Fifi D'Orsay (born Marie-Rose Angelina Yvonne Lussier; April 16, 1904 – December 2, 1983) was a Canadian-American actress and singer.

Early life

Fifi D'Orsay was born Yvonne Lussier in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, Canada, to a father who was a postal clerk. The D'Orsays were a large family, with Fifi having 11 siblings. She was educated at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Montreal before graduating and finding work as a secretary.

Biography

As a young stenographer, she wished to become an actress, and moved to New York City. Once there she found work with the

Greenwich Village Follies The ''Greenwich Village Follies'' was a musical revue that played for eight seasons in New York City from 1919 to 1927. Launched by John Murray Anderson, and opening on July 15, 1919, at the newly constructed Greenwich Village Theatre near Chr ...

, after an audition in which she sang " Yes! We Have No Bananas" in French. When asked where she was from, she told the director she was from

Paris Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and that she had worked in the

Folies Bergère The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trév ...

. The impressed director hired her, billing her as "Mademoiselle Fifi". While working in the Follies, she became involved with Ed Gallagher, a veteran actor who was half of the successful

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

comedy team of Gallagher and Shean. Gallagher and D'Orsay put together a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

act, and he coached her in the art of show business. After touring in vaudeville, she headed to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

and adopted the surname "D'Orsay" ( after a favorite perfume). Soon after she began working in films, often cast as the "naughty French girl" from "gay Paris". She became a U.S. citizen in 1936, just as her career as a film star came to a sharp halt when she walked out on her contract at Fox Studios and was blacklisted. While never becoming a major top-billing name, she found steady work, and appeared with such stalwarts as

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

and

Buster Crabbe Clarence Linden Crabbe II (; February 7, 1908 – April 23, 1983), known professionally as Buster Crabbe, was an American two-time Olympic swimmer and film and television actor. He won the 1932 Olympic gold medal for 400-meter freestyle swimmi ...

. For years she worked in both film and vaudeville; pacing her appearances in film with continued performances in vaudeville. When age put an end to the glamour roles, she took jobs in television; including 2 appearances each on ABC's '' Adventures in Paradise'' (as a mother superior in the episode "Castaways"), and the CBS

legal drama A legal drama is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in which a system of justice play ...

'' Perry Mason'' (in the episode "The Case of the Grumbling Grandfather" and in the episode “The Case of the Bountiful Beauty”)- as well appearing in the CBS

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

Pete and Gladys ''Pete and Gladys'' is an American sitcom television series starring Harry Morgan and Cara Williams that aired on CBS on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time for two seasons, beginning on September 19, 1960. The last episode was ...

''. She was a contestant on

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...

's ''

You Bet Your Life ''You Bet Your Life'' is an American comedy quiz series that has aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show deb ...

'' (Feb. 23, 1956), and at the age of sixty-seven she bookended her career with a return to the Broadway stage in the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

-winning musical, ''

Follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fol ...

''.

Personal life

D'Orsay married twice. Her first husband was

Earl Hill Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particu ...

(also billed as "Maury Hill" & "Morgan Hill"), the son of a Chicago manufacturer. She divorced Hill in 1939 and married

Peter LaRicos Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

in 1947, a restaurateur and agent. D'Orsay died from cancer at the age of seventy-nine on December 2, 1983, at the

Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital In physics, motion is the phenomenon in which an object changes its position with respect to time. Motion is mathematically described in terms of displacement, distance, velocity, acceleration, speed and frame of reference to an observer and me ...

Woodland Hills, Los Angeles Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Geography Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is located east of Ca ...

. She was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from 191,719 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth-larges ...

Legacy

D'Orsay was credited as the girl who made the phrase "Ooh La La" widely known.

Partial filmography

* ''

They Had to See Paris ''They Had to See Paris'' is a 1929 American Pre-Code comedy film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Will Rogers, Irene Rich, and Marguerite Churchill. The screenplay concerns a wealthy American oil tycoon who travels to Paris with his fam ...

'' (1929) - Fifi * '' Hot for Paris'' (1929) - Fifi Dupre * ''

On the Level ''On the Level'' is the eighth studio album by English rock band Status Quo. It features Francis Rossi, Richard Parfitt, Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan. The album's cover art features band members in an Ames room, and on the original vinyl rel ...

'' (1930) - Miimi * ''

Women Everywhere ''Women Everywhere'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code musical adventure film directed by Alexander Korda and starring J. Harold Murray, Fifi D'Orsay, and George Grossmith, Jr. It is set amongst the French Foreign Legion in North Africa. The film' ...

