Michèle Morgan Explained

Michèle Morgan
Birth Name:	Simone Renée Roussel
Birth Date:	29 February 1920
Birth Place:	Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France, France
Death Place:	Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France, France
Resting Place:	Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris, France
Occupation:	Actress
Years Active:	1935–1999
Spouse:
Children:	Mike Marshall
Relatives:	Sarah Marshall (granddaughter)

Michèle Morgan (in French miʃɛl mɔʁɡan/; born: Simone Renée Roussel, 29 February 1920 – 20 December 2016) was a French film actress, who was a leading lady for three decades in both French cinema and Hollywood features. She is considered one of the greatest French actresses of the 20th century.^[1] Morgan was the inaugural winner of the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1992, she was given an honorary César Award for her contributions to French cinema.

Early life

Morgan was born Simone Renée Roussel^[2] in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, a wealthy suburb of Paris.^{[3] [4]} She grew up in Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, France.^{[3] [4]}

Career

Morgan left home at the age of 15 for Paris determined to become an actress.^{[3] [5]} She took acting lessons from René Simon while serving as an extra in several films to pay for her drama classes.^[3] It was then that she took the stage name "Michèle Morgan".^[3] She argued that she did not have the body type of a Simone, and "Morgan" sounded more Hollywood-friendly.^[3]

Morgan was first noticed by director Marc Allégret, who offered her a major role in the film Gribouille (1937), opposite Raimu.^[3] Then came Le Quai des brumes (1938) directed by Marcel Carné (1938), opposite Jean Gabin, and Remorques (1941) directed by Jean Grémillon.^[3] Upon the invasion of France in 1940 by the Germans, Morgan left for the United States and Hollywood where she was contracted to RKO Pictures in 1941.^[3] Her career there proved rather disappointing, apart from Joan of Paris (1942) opposite Paul Henreid, and Higher and Higher (1943) opposite Frank Sinatra.^[4] She was tested and strongly considered for the female lead in Casablanca but RKO would not release her for the amount of money that Warner Bros. offered.^[6] Morgan did work for Warners, however, in Passage to Marseille (1944) with Humphrey Bogart.^[3]

After the war, Morgan returned to France and quickly resumed her career with the film La Symphonie Pastorale (1946) directed by Jean Delannoy, which earned her the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival.^[3] Her other films from this period include; Carol Reed's The Fallen Idol (1948), Fabiola (1949), The Proud and the Beautiful (1953) by Yves Allégret, Les Grandes Manœuvres (1955) by René Clair and Marie-Antoinette reine de France (1956).^[4] She continued working in films throughout the 1960s, such as in Lost Command (1966), a version of Les Centurions.^[4] In the 1970s, she virtually retired from her acting career, then made only occasional appearances in film, television and theatre.^[4]

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Morgan has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1645 Vine Street.^[5] In 1969, the government of France awarded her the Légion d'Honneur.^[5] For her long service to the French motion picture industry, in 1992 she was given an Honorary César Award.^[5] In 1996, she also received the Career Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the Venice Film Festival.^[5]

Morgan took up painting in the 1960s. She had a solo exhibition, "Artistes En Lumière à Paris", from 2 March to 30 April 2009, at the Espace Cardin in Paris.^[7] In 1977 she released her memoir, titled With Those Eyes (Avec ces yeux-là).

Personal life and death

While in Hollywood, Morgan married William Marshall (1917–1994), in 1942, with whom she had a son, Mike Marshall (1944–2005).^[4] Morgan had built and owned a house at 10050 Cielo Drive. Morgan and Marshall divorced in 1948. She married French actor Henri Vidal (1919–1959) in 1950. She remained with him until his death in 1959. She then lived with film director and actor/writer Gérard Oury until his death in 2006.^[4]

Morgan died on 20 December 2016, aged 96, in Meudon, France of natural causes.^{[3] [4]} Her funeral was held at the Église Saint-Pierre in Neuilly-sur-Seine on 23 December 2016, and she was buried at the Montparnasse Cemetery.^{[1] [8]}

