Singer, actress and director Jeanne Moreau, along with Catherine Deneuve and Bridget Bardot, went down in history as one of the symbols of not only the “new wave”, but of French cinema as a whole. Talent, expressive appearance, wonderful vocal abilities allowed the actress to collaborate with a number of the greatest directors of the world, to act in films of various planes: from art house to television series. The images created by Moreau were included in acting textbooks, and her freedom-loving character, her ability to behave with dignity made her a real icon for both actresses and ordinary women.
Childhood and youth
Jeanne Moreau was born on January 23, 1928 in Paris. Her family belonged to a wealthy class and did not shy away from art: her mother was a ballerina in her youth. Jeanne's father worked in the hotel business. He owned a small hotel, the income from which was enough to provide for his family. However, the childhood of the future great actress can not be called cloudless. In World War II began in 1939, and France was soon occupied by the Wehrmacht. Repression affected the Moro family: her mother was arrested.
Despite all the hardships of life in the occupation, Moreau did not lose her innate love of life and artistry. Under the influence of her mother, Jeanne became interested in theater, although her father initially took it with hostility. She received the necessary education at the acting department of the prestigious Higher National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Paris. As an actress, Jeanne Moreau first showed herself at the age of 19, playing a major role in the play "Midday Terrace."
Theater work
The game of the aspiring actress not only pleased the audience, but also aroused interest from theater critics. After the debut performance, Jeanne was enrolled in the troupe "Comedy Francaise". This was a real success: never before had such young actresses been accepted into one of the most famous theaters in France. For four years, Jeanne remained a key actress, participated in all major performances. Even then, the basic principles of her work on the image were formed: Jeanne Moreau gave her heroines an inner depth, feminine intelligence, and confidence was manifested in every word and gesture. Many world-famous directors personally asked Jeanne to play a role in their productions.
Going to the cinema
Although the theater forever became the second home for the actress, in the mid-50s, she increasingly paid attention to cinema. For the first time on the screen, she appeared in 1949 in a cameo role in the film "Last Love".
Critics noted the lack of model data for Jeanne, without which in those years it was impossible to become a screen star. However, the actress showed determination and even refused makeup. Inconsistency with the canons of beauty, she successfully compensated for acting. And although her first films are a series of insignificant and almost forgotten thrillers today, Moro was very soon able to get to talk about herself as one of the greatest actresses of her time.
Louis Mal and World Success
In the biography of Jeanne Moreau, a special place is occupied by the fruitful collaboration that began with the novel with one of the most prominent representatives of the French new wave, director Louis Maleme. In 1957, she starred in his film "Scaffold Lift." Secured the success of the next picture - "Lovers".
The plot of this film caused a heated discussion. Moreau played the unfortunate wife of an ever-busy rich man. An accidental acquaintance with a man of a completely different circle, contemptuous of the lifestyle of the French bourgeoisie, dramatically changes her life and raises a number of difficult questions. For 1958, it was an extremely frank film, teeming with frank scenes. Disputes surrounding him reached the United States, where the director of one of the cinemas was convicted of renting this picture, but after an appeal to the Supreme Court the charge was dropped.
Thanks to the film "Lovers", Jeanne Moreau finally became one of the largest movie stars. She became interested in other eminent directors, including François Truffaut, Michelangelo Antonioni, Orson Welles and Luis Bunuel.
On top of success
Unlike many other actresses who became the darlings of the public, Jeanne Moreau did not loosen her control. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, she was able not only to dissolve in the director's plan, but also to let him through herself. She was connected with friendly relations with many prominent artists, to whom she was always ready to come to the rescue. So, when Truffaut encountered financial difficulties in preparing the film “400 Beats,” Moro gave him the necessary amount. But gratitude from the director was not long in coming. In 1962, he wrote specially for Moreau the film "Jules and Jim", which the actress considered the best in her career.
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The skill of Jeanne Moreau was awarded the Venice Film Festival Prize for Best Actress in 1960. In an effort to create deep and thoughtful images, the actress was interested in all stages of filmmaking. Sometimes she participated in writing the script, acted as a co-producer. The result of such an attentive attitude to his profession was his own set of films.
Director's career
As a director, Jeanne Moreau directed three films: Light (1976), Teen (1979) and Lillian Guiche (1983). To the first two, she wrote the scripts herself. But, despite a long film career and rich experience, Moro’s projects as a director did not succeed. Among the shortcomings of the first film were called excessive complexity, growing into pretentiousness, and a nasty game of actors. The failure of Sveta at the box office led to the financial ruin of Moreau. For a long time she had to pay her bills and even get into debt for this. In search of funds, the actress went to the United States, where she took part in the Broadway musical "Iguana Night" - a purely commercial project, too small for an actress of this level.
Last years
The failure in the rental of "Light" had the effect and the departure of the actress from the screens. Over the years, she starred mainly in secondary and episodic roles, occasionally agreeing to larger ones if she liked the project. In the early 80s, she met with the director of television films, Josie Dayan. Women quickly became close friends, and Moreau often starred in her films. According to the recollections of the actress, it was thanks to Dayan that she realized that she could play age-related roles.
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Leaving the big movie was offset by activity in other areas. Moreau recorded several records, twice headed the Cannes Film Festival. The actress devoted a lot of time to the search for new talents. To this end, she visited the perestroika of the USSR and starred in the film of the Soviet director "Anna Karamazoff". However, the audience reacted to the film coldly. This, as well as the conflict with the director over the final editing, prompted the actress to demand the withdrawal of the film from wide distribution.
In the 21st century, the actress entered as the master of the episode. The small roles of Jeanne Moreau in the films “Farewell Time” by François Ozon and “To the West” by Akhmed Imamovich reminded the viewer that he was dealing with an actress of the first magnitude. The last appearance on the screen happened when the actress turned 84 years old. She starred in the film of another long-liver from the cinema of Manuel di Oliveira (at the time of filming the director was 104 years old) - "Rebo and Shadow."
Personal life
Jeanne Moreau married for the first time in 1949. Her chosen one was the actor and director Jean-Louis Richard. Although the only child of the actress was born from this marriage - the son Jerome - the couple quickly cooled to each other. They officially divorced in 1964, but even before that they had allowed themselves romantic adventures on the side. So, Moreau began a romance first with Louis Maley, and then Francois Truffaut. In addition to them, throughout her long life, the actress met with the famous designer Pierre Cardin, actor Theodoros Rubanis and musician Miles Davis.
For the second time, Moreau married in 1977, the American director William Fridkin. However, this marriage did not last long. Two years later, the couple broke up.
July 31, 2017, the actress quietly died in her apartment in Paris. Her body was discovered by a housekeeper.