Lila Kedrova
Encyclopedia
Lila Kedrova was a Russian-born French actress.
, Russia
. Her parents were Russian opera singers. Lila Kedrova's brother was Nikolay Kedrov, Jr. Her father, Nikolay Kedrov, Sr., was a singer and composer, a creator of the first Russian male quartet to perform liturgical chants. Her mother, Sofia Gladkaya (ru: Софья Николаевна Гладкая) (1875—1965), was a singer at the Mariinsky Theatre
. In 1922, some time after the October Revolution
, the family emigrated from Russia and lived in Berlin
. In 1928 they moved to France
. There, Kedrova's mother taught at the Conservatoire de Paris
, and her father once again recreated the quartet "Quatuor Kedroff". In 1932, Lila Kedrova joined the Moscow Art Theatre
touring company. Then her film career began, mostly in French films, until her first English appearance in 1964 as Mme Hortense in Zorba the Greek. Her performance won her the Oscar
for Best Supporting Actress. She then went on to play a series of eccentric or batty ladies in several Hollywood films.
In 1983, she reprised her role as Mme Hortense on Broadway in the musical version of Zorba the Greek
, winning both a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
and a Drama Desk Award
in the process. In 1989 she played Madame Armfeldt in the London
revival of A Little Night Music
.
, Canada
, of pneumonia
, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease
.
Biography
Kedrova claimed to have been born in 1918, in Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Her parents were Russian opera singers. Lila Kedrova's brother was Nikolay Kedrov, Jr. Her father, Nikolay Kedrov, Sr., was a singer and composer, a creator of the first Russian male quartet to perform liturgical chants. Her mother, Sofia Gladkaya (ru: Софья Николаевна Гладкая) (1875—1965), was a singer at the Mariinsky Theatre
Mariinsky Theatre
The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. The...
. In 1922, some time after the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, the family emigrated from Russia and lived in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. In 1928 they moved to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. There, Kedrova's mother taught at the Conservatoire de Paris
Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France...
, and her father once again recreated the quartet "Quatuor Kedroff". In 1932, Lila Kedrova joined the Moscow Art Theatre
Moscow Art Theatre
The Moscow Art Theatre is a theatre company in Moscow that the seminal Russian theatre practitioner Constantin Stanislavski, together with the playwright and director Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, founded in 1898. It was conceived as a venue for naturalistic theatre, in contrast to the melodramas...
touring company. Then her film career began, mostly in French films, until her first English appearance in 1964 as Mme Hortense in Zorba the Greek. Her performance won her the Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Supporting Actress. She then went on to play a series of eccentric or batty ladies in several Hollywood films.
In 1983, she reprised her role as Mme Hortense on Broadway in the musical version of Zorba the Greek
Zorba the Greek
Zorba the Greek is a 1964 film based on the novel Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis. The film was directed by Cypriot Michael Cacoyannis and the title character was played by Anthony Quinn...
, winning both a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
This is a list of the winners and nominations of the Tony Award for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical. The award, introduced in 1950, was previously named as Best Performance by a Featured or Supporting Actress in a Musical until 1976....
and a Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
in the process. In 1989 she played Madame Armfeldt in the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
revival of A Little Night Music
A Little Night Music
A Little Night Music is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a literal English translation of the German name for Mozart's Serenade...
.
Death
In 2000, Lila Kedrova died at her summer home in Sault Ste. Marie, OntarioSault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
.