Despite living to the age of 96, she technically only had 24 birthdays due to being born on February 29.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Director	Notes
1935	Mademoiselle Mozart^[9]	The trainer of the white elephant	Yvan Noé	credited as Simone Morgan
1937	Gribouille^[10]	Nathalie Roguin	Marc Allégret	remade as The Lady in Question in 1940
1938	Orage	Françoise Massart	Marc Allégret	with Charles Boyer
	Port of Shadows^[11]	Nelly	Marcel Carné	with Jean Gabin
	Nightclub Hostess^[12]	Suzy	Albert Valentin	written by Charles Spaak
1939	Coral Reefs	Lilian White	Maurice Gleize	with Jean Gabin
	Musicians of the Sky^[13]	Lieutenant Saulnier	Georges Lacombe	with Michel Simon
1940	Stormy Waters	Catherine	Jean Grémillon	based on a novel by Roger Vercel
	The Heart of a Nation^[14]	Marie Froment-Léonard	Julien Duvivier	with Raimu
1941	My Life with Caroline^[15]	"Annette" (uncredited)	Lewis Milestone	written by John Van Druten
1942	La Loi du nord^[16]	Jacqueline Bert	Jacques Feyder	based on a novel by Maurice Constantin-Weyer
	Joan of Paris^[17]	Joan	Robert Stevenson	with Paul Henreid
1943	Two Tickets to London	Jeanne	Edwin L. Marin	with Alan Curtis
	Higher and Higher	Millie Pico alias Paméla Drake	Tim Whelan	Frank Sinatra's film debut
1944	Passage to Marseille	Paula	Michael Curtiz	with Humphrey Bogart
1946	The Chase	Lorna Roman	Arthur Ripley	with Robert Cummings
	Pastoral Symphony	Gertrude (the young blind woman)	Jean Delannoy	Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress with Pierre Blanchar
1947	The Fallen Idol	Julie	Carol Reed	with Ralph Richardson and Bobby Henrey.
1948	To the Eyes of Memory^[18]	Claire Magny	Jean Delannoy	with Jean Marais
1949	The Fighting Gladiator^[19]	Fabiola	Alessandro Blasetti	with Henri Vidal
	Here Is the Beauty^[20]	Jeanne Morel	Jean-Paul Le Chanois	based on a novel by Vicki Baum
1950	The Glass Castle	Evelyne Lorin-Bertal	René Clément	two versions, one filmed in Italian
	The Strange Madame X^[21]	Irène Voisin-Larive	Jean Grémillon	with Henri Vidal
	The Naked Heart	Maria Chapdelaine	Marc Allégret	based on the novel by Louis Hémon
1951	The Seven Deadly Sins^[22]	Anne-Marie de Pallières	Claude Autant-Lara	episode "Pride"
1952	The Moment of Truth^[23]	Madeleine Richard	Jean Delannoy	with Jean Gabin
1953	The Proud and the Beautiful^[24]	Nelly	Yves Allégret	with Gérard Philipe
1954	Love, Soldiers and Women	Joan of Arc	Jean Delannoy	episode "Jeanne"
	Obsession^[25]	Hélène Giovanni	Jean Delannoy	based on a novel by Cornell Woolrich
	Napoléon	Joséphine de Beauharnais	Sacha Guitry	Daniel Gélin/Raymond Pellegrin as Napoléon
1955	The Grand Maneuver	Marie-Louise Rivière	René Clair	with Gérard Philipe
	Marguerite of the Night^[26]	Marguerite	Claude Autant-Lara	with Yves Montand
	Marie Antoinette Queen of France	Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France	Jean Delannoy	with Richard Todd
	If Paris Were Told to Us^[27]	Gabrielle d'Estrées	Sacha Guitry	portraying the mistress of Henry IV of France
1956	Oasis^[28]	Françoise Lignières	Yves Allégret	with Pierre Brasseur
1957	The Vintage^[29]	Léonne Morel	Jeffrey Hayden	with Mel Ferrer
	There's Always a Price Tag^[30]	Hélène Fréminger	Denys de La Patellière	with Daniel Gélin and Peter van Eyck
1958	The Mirror Has Two Faces^[31]	Marie-Josée Tardivet, Pierre's wife	André Cayatte	with Bourvil and Ivan Desny
	Maxime^[32]	Jacqueline Monneron	Henri Verneuil	with Charles Boyer
	Girls for the Summer^[33]	Micheline	Gianni Franciolini	comedy with Alberto Sordi
1959	Menschen im Hotel^[34]	La Grusinskaïa	Gottfried Reinhardt	with O. W. Fischer
	Winter Holidays^[35]	Steffa Tardier	Camillo Mastrocinque	with Georges Marchal
	The Wretches^[36]	Thelma Rooland	Robert Hossein	with Olivier Hussenot
	Why Do You Come So Late?^[37]	Catherine Ferrer	Henri Decoin	with Henri Vidal
1960	Fortunat^[38]	Juliette Valcourt	Alex Joffé	title character played by Bourvil
1961	Three Faces of Sin^[39]	Renée Plège	François Villiers	with Jean-Claude Brialy
	The Lions Are Loose^[40]	Cécile	Henri Verneuil	with Jean-Claude Brialy
1962	Landru^[41]	Célestine Buisson	Claude Chabrol	with Charles Denner
	Meetings^[42]	Bella Krastner	Philippe Agostini	with Gabriele Ferzetti
	Crime Does Not Pay^[43]	Jeanne Hugues	Gérard Oury	episode "The Hugues Case"
	The Winner^[44]	As herself	François Reichenbach	Louis Delluc Prize, Golden Leopard
1963	Be Careful Ladies^[45]	Denise Duparc	André Hunebelle	with Paul Meurisse
	Web of Fear^[46]	Constance	François Villiers	with Dany Saval
1964	Marked Eyes^[47]	Florence	Robert Hossein	starring the film's director
	The Last Steps^[48]	Yolande Simonet	Jacques Robin	with Jean-Louis Trintignant
	The Scapegoat^[49]	Princess Sofia	Duccio Tessari	based on a novel by Francesco Dall'Ongaro
1965	Tell Me Whom to Kill^[50]	Geneviève Montanet	Étienne Périer	with Paul Hubschmid
1966	Lost Command	The Countess of Clairfond	Mark Robson	with Anthony Quinn
1967	La Bien-aimée^[51]	Fanny Dréal	Jacques Doniol-Valcroze	TV film
	The Diary of an Innocent Boy	The Countess	Michel Deville	with Pierre Clémenti and Michel Piccoli
1975	Cat and Mouse	Madame Richard	Claude Lelouch	with Serge Reggiani
1986	Le Tiroir secret^[52]	Colette Dutilleul-Lemarchand	Édouard Molinaro, Roger Gillioz, Michel Boisrond, Nadine Trintignant	TV miniseries, 6 episodes
1990	Everybody's Fine^[53]	A woman in the train		with Marcello Mastroianni

