Corinne Luchaire
Encyclopedia
Corinne Luchaire was a French film actress who was a star of French cinema on the eve of Second World War. Her association with the German occupation led her to be sentenced to "national indignity" after the war, and after writing an autobiography she died from tuberculosis aged only 28.
called her "the new Garbo
." She starred in 1939 in Le Dernier Tournant
(The Last Bend), the first version of the novel The Postman Always Rings Twice
.
, who supported the Vichy regime's Révolution nationale
. Her paternal grandfather Julien Luchaire was a playwright and her maternal grandfather Armand Besnard was a painter. Her sister Florence was also an actress. Her mother, also a painter, became Gustav Stresemann
's mistress, and they moved to Germany with Corinne. Corinne charmed Stresemann's friend Kurt Freiherr von Schröder, who let her live in his mansion. Corinne grew up around the Nazis who frequented the banker Schröder at his home. There, she met German ambassador Otto Abetz
, who married her father's secretary. Until 1939 she was his mistress. She accompanied her father to Vichy Paris in August 1940. She was briefly married to a French aristocrat, Guy de Voisins-Lavernière, who served as a Luftwaffe captain. They had one daughter, Brigitte, but divorced. She had a brief relationship with Charles Trenet
. She became a well-known, piquant French actress, and she benefited during the Occupation from the political and social position of her father, the editor of Le Matin, Les Temps Nouveaux, and Toute la vie. She was frequently ill, and stopped acting in 1940.
After World War II, Corinne attempted suicide then escaped to Sigmaringen, Germany
and Merano, Italy, but she and her father were arrested in May 1945 and imprisoned at Fresnes. She spent several months in jail in Nice, and was sentenced to ten years of dégradation nationale
in June 1946. Her father, condemned to death for treason, was shot in February 1946.
In 1949, Luchaire published her autobiography, entitled Ma drôle de vie (My funny life), about her stardom under the German occupation. The book was criticised as naive and failing to analyse her role in the Nazi occupation. She died of tuberculosis
on 22 January 1950 at the Clinique Médicale Edouard Rist in Paris. She is buried at the Cimetière de Bagneux
dans les Hauts-de-Seine.
Acting
Luchaire left school to join the drama class of Raymond Rouleau. Luchaire made her acting debut under the name Rose Davel at the age of 16 in a play written by her grandfather, Altitude 3 200. She starred aged 17 in Prison sans barreaux, which in 1938 was remade in English in London as Prison Without Bars, with her again in the lead role. She spoke English fluently. Mary PickfordMary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
called her "the new Garbo
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
." She starred in 1939 in Le Dernier Tournant
Le Dernier tournant
Le Dernier tournant is a 1939 French drama film directed by Pierre Chenal, written by Charles Spaak and Henri Torrès, based on novel "The Postman Always Rings Twice" by James M...
(The Last Bend), the first version of the novel The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1934 crime novel by James M. Cain.The novel was quite successful and notorious upon publication, and is regarded as one of the more important crime novels of the 20th century...
.
Personal life
Born Rosita Christiane Yvette Luchaire in Paris, she was the daughter of journalist and politician Jean LuchaireJean Luchaire
Jean Luchaire was a French journalist and politician who founded the weekly Notre Temps in 1927 and the Collaborationist evening daily Les Nouveaux Temps in 1940. Luchaire supported the Vichy regime's Révolution nationale.Born in Siena, Italy, he was a grand nephew of historian Achille Luchaire...
, who supported the Vichy regime's Révolution nationale
Révolution nationale
The Révolution nationale was the official ideological name under which the Vichy regime established by Marshal Philippe Pétain in July 1940 presented its program...
. Her paternal grandfather Julien Luchaire was a playwright and her maternal grandfather Armand Besnard was a painter. Her sister Florence was also an actress. Her mother, also a painter, became Gustav Stresemann
Gustav Stresemann
was a German politician and statesman who served as Chancellor and Foreign Minister during the Weimar Republic. He was co-laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1926.Stresemann's politics defy easy categorization...
