Lilian Greuze (1890-1950) was a French

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, and actress of the stage and screen. She was from

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Theater ingenue (stock character)

She was a

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Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 or 23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including '' La Dame Aux Camel ...

and performed at the French Theater on West 44th Street in Manhattan (New York). Her first New York appearance came during the 1915 theatrical season. Greuze was one of many French notables who were recruited by Lucien Laurent Bonheur, director of the French Theater. She acted in a humorous sketch entitled ''English School'' in her first American stage performance. She was paired with George Ranavant. An observer remarked about her skill in speaking, ''So perfect was her enunciation and the modulation of her voice that every syllable could be heard distinctly in the rear of the auditorium.'' In December 1915 she played with

Paul Gavault Paul Armand Marcel Gavault (1 September 1866 - 25 December 1951) was a French dramatist, playwright and former director of the théâtre de l'Odéon. Biography He enjoyed a hit with his 1906 comic play '' Mademoiselle Josette, My Woman'' whi ...

at the French Theatre in ''Mademoiselle Josette Ma Femme''. As ''Josette'', Greuze portrayed the character which made

Billie Burke Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke (August 7, 1884 – May 14, 1970) was an American actress who was famous on Broadway and radio, and in silent and sound films. She is best known to modern audiences as Glinda the Good Witch of the North ...

famous. A reviewer commented favorably about her playful acting quality, citing her ''diverting gaminerie''.

Film actress

Greuze appeared as ''Marian Somerset'' in ''The Recoil'' (1917), with

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. The

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is a quickly paced story about trying to save an innocent man from being electrocuted by intervening with the governor. The

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has preserved an incomplete copy of this film. Reel one is missing. Her acting career continued in France, Germany, and Italy until the 1930s. Greuze's

filmography A filmography is a list of films related by some criteria. For example, an actor's career filmography is the list of films they have appeared in; a director's comedy filmography is the list of comedy films directed by a particular director. The t ...

following ''The Recoil'' includes roles in ''Hier et aujord'hui'' (1918), ''Simone'' (1918), ''Tragedia senza lagrime'' (1919), ''Maître Bolbec et son mari'' (1934), ''Fanatisme'' (1934), and ''Le Clown Bux'' (1935).

Philanthropy

In November 1915 she was paid $200 for a kiss on the French liner Rochambeau. The ship was en route to New York and Greuze was passing a collection bag for charity. She overheard a man remark that he would donate the sum in return for a kiss from her. The money was contributed for the benefit of orphans of French dressmakers who were killed at the

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in the war. During World War I Greuze worked with the

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at the French front in 1917. She was a nurse in a hospital at

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from the beginning of the war. The hospital was conducted by Princess Henriette, Duchess of Vendôme and Alençon.

References

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Greuze, Lillian French stage actresses French film actresses French silent film actresses Vaudeville performers French female models French women nurses Female wartime nurses 20th-century French actresses Female nurses in World War I French women in World War I 1890 births 1950 deaths People in health professions from Paris