Trivia

The former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet was named after Michèle Morgan.^[54]

She almost played Ilsa Lund in Casablanca.^[55]

Further reading

• Book: Lloyd, Ann . The Illustrated Who's Who of the cinema . Gramercy . 1987 . 0-517-64419-3 . registration .
• Book: Morgan, Michèle . Avec ces yeux-là . Robert Laffont . 1977 . 978-2-221-00222-3.
• Book: Morgan, Michèle . With Those Eyes . W.H. Allen . 1978 . 978-0-491-02185-2.
• Web site: R. F. . Cousins . Michèle Morgan . Film Reference . 28 June 2009.

External links

• • • Michèle Morgan at filmsdefrance.com
  • Photographs of Michèle Morgan

Notes and References

1. News: Décès de la comédienne Michèle Morgan. 20 December 2016. Le Figaro. 21 December 2016.
2. Web site: Michèle Morgan . Cinémathèque française . 20 July 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071029095434/http://cinema.encyclopedie.personnalites.bifi.fr/index.php?pk=36040 . 29 October 2007 .
3. News: Blumenfeld. Samuel. Mort de Michèle Morgan, légendaire actrice du " Quai des brumes ". 20 December 2016. Le Monde. 20 December 2016.
4. News: Bernstein. Adam. Michèle Morgan, lustrous French actress of 'Port of Shadows,' dies at 96. 20 December 2016. The Washington Post. 20 December 2016.
5. News: Cheng. Cheryl. Michele Morgan, French Actress in 'The Fallen Idol,' Dies at 96. 20 December 2016. The Hollywood Reporter. 20 December 2016.
6. Book: Lanzoni, Rémi Fournier . 107 . French Cinema: From its Beginnings to the Present . 2004 . Continium International Publishing Group.
7. News: Pouly-Seguin. Sophie. Michèle Morgan : » Je touche encore le sol avec mes mains ! ». 21 December 2016. France Dimanche. 26 February 2010.
8. News: Michele Morgan: French actress and glamour icon dies at 96. BBC News . 21 December 2016.
9. News: Ferris. Irene. Michele Morgan, The Garbo of France, Returns Home Without Her Young Son. 21 December 2016. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Lubbock, Texas. November 21, 1960. 16. Newspapers.com. registration . She made her screen debut at 15 in "Mademoiselle Mozart" in France..
10. Book: Vincendeau, Ginette. The Companion to French Cinema. Cassell. 1996.
11. Book: Lanzoni, Rémi Fournier. French Cinema: From Its Beginnings to the Present. A & C Black. 2004.
12. Book: Vincendeau. Ginette. The Companion to French Cinema. 1996. British Film Institute. London, U.K.. 9780304341573. 35683584. 143.
13. Web site: Les MUSICIENS DU CIEL (1939). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222082515/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b74a73a21. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
14. Web site: UNTEL PÈRE ET FILS (1943). https://web.archive.org/web/20160726153655/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b98288c. dead. 26 July 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
15. Web site: MICHELE MORGAN. Canal+. 21 December 2016.
16. Web site: La LOI DU NORD (1939). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222082632/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b73a8712f. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
17. Book: Reid, John Howard. Hollywood Gold: Films of the Forties and Fifties. Lulu. 2005.
18. Web site: AUX YEUX DU SOUVENIR (1948). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222082405/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a6db531. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
19. Book: Smith, Gary Allen. Epic Films: Casts, Credits and Commentary on More Than 350 Historical Spectacle Movies. MacFarland. 2004. North Carolina, U.S..
20. Web site: La BELLE QUE VOILÀ (1950). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222083709/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a5a1da2. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
21. Web site: L' ÉTRANGE MME X (1951). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222084435/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b713359b6. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
22. Web site: Les 7 PÉCHÉS CAPITAUX (1952). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222084214/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b57986c. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
23. Web site: L' ORA DELLA VERITA (1952). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222084331/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7b2784ca. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
24. Web site: Les ORGUEILLEUX (1953). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222151837/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b24b21f. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
25. Web site: OBSESSION (1954). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222084447/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b1d4c4e. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
26. Web site: MARGUERITE DE LA NUIT (1956). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222083441/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6aff168e. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
27. Web site: SI PARIS NOUS ÉTAIT CONTÉ (1956). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222084031/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b76c63942. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
28. Web site: L' OASE (1955). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222084004/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b1d1a7b. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