'' (1930) - Lili La Fleur * ''

Those Three French Girls ''Those Three French Girls '' is a 1930 American Pre-Code comedy film directed by Harry Beaumont and starring Fifi D'Orsay, Reginald Denny, and Cliff Edwards. The dialogue was written by P. G. Wodehouse.Mr. Lemon of Orange ''Mr. Lemon of Orange'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code comedy film directed by John G. Blystone and starring El Brendel, Fifi D'Orsay and Ruth Warren. It was produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporation. Plot El Brendel plays the dual ro ...

'' (1931) - Julie La Rue * '' The Stolen Jools'' (1931, Short) - Fifi D'Orsay * ''

Women of All Nations ''Women of All Nations'' is a 1931 American pre-Code military comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Victor McLaglen, Edmund Lowe, Greta Nissen and El Brendel. It was the second of three sequels to Walsh's 1926 film, '' What Price Glor ...

'' (1931) - Fifi (uncredited) * '' Young as You Feel'' (1931) - Fleurette * ''

The Girl from Calgary ''The Girl from Calgary'' is a 1932 American pre-Code musical comedy film directed by Phil Whitman, and starring Fifi D'Orsay and Paul Kelly. Plot summary A French-Canadian girl is a champion bronc rider and is also a nightclub singer. An amb ...

'' (1932) - Fifi Follette * '' They Just Had to Get Married'' (1932) - Marie * ''

The Life of Jimmy Dolan ''The Life of Jimmy Dolan'', released in the UK as ''The Kid's Last Fight'', is a 1933 American pre-Code film starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Loretta Young. John Wayne has a small supporting role as a frightened boxer. The story was based on ...

'' (1933) - Budgie * ''

Going Hollywood ''Going Hollywood'' is a 1933 American pre-Code musical film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Marion Davies and Bing Crosby. It was written by Donald Ogden Stewart and based on a story by Frances Marion. ''Going Hollywood'' was released by ...

'' (1933) - Lili Yvonne * '' Wonder Bar'' (1934) - Mitzi * ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt ...

'' (1934) - Marcelle * '' Three Legionnaires'' (1937) - Olga * ''

Submarine Base A submarine base is a military base that shelters submarines and their personnel. Examples of present-day submarine bases include HMNB Clyde, Île Longue (the base for France's Force océanique stratégique), Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay ...

'' (1943) - Maria Styx * ''

Nabonga ''Nabonga'' is a 1944 PRC film starring Buster Crabbe and Julie London (in her film debut). It was retitled ''Jungle Woman'' in the British Empire. Plot T. F. Stockwell (Herbert Rawlinson) steals the money and jewelry contents of safe deposit ...

'' (1944) - Marie * ''

Delinquent Daughters ''Delinquent Daughters'', or ''Accent on Crime'', is a 1944 American drama film directed by Albert Herman and starring June Carlson, Fifi D'Orsay and Margia Dean. An exploitation film, it is about a police investigation into the suicide death of a ...

'' (1944) - Mimi * ''

Dixie Jamboree ''Dixie Jamboree'' is a 1944 American film directed by Christy Cabanne. Cast *Frances Langford as Susan Jackson * Guy Kibbee as Capt. Jackson of the 'Ellabella' * Eddie Quillan as Jeff Calhoun * Charles Butterworth as Professor * Fifi D'Orsay a ...

'' (1945) - Yvette * '' The Gangster'' (1947) - Mrs. Ostroleng * ''

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Christian scriptures, first appearing in the Book of Revelation, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos. Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand t ...

'' (1962) - French Prisoner (uncredited) * ''

Wild and Wonderful ''Wild and Wonderful'' is a 1964 comedy film directed by Michael Anderson and starring Tony Curtis and Christine Kaufmann. The screenplay concerns a clever French poodle named Monsieur Cognac, and the dog's effect on the newly married couple p ...

'' (1964) - Simone * '' What a Way to Go!'' (1964) - Baroness * '' The Art of Love'' (1965) - Fanny * ''

Assignment to Kill ''Assignment to Kill'' is a 1968 American drama film in Technicolor and Panavision, directed by Sheldon Reynolds and starring Patrick O'Neal, Joan Hackett, John Gielgud, Herbert Lom, and Oskar Homolka. Plot A private detective is hired by an i ...

'' (1968) - Mrs. Hennie

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:D'Orsay, Fifi 1904 births 1983 deaths Actresses from Montreal American film actresses Canadian film actresses Vaudeville performers American people of French-Canadian descent Canadian emigrants to the United States Deaths from cancer in California 20th-century American actresses Actresses from California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)