Claude Mérelle (born Lise Henriette Marie Laurent; 17 May 1888 – 16 December 1976) was a French stage and film actress who appeared in numerous films during the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

era of the early 1910s through the late 1920s.

Career

Claude Mérelle was born Lise Henriette Marie Laurent in

Colombes Colombes () is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. In 2019, Colombes was the 53rd largest city in France. Name The name Colombes comes from Latin ''columna'' (Old French ''colombe'') ...

, France in 1888, she made her film debut in the 1912 short ''Les noces siciliennes'', directed by

Louis Feuillade Louis Feuillade (; 19 February 1873 – 25 February 1925) was a French filmmaker of the silent era. Between 1906 and 1924, he directed over 630 films. He is primarily known for the crime serials ''Fantômas'', ''Les Vampires'' and ''Judex'' ...

. She would go on to appear in numerous film serials throughout the 1910s under the name Lise Laurent and directed by filmmakers such as Feuillade,

Henri Pouctal Henri Pouctal (21 October 1860 – 2 February 1922) was an early French silent film director and actor best known for his silent films of the 1910s, notably ''Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ...

and

Henri Diamant-Berger Henri Diamant-Berger (9 June 1895 – 7 May 1972) was a French director, producer and screenwriter. In a career that lasted more than 50 years, he directed 48 films between 1913 and 1959, produced 17 between 1925 and 1967 and wrote 21 screenpl ...

before using the stage name Claude Mérelle beginning in 1918. Mérelle most often appeared in film serials throughout her career, such as 1924's ''Les aventures de Robinson Crusoé'', directed by Gaston Leprieur; 1924's ''Les amours de Rocambole'', directed by Charles Maudru; 1925's ''Jean Chouans'', directed by

Luitz-Morat Luitz-Morat (1884–1929) was a French actor, screenwriter and film director.Oscherwitz p.35 Selected filmography * ''A Roman Orgy'' (1911) * ''The City Destroyed'' (1924) * '' Surcouf'' (1925) * ''Jean Chouan'' (1926) * ''The Chocolate Girl'' (1 ...

; 1926's ''Le capitaine Rascasse'',

Henri Desfontaines Henri Desfontaines (12 November 1876, Paris – 7 January 1931, Paris) was a French film director, actor, and scriptwriter. Filmography As director * 1908 : ''Hamlet'' * 1909 : '' Le Puits et le pendule'' * 1910 : '' Un invité gênant'' * 1 ...

and 1926's ''Le juif errant'', directed by Luitz-Morat. Her final film appearance was in the 1928 drama ''Rapa-Nui'' (also known as ''The Golden Abyss'') directed by

Mario Bonnard Mario Bonnard (24 December 1889 – 22 March 1965) was an Italian actor and film director. Bonnard was born and died in Rome. He began his cinematic career as an actor becoming a popular romantic lead in numerous silent films made before World ...

and starring

André Roanne André Roanne (born André Albert Louis Rahou; 22 September 1896, in Paris – 4 September 1959, in Cannes) was a French actor. He began his career playing in short films, and acted in 91 films in total, most notably those of Fernandel. Most of h ...

Personal life

Claude Mérelle was married to stage and film actor Albert Decoeur from 1923 until his death in 1942. The two had appeared in several films together.Gaumont Pathé archives
Retrieved 10 August 2016. She retired from films in 1928 and died in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

in 1976 at age 88.

Selected filmography

References

External links

* 1888 births 1976 deaths French stage actresses French film actresses French silent film actresses People from Colombes 20th-century French actresses {{France-actor-stub