Filmography
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultimatum | 1938 | Irina | as Lila Kédrova |
| Weg ohne Umkehr | 1953 | Ljuba | |
| 1954 | uncredited | ||
| Flesh and the Woman Flesh and the Woman Flesh and the Woman is a 1954 French drama film directed by Robert Siodmak. It was entered into the 1954 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Gina Lollobrigida - Sylvia Sorrego / Helena Ricci* Jean-Claude Pascal - Pierre Martel* Arletty - Blanche... |
1954 | Rose | |
| 1955 | Mme. Denis, la concierge | ||
| 1955 | Le femme de Bastien | uncredited | |
| 1955 | |||
| Futures vedettes Futures vedettes Futures vedettes is a French drama film from 1955, directed by Marc Allégret, written by Marc Allégret, starring Brigitte Bardot and Jean Marais. The scenario was based on a novel of Vicki Baum. The film was known under the title "Joy of Living" or "School for Love" , "Sweet Sixteen" , "Reif auf... |
1955 | Sophie's mother | |
| Razzia sur la Chnouf | 1955 | Léa | |
| Calle Mayor | 1956 | ||
| Jusqu'au dernier | 1957 | Marcella Bastia | |
| Ce joli monde | 1957 | Léa | |
| The Lovers of Montparnasse | 1958 | Mme. Sborowsky | |
| Mon pote le gitan Mon pote le gitan Mon pote le gitan , is a French comedy film from 1959, directed by François Gir, written by Alain Blancel, starring Louis de Funès. In Italy the film is known under the title: "Il dottor zivago".... |
1959 | La Choute | |
| Jons und Erdme | 1959 | ||
| 1959 | Manuel | ||
| Kriss Romani | 1963 | ||
| 1964 | |||
| Zorba the Greek | 1964 | Madame Hortense | |
| 1965 | Rosa, Tampico Bar Owner | ||
| Torn Curtain Torn Curtain Torn Curtain is a 1966 American political thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Paul Newman and Julie Andrews.-Plot:On a cruise ship en route to Copenhagen, Michael Armstrong , an esteemed American physicist and rocket scientist, is to attend a scientific conference... |
1966 | Countess Kuchinska | |
| Penelope Penelope (1966 film) Penelope is a 1966 comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Natalie Wood, Ian Bannen, Peter Falk, Jonathan Winters, and Dick Shawn.-Plot:Penelope Elcott is the wife of wealthy banker of James Elcott... |
1966 | Sadaba | |
| Maigret à Pigalle | 1967 | Rise | |
| 1967 | Rosa | ||
| 1968 | |||
| Il Suo modo di fare | 1969 | Yolanda's mother | |
| 1970 | |||
| 1971 | Madame Olga Dubillard | ||
| Rak | 1972 | ||
| Escape to the Sun Escape to the Sun Escape to the Sun is a 1972 drama film written and directed by Menahem Golan and starring Laurence Harvey, Josephine Chaplin, John Ireland, Lila Kedrova and Jack Hawkins. A group of people wish to flee the Soviet Union to escape political repression, but their activities soon attract the attention... |
1972 | Sarah Kaplan | |
| Soft Beds, Hard Battles Soft Beds, Hard Battles Soft Beds, Hard Battles is a 1974 British comedy film directed by Roy Boulting, and starring Peter Sellers.... |
1974 | ||
| Alla mia cara mamma nel giorno del suo compleanno | 1974 | ||
| Il Medaglione insanguinato | 1975 | Contessa Cappelli | |
| Eliza's Horoscope | 1975 | Lila | |
| Footprints on the Moon | 1975 | Old woman on the beach | |
| 1976 | Madame Gaderian | ||
| Moi, fleur bleue | 1977 | Countess de Tocqueville | |
| Nido de viudas | 1977 | Mother | |
| 1978 | Camille Chevallier | ||
| 1979 | Olga | ||
| 1979 | Charlotte | ||
| Clair de femme | 1979 | Sonia | |
| Tell Me a Riddle Tell Me a Riddle Tell Me a Riddle is a 1980 American drama film directed by Lee Grant. The screenplay by Joyce Eliason and Alev Lytle is based on Tillie Olsen's collection of four short stories of the same name which won the 1961 O. Henry Award. This is Grant's first film as director... |
1980 | Golden Mask Guldmasken Guldmasken , or Guldmasken Awards, is the Swedish equivalent of the Tony Awards, established in 1987.The theatre award is annually handed out for private theatre productions in Swedish theatres.-Categories:... Award |
|
| Les Parents terribles Les Parents terribles (1980 film) Les Parents terribles is a French TV film from 1980. It was directed by Yves-André Hubert written by Jean Cocteau, starring Jean Marais, France Delahalle, and Lila Kedrova.- Cast :* Jean Marais : Georges* France Delahalle : Leo* Lila Kedrova : Yvonne... |
1980 | ||
| Il Turno | 1981 | Maria | |
| Blood Tide Blood Tide Blood Tide is a 1982 British film directed by Richard Jefferies.The film is also known as Bloodtide and Demon Island... |
1982 | Sister Anna | |
| Testament Testament (film) Testament is a drama film directed by Lynne Littman and starring Jane Alexander.The film tells the story of how one small suburban town near the San Francisco Bay Area slowly falls apart after a nuclear war destroys outside civilization.... |
1983 | uncredited | |
| Sword of the Valiant | 1984 | Lady of Lyonesse | |
| Some Girls Some Girls Some Girls is the 14th British and 16th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1978 on Rolling Stones Records, catalogue COC 39108... |
1988 | Granny | |
| 1991 | |||
| 1994 | Mother |