Denise Grey (born Édouardine Verthuy; 17 September 1896 – 13 January 1996) was an Italian-born actress who became a naturalized French citizen.

Biography

Édouardine Grey was born in Châtillon in the

Aosta Valley , Valdostan or Valdotainian it, Valdostano (man) it, Valdostana (woman)french: Valdôtain (man)french: Valdôtaine (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = Official languages , population_blank1 = Italian French ...

of north-west Italy, close to the French border. The town at the time primarily spoke the

Valdôtain dialect Valdôtain (; local dialect: ''Valdotèn'', ''Valdŏtèn'', ''Valdouhtan'') is a dialect of Arpitan (Franco-Provençal) spoken in the Aosta Valley in Italy. It is commonly known as ''patois'' or ''patoué''. Diffusion The Aosta Valley repres ...

. She was naturalized as a French citizen on 13 July 1922. She started working in the film industry in 1915 in the silent film ''En famille'', an adaptation of the novel by

Hector Malot Hector-Henri Malot (Hector Malot) (20 May 1830 – 18 July 1907) was a French writer born in La Bouille, Seine-Maritime. He studied law in Rouen and Paris, but eventually literature became his passion. He worked as a dramatic critic for ''Lloyd ...

, before dedicating herself to theatre work. She went back to working in films, now talkies, in the 1930s. She came to fame in the 1940s with films such as ''

Monsieur Hector ''Monsieur Hector'' is a 1940 French musical comedy film based upon the play by Pierre de Marivaux, directed by Maurice Cammage and starring Fernandel, Denise Grey and Georges Grey.Quinlan p.178 It was shot at the Neuilly Studios in Paris. The ...

'' (1940), ''Boléro'' (1942) or ''Devil in the Flesh'' (1947). Old age did not end her career. For example, in 1972, she starred in a French television series called ''

Les Rois maudits ''The Accursed Kings'' (french: Les Rois maudits ) is a series of historical novels by French author Maurice Druon about the French monarchy in the 14th century. Published between 1955 and 1977, the series has been adapted as a miniseries twice ...

''. Thanks to the film '' La Boum'', in which she plays "Poupette", the great-grandmother of Sophie Marceau, she gained recognition from a new audience growing up in the 1980s. In 1986, she sang ''Devenir vieux'' (Becoming Old). She was a member of the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

between 1944 and 1946 and between 1957 and 1958.

Personal life

She had a daughter: Suzanne Grey, also an actress, who was born on 28 June 1917 and died on 13 December 2005.

Death

She died in 1996, a few months before reaching the age of 100. She rests next to her husband in the cemetery of

Arradon Arradon (; br, Aradon) is a commune in the Morbihan department in the Brittany region in northwestern France. Population The inhabitants of Arradon are known as ''Arradonnais''. Map See also *Communes of the Morbihan department The ...

(

Morbihan Morbihan ( , ; br, Mor-Bihan ) is a department in the administrative region of Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton), the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastl ...

Selected filmography

* '' Serge Panine'' (1939) * ''

'' (1940) * '' The Blue Veil'' (1942) * ''

Bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

'' (1942) * '' Goodbye Leonard'' (1943) * ''

Majestic Hotel Cellars ''Majestic Hotel Cellars'' (French: ''Les caves du Majestic'') is a 1945 French mystery film directed by Richard Pottier and starring Albert Préjean, Suzy Prim and Denise Grey. It is based on the Maigret novel '' Maigret and the Hotel Majest ...

'' (1945) * ''

The Ideal Couple ''The Ideal Couple'' (French: ''Le couple idéal'') is a 1946 French comedy film directed by Bernard-Roland and Raymond Rouleau and starring Raymond Rouleau, Hélène Perdrière Hélène Perdrière (born 17 April 1912 in Asnieres-sur-Seine, d ...

'' (1946) * '' Strange Fate'' (1946) *''

Coincidences A coincidence is a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances that have no apparent causal connection with one another. The perception of remarkable coincidences may lead to supernatural, occult, or paranormal claims, or it may lead t ...

'' (1947) * '' Devil in the Flesh'' (1947) * ''

Blonde Blond (male) or blonde (female), also referred to as fair hair, is a hair color characterized by low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some yellowish color. The color can ...

'' (1950) * ''

Rome Express ''Rome Express'' is a 1932 British thriller film directed by Walter Forde and starring Esther Ralston and Conrad Veidt. Based on a story by Clifford Grey, with a screenplay by Sidney Gilliat, the film is a tale about a European express train ...

'' (1950) * '' Article 519, Penal Code'' (1952) * ''

The Tour of the Grand Dukes ''The Tour of the Grand Dukes'' (French: ''La Tournée des grands ducs'') is a 1953 French musical comedy film directed by André Pellenc and starring Raymond Bussières, Denise Grey and Christian Duvaleix as well as featuring the singer Lily Fay ...

'' (1953) * ''

The Father of the Girl ''The Father of the Girl'' (French: ''Le père de Mademoiselle'') is a 1953 French comedy film directed by Marcel L'Herbier and starring Arletty, Suzy Carrier and André Luguet.Parish p.14 Cast * Arletty as Edith Mars * Suzy Carrier as Fran� ...

'' (1953) * ''

The Pirates of the Bois de Boulogne ''The Pirates of the Bois de Boulogne'' (French: ''Les Corsaires du Bois de Boulogne'') is a 1954 French comedy film directed by Norbert Carbonnaux and starring Raymond Bussières, Annette Poivre and Christian Duvaleix. Synopsis A group of Pari ...

'' (1954) * ''

The Sheep Has Five Legs ''The Five-Legged Sheep'' (french: Le Mouton à cinq pattes) is a 1954 French comedy film directed by Henri Verneuil. It won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Story. It's ...

'' (1954) * ''

Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (; rus, links=no, Григорий Ефимович Распутин ; – ) was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, thus ga ...

'' (1954) * '' Poisson d'avril'' (1954) * ''

Il seduttore ''Il seduttore'' (translation: ''The Seducer'') is a 1954 Italian comedy film directed by Franco Rossi. It was adapted from the play by Diego Fabbri. Plot Alberto is forced to face his wife and his two lovers at the same time. Cast * Alb ...

'' (1954) * ''

Spring, Autumn and Love ''Spring, Autumn and Love'' (French: ''Le printemps, l'automne et l'amour'') is a 1955 French-Italian comedy drama film directed by Gilles Grangier and starring Fernandel, Nicole Berger and Andrex.Parish p.177 The film's sets were designed by J ...

'' (1955) * '' It's All Adam's Fault'' (1958) * '' Bombs on Monte Carlo'' (1960) * ''

'' (1972) * '' La boum'' (1980) * '' A Fine Romance'' (1991)

References

1896 births 1996 deaths People from Aosta Valley Italian emigrants to France Naturalized citizens of France French stage actresses French film actresses French silent film actresses French television actresses Troupe of the Comédie-Française Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite 20th-century French actresses {{France-actor-stub