29. Web site: The Vintage (1957). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222084104/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b9e78cb. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
30. Web site: RETOUR DE MANIVELLE (1957). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222083319/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b4345bf. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
31. Web site: Le MIROIR À DEUX FACES (1958). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222084229/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b083f25. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
32. Web site: MAXIME (1958). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222154043/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b02344a. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
33. Web site: RACCONTI D'ESTATE (1958). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222082234/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b3c9149. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
34. Web site: MENSCHEN IM HOTEL (1959). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222083511/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b046383. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
35. Web site: VACANZE D'INVERNO (1959). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222082340/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b99aa97. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
36. Web site: Les SCÉLÉRATS (1960). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222082416/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b52a0c7. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
37. Web site: POURQUOI VIENS-TU SI TARD? (1959). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222082352/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b75ad113f. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
38. Web site: FORTUNAT (1960). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222084201/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6aa7d3b5. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
39. Web site: Le PUITS AUX TROIS VERITES (1961). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222082221/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b3a5a41. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
40. Web site: Les LIONS SONT LÂCHÉS (1961). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222084308/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6aeea96c. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
41. Web site: LANDRU (1962). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222154118/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6ae7fdee. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
42. Web site: RENCONTRES (1962). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222082804/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b760c3c9f. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
43. Web site: Le CRIME NE PAIE PAS (1962). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222084359/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a823b29. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
44. Web site: Un cœur gros comme ça. UniFrance. 21 December 2016.
45. Web site: MÉFIEZ VOUS, MESDAMES! (1963). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222083428/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b742bbeec. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
46. Web site: CONSTANCE AUX ENFERS (1963). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222083524/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a7e6b55. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
47. Web site: Les YEUX CERNES (1964). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222082644/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b78e0aa76. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
48. Web site: Les PAS PERDUS (1964). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222082503/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b754bff61. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
49. Web site: Il FORNARETTO DI VENEZIA (1963). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222083021/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6aa7730f. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
50. Web site: DIS MOI QUI TUER (1965). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222154133/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a8e41c5. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
51. Web site: La BIEN-AIMÉE (1967). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222151548/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6f4a7b5c. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
52. Web site: Le TIROIR SECRET (1986). https://web.archive.org/web/20161222083906/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b779b87de. dead. 22 December 2016. British Film Institute. 21 December 2016.
53. News: Wilmington. Michael. MOVIE REVIEW : Tornatore's 'Everybody's Fine' a Mixed Achievement. 21 December 2016. Los Angeles Times. June 7, 1991.
54. Web site: Michelle Bachelet, présidente du Chili . CBC/Radio-Canada. 3 March 2006. 11 March 2016. fr.
55. Web site: Vincent's CASABLANCA HomePage -- The Alternate Cast . 2024-01-24 . www.vincasa.com.