About

Known credits:
100
Birthday:
1891-04-18
Place of birth:
Paris, France
Website:
N/A

Françoise Rosay

Overview

Françoise Rosay born Françoise Bandy de Nalèche, (19 April 1891 – 28 March 1974) was a French opera singer, diseuse, and actress who enjoyed a film career of over sixty years and who became a legendary figure in French cinema. She went on to appear in over 100 movies in her career.

Rosay was born Françoise Bandy de Nalèche in Paris, the illegitimate daughter of Marie-Thérèse Chauvin, an actress known as Sylviac. She originally planned to become an opera singer, and in 1917, won a prize at the Paris Conservatoire and made her debut at the Palais Garnier in the title role of Salammbô by Ernest Reyer. She also sang in Castor et Pollux by Rameau and Thaïs by Massenet.

Her first recorded film was Falstaff in 1911, and she began to work in Hollywood from 1929 onwards. In 1917, she married the director Jacques Feyder, with whom she remained until his death in 1948, having three sons. She appeared in several films under her husband's direction, including Le Grand Jeu (1933), Pension Mimosas (1934), La Kermesse héroïque (Carnival in Flanders) (1935) and Les Gens du voyage (1937). Rosay spent the duration of World War II in England and Switzerland, where she taught acting classes at the Conservatoire de Genève. She still appeared in films during this time, notably the British Halfway House (1944) as the refugee French wife of a British sea captain.

During her career, she appeared with all the great stars of French cinema, including Jean Gabin, Michèle Morgan, Raimu, Jeanne Moreau, Danielle Darrieux, Micheline Presle, Paul Meurisse, Gérard Philipe, Louis Jouvet, Michel Simon, Simone Signoret, Fernandel and Jean-Louis Barrault. In Hollywood, she co-starred with Charles Boyer, Maurice Chevalier and Buster Keaton and worked with directors such as William Dieterle (September Affair, 1949), Martin Ritt (The Sound and the Fury, 1958), Ronald Neame (The Seventh Sin, 1956) and Peter Glenville (Me and the Colonel, 1957) with Danny Kaye. In England she appeared in The Alien Corn, a segment of the W. Somerset Maugham anthology film Quartet. A highly accomplished pianist herself in real life, she played the role of a famous piano virtuoso who gives aspiring pianist Dirk Bogarde a compassionate but honest and devastating critical appraisal of his likelihood of becoming a great musician – which results in his suicide. She performs in the film Schubert's Impromptu in E flat.

In 1950 she appeared on stage at London's Winter Garden Theatre, playing the title role in 'Madame Tic Tac' but it had only a short run.

It was not until 1938 that her biological father, Count François Louis Bandy de Nalèche, acknowledged her as his daughter.

Her final appearance on film was in the Maximilian Schell-directed Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winner for Best Foreign-Language Foreign Film of 1974, Der Fußgänger (English title: The Pedestrian).

She died in Montgeron, Île-de-France, near Paris. Her grave is located in Sorel-Moussel, Île-de-France, where she is buried with her husband, movie director Jacques Feyder.

There are streets named after Françoise Rosay in Limoges, Montpellier, Chevry-Cossigny, Launaguet and Martigues.

Source: Article "Françoise Rosay" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Known for

