Claudette Colbert was born in SaintMandé ValdeMarne France on September 13 1903 and was brought to the United States as a child three years later Born Emilie Lily Claudette Chauchoin she went to high school in New York She was studying at the Art Students League when in 1923 she took the name Claudette Colbert for her first Broadway role in The Wild Westcotts Her most noteworthy stage vehicle was the The Barker in 1927 Her first film was a silent For the Love of Mike 1927 directed by Frank Capra Made on a shoestring the movie was a flop and she vowed that it would be her last film role I only left Broadway when the crash came The Depression killed the theater and the pictures were manna from heaven She had her first film success the next year however in The Lady Lies 1929 Her early notable films were all boxoffice hits and included Cleopatra 1934 in which she played the title role enticingly She had her greatest triumph playing a runaway heiress with enormous charm opposite Clark Gable in Capras comedy It Happened One Night 1934 for which she won the Academy Award as Best Actress By 1938 her keen ability in business made her the highest paid star in Hollywood By 1950 though her star had begun to wane She returned to the stage in 1956 when she replaced Margaret Sullavan during the spring and summer in the comedy Janus Appearances in other Broadway productions followed including The MarriageGoRound Besides the stage she did TV specials and had a supporting role in a notable TV movie The Two Mrs Grenvilles 1987 for which she received a Golden Globe award In 1989 she was presented with a Life Achievement award from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts She married actor Norman Foster in 1928 although they never lived together and were divorced after seven years She married surgeon Dr Joel Pressman soon after and remained married until his death in 1968 In latter years she divided her time between an apartment in New York and a 200yearold plantation house in Speightstown Barbados where she entertained such guests as Frank Sinatra and Ronald Reagan She remained on Barbados Island after her stroke On July 30 1996 Claudette died in Speightstown Barbados She was 92
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