Leslie Caron: biography, filmography and photos

Not far from the D'Orsay Museum in Paris, there is a slender, elderly lady with a dog. Few people guess that this old woman was once twice nominated for an Oscar and at the age of 73 was awarded the Emmy. Leslie Karon, that's the name of the heroine of this article, is one of the few stars of the classical era of MGM musicals, which continue to be shot today.

early years

Leslie Claire Karon was born in the suburb of Paris Boulogne-Billancourt in 1931. Her father was the offspring of an impoverished aristocratic family and a serious chemist, and her mother an American dancer. It was she who brought up Leslie and instilled in her daughter a love of theatrical art. When the girl was 11 years old, her mother arranged for her courses for a Russian ballerina who emigrated during the revolution in France - Olga Preobrazhenskaya. After graduating from school, Leslie entered the Paris Conservatory of Music and Dance, where she was taught by one of the partners of the famous Anna Pavlova - Alexander Volynsky.

Carier start

At the age of 16, Leslie Karon was invited by Rolan Petit to join her Ballet des Champs-Élysées, in which she immediately became a soloist. Together with this team, she toured a lot, but one day an unexpected call from the US changed her whole life. One of the MGM studio executives contacted the girl and said that she wants to assign her the main role in her new film. The girl thought that she was being played, because she could not understand how she was recognized in the United States. However, Leslie Karon said that Gene Kelly had seen her in one of the Ballet des Champs-Élysées performances and told his producers that she would play only with her. Then the ballerina remembered that six months ago she met this already quite well-known actor at that time after the performance "Meeting", and he told about his plans to make a musical film "American in Paris".

Early career in the US

In the States Leslie, like a girl from a decent family, went with her mother. Arriving at the studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, a young ballerina felt like a heroine of a fairy tale. After all, she was offered a contract with a huge fee for those times, a limousine with a chauffeur, a chic hotel room and much more. Leslie tried so hard to justify the trust of the studio management that in the middle of filming she had a syncope caused by physical exhaustion. Treatment, and most importantly, a huge desire to help her quickly return to the system. As a result, a film appeared on the screens, which today is considered the classic of Hollywood, and a small French ballerina with a sweet face became a celebrity.

Further career

After the release of the film "American in Paris" on the screens, Leslie signed a contract with the MGM studio.

A little later, in 1953, Leslie Karon starred in the film "Lily" and for this role was nominated for an Oscar. Then she was offered to play Cinderella in the children's film "The Crystal Slipper," where she fully demonstrated her skills as a professional ballerina, especially since Roland Petit was invited to the picture as a choreographer.

One of the most difficult works in the acting career of Leslie was the film "Long-legged Daddy", in which her partner was Fred Astaire. During filming in the family of Hollywood superstar of those years, there was a terrible tragedy - his beloved wife passed away. The whole team working on the picture was forced to strongly support Fred, especially not easy was Leslie, who with great difficulty forced herself to portray fun, looking into the sad eyes of a partner in incendiary dances.

Marriages and a pause in a career

As Leslie Caron admits, the family for her in her youth was the most important. The first time the girl got married when she turned 20. Leslie's chosen one was George Hormel from the dynasty of famous "meat" magnates. The swift marriage broke up after 3 years, as the young people had no common interests and the parting coincided with the appearance of the brightest paintings with Karon's participation on the screens. In the next two years, she was incredibly in demand with the directors, so ISA President Jules Stein, hearing about her desire to marry and go to the UK, called her crazy. But Leslie did not want to listen and went to London with the English actor Peter Hall, breaking the contract. There she began to lead the life of a married lady and gave birth to the wife of two children. However, she soon became bored simply to serve coffee to her husband and, sitting in the corner, watching him rehearse new roles with celebrities.

Return

Karon began to make attempts to return to the screen, especially since Hollywood did not forget about it. Frequent trips to the US began, which caused irritation to the spouse, who believed that the wife should devote herself only to the upbringing of children. In addition, during the reception of the Golden Globe for the painting Corner Room, Leslie met Warren Beatty, who was not yet a star at that time, and a stormy romance began. Returning to England, the woman confessed to her husband and asked for a divorce.

Then she quietly left for Jamaica to star in the comedy "Papa-Goose" together with Carrie Grant. Beatty arrived there, and they spent together something like a honeymoon. However, the paradise idyll of the couple was spoiled by the appearance of a private detective hired by Hall, who decided to present at the divorce proceedings proof of the wife's infidelity.

In the late 1960s

Warren Beatty dreamed that Leslie Karon, whose photo did not leave the covers of magazines, starred with him in one picture. Such a case was introduced in 1965, when director Arthur Hiller invited this scandalous couple to his new film "Promise Her Something". In the meantime, a divorce proceedings began, culminating in a court order, according to which children were given couples for boarding, because of the constant employment of both the father and mother. Bad mood and tears Leslie began to annoy Beatty, who was not going to delve into her problems. In addition, he was a terrible jealous and forbade her to act with actors, which he considered "dangerous". The tension in the pair increased, and after returning from France, Leslie learned that Warren had returned to his former lover.

Life in Europe

To be closer to the children, Leslie Karon, whose films in the 60s enjoyed a frenzied popularity, moved to Europe and soon became acquainted with the director Michael Sarne. They got married, and the actress returned to Hollywood. However, no one was offering star roles to her. Only occasionally, but quite successfully, the actress starred in television series and even received prestigious awards.

Leslie Caron: Filmography

The actress appeared in almost 30 films, including in musicals:

• "American in Paris" - Liz Bovier.
• "Three Love Stories" - the role of Mademoiselle.
• "Crystal slipper" - Ella.
• "Long-legged daddy" - Julie Andre.
• "Doctor's Dilemma" is Mrs. Dubund.
• "Underground people" - Marda Fox.
• The Austerlitz is Madame de Vaudet.
• "Weapons of Darkness" - Claire Jordan.
• "Four truths" - Ani.
• "Corner Room" - Jane Fossett.
• "The Pope Goose" - Catherine Frenot.
• "Very unusual service" - Lauren Bullar.
• "Is Paris burning?" - Francoise Labe.
• "Madron" is Maria Elena.
• "Valentino" - Alla Nazimova.
• "A man who loved women" - Vera.
• "The Golden Girl" is Sammy Lee.
• "All the stars" is Lucille.
• "Contract" - Penelope Wilson.
• The "intriguer" is Solange Dunas.
• "Lenin. Train "- Nadezhda Krupskaya.
• "The Mountain of Courage" - Jane Hillary.
• "Damage" - Elizabeth.
• "Chocolate" is Madame Odel.

Now you know who Leslie Caron is. The biography of the actress is also known to you, and this circumstance helps to better understand her work.