Mila Parély (7 October 1917 – 14 January 2012), born Olga Colette Peszynski, was a French actress of

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

ancestry best known for the roles of Félicie, Belle's eldest sister, in

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the s ...

's '' La Belle et la Bête'' (1946), and as Geneviève in '' La Règle du jeu'' (1939). She had a liaison with actor Jean Marais from 1942 to 1944, remaining lifelong friends, and in 1976 she was his business associate in a pottery shop. Marais was the long-term lover of Jean Cocteau and her co-star in the latter's 1946 film version of ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...

''. She gave up acting in the late 1950s in order to take care of her racing car driving husband

Taso Mathieson Thomas Alastair Sutherland Ogilvie ('Taso') Mathieson (25 July 1908, Glasgow – 12 October 1991, Vichy), stylised as T.A.S.O. Mathieson and sometimes referred to as Donald Mathieson, was a British racing driver and author of automotive history ...

, who had been injured in an accident. She also worked with such notable directors as

Max Ophüls Maximillian Oppenheimer (; 6 May 1902 – 26 March 1957), known as Max Ophüls (; ), was a German-French film director who worked in Germany (1931–1933), France (1933–1940 and 1950–1957), and the United States (1947–1950). He made near ...

, Jean Renoir,

Robert Bresson Robert Bresson (; 25 September 1901 – 18 December 1999) was a French film director. Known for his ascetic approach, Bresson contributed notably to the art of cinema; his non-professional actors, ellipses, and sparse use of scoring have l ...

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...

and

G.W. Pabst Georg Wilhelm Pabst (25 August 1885 – 29 May 1967) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He started as an actor and theater director, before becoming one of the most influential German-language filmmakers during the Weimar Republic. ...

. She returned to acting briefly in the late 1980s. Mila Parély died on 14 January 2012, aged 94, in

Vichy Vichy (, ; ; oc, Vichèi, link=no, ) is a city in the Allier department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais. It is a spa and resort town and in World War II was the capital of ...

, where she had spent the last fifty years of her life.

Selected filmography

* ''

Compliments of Mister Flow ''Compliments of Mister Flow'' or ''Mister Flow'' is a 1936 French mystery film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Fernand Gravey, Edwige Feuillère and Louis Jouvet.Greco p.190 It was based on the 1927 novel '' Mister Flow'' by Gaston Le ...

'' (1936) * '' Royal Waltz'' (1936) * ''

The Brighton Twins ''The Brighton Twins'' (French: ''Les jumeaux de Brighton'') is a 1936 French comedy film directed by Claude Heymann and starring Raimu, Michel Simon and Suzy Prim.Crisp p.407 It is based on the 1908 play of the same title by Tristan Bernard. ...

'' (1936) * ''

The Shanghai Drama ''The Shanghai Drama'' (french: Le drame de Shanghaï) is a 1938 French drama film directed by G. W. Pabst and starring Christl Mardayn, Louis Jouvet and Raymond Rouleau.Kennedy-Karpat p.132-33 An exiled White Russian woman works as a cabaret ...

'' (1938) * ''

The Rules of the Game ''The Rules of the Game'' (original French title: ''La règle du jeu'') is a 1939 French satirical comedy-drama film directed by Jean Renoir. The ensemble cast includes Nora Gregor, Paulette Dubost, Mila Parély, Marcel Dalio, Julien Carette, ...

'' (1939) * '' The White Slave'' (1939) * ''

The Phantom Carriage ''The Phantom Carriage'' ( sv, Körkarlen, literally "The Wagoner") is a 1921 Swedish silent film directed by and starring Victor Sjöström, based on the 1912 novel '' Thy Soul Shall Bear Witness!'' (''Körkarlen'') by Swedish author Selma Lag ...

'' (1939) * ''

Extenuating Circumstances In criminal law, a mitigating factor, also known as an extenuating circumstance, is any information or evidence presented to the court regarding the defendant or the circumstances of the crime that might result in reduced charges or a lesser sente ...

'' (1939) * ''

They Were Twelve Women ''They Were Twelve Women'' (French: ''Elles étaient douze femmes'') is a 1940 French comedy film directed by Georges Lacombe and starring Gaby Morlay, Françoise Rosay and Micheline Presle.Oscherwitz & Higgins p.306 The film's sets were designe ...

'' (1940) * '' Le Lit à colonnes'' (1942) * '' The White Truck'' (1943) * ''

Father Serge ''Father Serge'' (French: ''Le père Serge'') is a 1945 French historical drama film directed by Lucien Ganier-Raymond and starring Jacques Dumesnil, Mila Parély and Marcel Herrand. It is based on the short story '' Father Sergius'' by Leo To ...

'' (1945) * ''

The Black Cavalier ''The Black Cavalier'' (French: ''Le cavalier noir'') is a 1945 French historical adventure film directed by Gilles Grangier and starring Georges Guétary, Mila Parély and Jean Tissier.Powrie & Cadalanu p.130 It also marked the screen debut of ...

'' (1945) * ''

'' (1946) * '' Women's Games'' (1946) * '' Star Without Light'' (1946) * '' Last Refuge'' (1947) * '' Snowbound'' (1948) * ''

Mission in Tangier ''Mission in Tangier'' (French: ''Mission à Tanger'') is a 1949 French drama film directed by André Hunebelle and starring Raymond Rouleau, Gaby Sylvia and Mila Parély. It was the first in the trilogy of films featuring dashing reporter Geor ...

'' (1949) * ''

Le Plaisir ''Le Plaisir'' (English title, ''House of Pleasure'') is a 1952 French comedy-drama anthology film by German-born film director Max Ophüls (1902–1957) adapting three short stories by Guy de Maupassant — " Le Masque" (1889), " La Maison ...

'' (1952) * ''

Blood Orange The blood orange is a variety of orange ( ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'') (also referred to as raspberry orange) with crimson, almost blood-colored flesh. The distinctive dark flesh color is due to the presence of anthocyanins, a family of polyp ...

'' (1953)

References

External links

* 1917 births 2012 deaths Actresses from Paris Polish emigrants to France 20th-century French actresses French film actresses {{france-film-actor-stub