Acting
1973 The Pedestrian Actor Frau Dechamps 59
Average
1972 Not Dumb, the Bird Actor Mme Morelli-Johnson 59
Average
1972 3000 Million Without an Elevator Actor Madame Dubreuil 58
Average
1969 Un merveilleux parfum d'oseille Actor Louise de Kerfuntel 59
Average
1968 Don't Take God's Children for Wild Geese Actor Léontine Palpicart aka 'La Gâteuse' 59
Average
1967 The 25th Hour Actor Mme Nagy 60
Fair
1966 L'Âge heureux Actor Mme Aubry 59
Average
1965 Cloportes Actor Gertrude, une "prêteuse" du milieu 59
Average
1965 Up from the Beach Actor Lili's Grandmother 59
Average
1964 Full Hearts and Empty Pockets Actor Borgia 59
Average
1962 Frau Cheneys Ende Actor Mrs. Webley N/A
N/A
1961 The Counterfeiters of Paris Actor Madame Pauline 60
Fair
1960 The Full Treatment Actor Madame Prade 59
Average
1960 Stefanie in Rio Actor Leonora Guala N/A
N/A
1960 Lovers Woods Actor Madame Parisot 58
Average
1959 Without Trumpet or Drum Actor La grand-mère de Marguerite N/A
N/A
1959 Eyes of Love Actor Mme Montcatel mère 58
Average
1959 Riff Raff Girls Actor Berthe 59
Average
1959 The Sound and the Fury Actor Caroline Compson 59
Average
1958 The Gambler Actor La tante Antonia 59
Average
1958 Me and the Colonel Actor Madame Bouffier 59
Average
1957 Non sono più guaglione Actor Vincenzino's mother N/A
N/A
1957 Interlude Actor Comtesse Reinhart 58
Average
1957 The Seventh Sin Actor Mother Superior 58
Average
1955 Girls of Today Actor padrona della pensione 58
Average
1955 That Lady Actor Bernardine 58
Average
1954 Queen Margot Actor Catherine de Médicis / Catharine of Medici 59
Average
1954 Les éloquents Actor Self N/A
N/A
1953 Sul ponte dei sospiri Actor Lady of Sant'Agata 58
Average
1952 He Who Is Without Sin... Actor La contessa Lamieri 59
Average
1952 Wanda the Sinner Actor Anna Steiner 58
Average
1952 Smuggler's Ball Actor Gabrielle Demeuse 58
Average
1952 The Seven Deadly Sins Actor Elisabeth de Pallières, the mother (segment "Pride") 59
Average
1951 Nobody's Children Actor La contessa Canali 59
Average
1951 The Red Inn Actor Marie Martin 60
Fair
1951 K – Das Haus des Schweigens Actor Noemi, die Amme N/A
N/A
1951 The 13th Letter Actor Mrs. Gauthier 58
Average
1950 The Naked Heart Actor Laura Chapdelaine N/A
N/A
1950 September Affair Actor Maria Salvatini 59
Average
1950 One Only Loves Once Actor Mme Monnier N/A
N/A
1950 Women Without Names Actor The Countess 59
Average
1949 The Barton Mystery Actor Élisabeth N/A
N/A
1949 Les vagabonds du rêve Actor Mireille Dombreval N/A
N/A
1948 Quartet Actor Lea Makart 59
Average
1948 Saraband for Dead Lovers Actor The Electress Sophia 59
Average
1947 La Dame de Haut-le-Bois Actor Countess Brévannes N/A
N/A
1946 Back Streets of Paris Actor Mme Rose, la tenancière de l'hôtel 59
Average
1945 Johnny Frenchman Actor Lanec Florrie 59
Average
1944 The Halfway House Actor Alice Meadows 59
Average
1944 Portrait of a Woman Actor Fanny Helder N/A
N/A
1940 They Were Twelve Women Actor La duchesse de Vimeuse 59
Average
1939 Serge Panine Actor Madame Devarenne 59
Average
1938 Fahrendes Volk Actor Madame Flora 58
Average
1938 The Chess Player Actor Catherine II 58
Average
1938 Peace on the Rhine Actor Francoise Scheffer 59
Average
1938 The Stream Actor Régina Berry 58
Average
1938 People Who Travel Actor Flora 59
Average
1938 Ramuntcho Actor Dolorès Detcharry N/A
N/A
1937 Drôle de Drame Actor Margaret Molyneux 60
Fair
1937 Life Dances On Actor Marguerite Audié 59
Average
1937 My Son the Minister Actor Sylvie - seine Mutter 59
Average
1937 The Robber Symphony Actor The fortune teller 59
Average
1937 Armchair 47 Actor Gilberte Boulanger 59
Average
1936 Jenny Actor Jenny Gauthier 59
Average
1936 The Secret of Polichinelle Actor Mrs. Jouvenel N/A
N/A
1936 Carnival in Flanders Actor Cornelia N/A
N/A
1935 Carnival in Flanders Actor Madame Burgomaster 60
Fair
1935 Marie des angoisses Actor Mme de Quersac N/A
N/A
1935 Gangster malgré lui Actor N/A
N/A
1935 Maternité Actor Mrs. Duchemin N/A
N/A
1935 Whirlpool Actor Madame Gardane 58
Average
1935 Pension Mimosas Actor Louise Noblet 59
Average
1935 Le Billet de mille Actor The Russian Countess N/A
N/A
1935 Marchand d'amour Actor Clara N/A
N/A
1934 Die Insel Actor Silvia 58
Average
1934 Vers l'abîme Actor Sylvia N/A
N/A
1934 Coralie and Company Actor N/A
N/A
1934 The Great Game Actor Blanche 59
Average
1934 Tambour battant Actor The Princess Mother N/A
N/A
1933 Abbot Constantine Actor La comtesse de Laverdens 58
Average
1933 All for Nothing Actor Mrs. Bossu N/A
N/A
1933 La Pouponnière Actor Mrs. Delannoy N/A
N/A
1932 The Woman Dressed As a Man Actor Princess Marie N/A
N/A
1932 A Father Without Knowing It Actor Madame Jacquet N/A
N/A
1932 He Actor Madame Husson 59
Average
1931 Luck Actor Mme Mougeot N/A
N/A
1931 The Trial of Mary Dugan Actor The widow N/A
N/A
1931 Casanova wider Willen Actor Blanche Brissac N/A
N/A
1931 Jenny Lind Actor Rosatti N/A
N/A
1931 The Magnificent Lie Actor Rosa Duchêne N/A
N/A
1931 Let Us Be Gay Actor Madame Boucijon N/A
N/A
1931 The Little Cafe Actor Mademoiselle Edwige N/A
N/A
1929 The One Woman Idea Actor Zuleide, Alizar's Mother 58
Average
1928 Two Timid Souls Actor The aunt 59
Average
1928 Madame Récamier Actor Madame de Staël N/A
N/A
1927 Le bateau de verre Actor Madame d'Arcy, his wife N/A
N/A
1926 Gribiche Actor Edith Maranet 59
Average
1922 Crainquebille Actor Shoe Store Customer 59
Average

Directing
1925 Faces of Children Directing Assistant Director 59
Average

Writing
1925 Faces of Children Writing Writer 59
Average