's mistress, and they moved to Germany with Corinne. Corinne charmed Stresemann's friend Kurt Freiherr von Schröder, who let her live in his mansion. Corinne grew up around the Nazis who frequented the banker Schröder at his home. There, she met German ambassador Otto Abetz
Otto Abetz
Dr. Heinrich Otto Abetz was the German ambassador to Vichy France during World War II.-Early years:Abetz was born in Schwetzingen on May 26, 1903. He was the son of an estate manager, who died when Otto was only 13...
, who married her father's secretary. Until 1939 she was his mistress. She accompanied her father to Vichy Paris in August 1940. She was briefly married to a French aristocrat, Guy de Voisins-Lavernière, who served as a Luftwaffe captain. They had one daughter, Brigitte, but divorced. She had a brief relationship with Charles Trenet
Charles Trenet
Charles Trenet was a French singer and songwriter, most famous for his recordings from the late 1930s until the mid-1950s, though his career continued through the 1990s...
. She became a well-known, piquant French actress, and she benefited during the Occupation from the political and social position of her father, the editor of Le Matin, Les Temps Nouveaux, and Toute la vie. She was frequently ill, and stopped acting in 1940.
After World War II, Corinne attempted suicide then escaped to Sigmaringen, Germany
Sigmaringen
Sigmaringen is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen district....
and Merano, Italy, but she and her father were arrested in May 1945 and imprisoned at Fresnes. She spent several months in jail in Nice, and was sentenced to ten years of dégradation nationale
Dégradation nationale
The dégradation nationale was a sentence introduced in France after the Liberation. It was applied during the épuration légale which followed the fall of the Vichy regime....
in June 1946. Her father, condemned to death for treason, was shot in February 1946.
In 1949, Luchaire published her autobiography, entitled Ma drôle de vie (My funny life), about her stardom under the German occupation. The book was criticised as naive and failing to analyse her role in the Nazi occupation. She died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
on 22 January 1950 at the Clinique Médicale Edouard Rist in Paris. She is buried at the Cimetière de Bagneux
Cimetière de Bagneux
Located to the southwest of the city of Paris, France, the Cimetière de Bagneux is located at 44, avenue Marx-Dormoy, in Montrouge, Hauts-de-Seine....
dans les Hauts-de-Seine.
Filmography
- Les Beaux jours by Marc AllegretMarc AllégretMarc Allégret was a French screenwriter and film director.Born in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, he was the elder brother of Yves Allégret. Marc was educated to be a lawyer. Allégret became André Gide's lover when he was fifteen and Gide was forty-seven...
(1935) - Le Chanteur de minuit (1937)
- Prison sans barreauxPrison Without BarsPrison Without Bars is a 1938 British black-and-white, crime film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Ronald Shiner as a gendarme. It was produced by Alexander Korda Film Productions.-Synopsis:...
by Leonid Moguy (1938) - ConflitConflitConflit is a 1938 French drama film directed by Léonide Moguy, who co-wrote screenplay with Hans Wilhelm and Charles Gombault , based on novel "Les soeurs Kleh" by Gina Kaus.-Cast:*Corinne Luchaire as Claire...
by Leonid Moguy (1938) aka Conflict - Le Dernier tournantLe Dernier tournantLe Dernier tournant is a 1939 French drama film directed by Pierre Chenal, written by Charles Spaak and Henri Torrès, based on novel "The Postman Always Rings Twice" by James M...
by Pierre ChenalPierre ChenalPierre Chenal was a French director and screenwriter who flourished in the 1930s, and was best known for film noir thrillers such as the 1937 film L’Alibi, where he worked with Erich von Stroheim and Louis Jouvet. In 1939 he made Le Dernier Tournant, the first of many film treatments of James M...
(1939) aka The Last Turning - Le DéserteurLe déserteurLe déserteur is an opéra comique by the French composer Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny with a libretto by Michel-Jean Sedaine. It was first staged at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris on 6 March 1769....
(1939) - AbbandonoAbbandonoAbbandono is a 1940 Italian drama film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Corinne Luchaire.-Cast:* Corinne Luchaire - Anna...
(The Intruder) by Mario MattoliMario MattoliMario Mattoli was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 86 films between 1934 and 1966....
(1940) - Cavalcade d'amour (1940) aka Love Cavalcade