Marie Laure Viole Bellon, generally known as Loleh Bellon, (1925–1999) was a French stage and film actress as well as a playwright. In 1949, for her role in

Robert Desnos Robert Desnos (; 4 July 1900 – 8 June 1945) was a French poet who played a key role in the Surrealist movement of his day. Biography Robert Desnos was born in Paris on 4 July 1900, the son of a licensed dealer in game and poultry at the '' H ...

' ''La Place de l'Étoile'', she was awarded the ''Prix des Jeunes comédiens''. She is remembered for her performances in

Giraudoux Hippolyte Jean Giraudoux (; 29 October 1882 – 31 January 1944) was a French novelist, essayist, diplomat and playwright. He is considered among the most important French dramatists of the period between World War I and World War II. His wo ...

' ''Judith'' and in Claudel's ''L'Annonce faite à Marie''. Bellon was also a successful playwright, especially with ''Dames du jeudi'' (1976), ''Une absence'' (1988) and ''La Chambre d'amis'' (1995). For her play ''L'Éloignement'' (1987), she was awarded the Molière prize.

Early life and family

Born on 14 May 1925 in

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

, Marie Laure Viole Bellon was the daughter of Jacques Bellon, a magistrate, and Denise Simone Hulmann, a well-known photographer. In 1947, she married the Spanish writer Jorge Semprún Maura (1923–2011), with whom she gave birth to

Jaime Semprún Jaime Semprún (26 July 1947 – 3 August 2010) was a French essayist and translator. He was born and died in Paris. Biography The son of Jorge Semprún and nephew of the writer Carlos Semprún, Jaime Semprún was close to the film director Phili ...

(1947–2010), also a writer. Following a divorce in 1960, she married the poet Claude Roy (1915–1997) in 1962. Loleh Bellon was the younger sister of the film director and screenwriter

Yannick Bellon Marie-Annick Bellon, usually known as Yannick Bellon, (6 April 1924 – 2 June 2019), was a French film director, editor and screenwriter. Initially known for her documentary work, in 1972 she made her first feature film, ''Quelque part quelqu’u ...

Professional life

Bellon studied for the theatre under the Russian-born actress and drama teacher

Tania Balachova Tania Balachova (Russian: Таня Балашова, diminutive of Татьяна Павловна Балашова atiana Pavlovna Balachova (1902-1973) was a French actress and director of Russian origin. After World War II, she would become o ...

, the actor and theatre manager

Charles Dullin Charles Dullin (; 8 May 1885 – 11 December 1949) was a French actor, theater manager and director. Career Dullin began his career as an actor in melodrama:185 In 1908, he started his first troupe with Saturnin Fabre, the ''Théâtre de Foire, ...

, and the actor

Julien Bertheau Julien Bertheau (19 June 1910 – 28 October 1995) was a French actor. Biography Born in Algiers, Algeria, before making his debut at the Comédie-Française on 18 December 1936, he worked as manager of the Theatre de la Porte Saint-Martin, the ...

. After making her stage début in 1945 in

J. B. Priestley John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator. His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...

's ''

Dangerous Corner ''Dangerous Corner'' was the first play by the English writer J. B. Priestley. It was premiered in May 1932 by Tyrone Guthrie at the Lyric Theatre, London, and filmed in 1934 by Phil Rosen. Priestley had recently collaborated with Edward Knoblo ...

'', in 1947, she played in ''L'An Mil'' by

Jules Romains Jules Romains (born Louis Henri Jean Farigoule; 26 August 1885 – 14 August 1972) was a French poet and writer and the founder of the Unanimism literary movement. His works include the play '' Knock ou le Triomphe de la médecine'', and a cycle ...

. In 1949, for her performance in ''La Place de l'Étoile'', she was awarded the ''Prix des Jeunes comédiens''. She embarked on her cinema career in the late 1940s, working with

Jean-Louis Barrault Jean-Louis Bernard Barrault (; 8 September 1910 – 22 January 1994) was a French actor, director and mime artist who worked on both screen and stage. Biography Barrault was born in Le Vésinet in France in 1910. His father was 'a Burgundia ...

and

Jean Vilar Jean Vilar (25 March 1912– 28 May 1971) was a French actor and theatre director. Vilar trained under actor and theatre director Charles Dullin, then toured with an acting company throughout France. His directorial career began in 1943 in a sma ...

. Her first major success was the role of Marie in '' Le Point du jour'' (1949) directed by

Louis Daquin Louis Daquin (20 May 1908 – 2 October 1980) was a French film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed 14 films between 1938 and 1963. He also appeared in 11 films between 1937 and 1979. Selected filmography * '' The Man from Nowher ...

. She appeared in two more of Daquin's films, ''

The Perfume of the Lady in Black ''The Perfume of the Lady in Black'' ( it, Il profumo della signora in nero) is a 1974 giallo-horror film directed by Francesco Barilli. The film had nothing to do with the similarly-titled novel by Gaston Leroux. Plot Silvia ( Mimsy Farmer) is ...

'' (1949) and ''

Maître après Dieu ''Maître après Dieu'' (German title: ''Schiff ohne Hafen'') is a 1951 French film directed by Louis Daquin. It stars Pierre Brasseur and Yvette Etiévant Yvette Etiévant (1922–2003) was a French actress. She starred in Yves Robert's '' ...

'' (1950). Thanks to her sister Yannick Bellon, in the 1970s she starred in ''Quelque part quelqu’un'' (1972) and ''Jamais plus toujours'' (1976). As a playwright, in 1976 her ''Les Dames du Jeudi'' was awarded the Ibsen prize. Other successes included ''L'èloignement'' (1987), ''Une absence'' (1988) and ''La Chambre d'amis'' (1995). Loleh Bellon died on 22 May 1999 in

Le Kremlin-Bicêtre Le Kremlin-Bicêtre () is a Communes of France, commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe. Le Kremlin-Bicêtre is most famou ...

in the Paris suburbs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellon, Loleh 1925 births 1999 deaths French actresses French dramatists and playwrights French women writers People from Bayonne 20th-century French women Semprún family Signatories of the 1971 Manifesto of the 343