | 1952 |
No Score Yet |
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Rich, Young and Pretty | Marie Devarone (Character) | - | 1951 |
94% |
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La Ronde | Emma Breitkopf (Character) | - | 1950 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | All for Love | Luisa d'Asburgo-Lorena (Character) | - | 1950 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Ruy Blas | La reine d'Espagne Marie de Neubourg (Character) | - | 1947 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Happy Go Lucky | Martine Carignol (Character) | - | 1946 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Beating Heart | Arlette (Character) | - | 1940 |
No Score Yet |
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The Rage of Paris | Nicole de Cortillion (Character) | - | 1938 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Return at Dawn | Anita Ammer (Character) | - | 1938 |
No Score Yet |
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Mayerling | Marie Vetsera (Character) | - | 1936 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Counsel for Romance | Jacqueline Serval (Character) | - | 1936 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Girls' Club | Claire Derouve (Character) | - | 1936 |
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Bad Seed | Jeanette (Character) | - | 1934 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | La Crise Est Finie | Nicole (Character) | - | 1934 |