Marcelle Corday (8 January 1890 – 25 June 1971) was a Belgian-born American actress. She mostly played character parts in silent and sound films. Corday was a niece of violinist

Eugène Ysaÿe Eugène-Auguste Ysaÿe (; 16 July 185812 May 1931) was a Belgian virtuoso violinist, composer, and conductor. He was regarded as "The King of the Violin", or, as Nathan Milstein put it, the "tsar". Legend of the Ysaÿe violin Eugène Ysaÿe ...

. She learned to play violin and piano, studying at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

and was a concert pianist until she fell and broke her arm. After that injury, she turned her attention to acting. She acted in Paris with the Vieux Colombier company, headed by

Jacques Copeau Jacques Copeau (; 4 February 1879 – 20 October 1949) was a French theatre director, producer, actor, and dramatist. Before he founded the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in Paris, he wrote theatre reviews for several Parisian journals, work ...

. She came to New York with that troupe in 1917 and remained in the United States when its engagements ended. Not limited to English-speaking roles, Corday acted in Dutch, French, German, and Italian. In the 1920–21 season, she acted with

Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...

in ''Declassee''. Corday moved to California in 1923 and began working in films thereafter. Officially, her American film career began in 1925, but it is claimed she played a small role, uncredited, in

Fred Niblo Fred Niblo (born Frederick Liedtke; January 6, 1874 – November 11, 1948) was an American pioneer film actor, director and producer. Biography He was born Frederick Liedtke (several sources give "Frederico Nobile", apparently erroneously) in Yo ...

's 1924 film, ''

The Red Lily ''The Red Lily'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Fred Niblo and starring Ramon Novarro, Enid Bennett, and Wallace Beery. A print of the film exists. Plot Marise La Noue (Enid Bennett) and Jean Leonnec (Ramon Novarro) are youn ...

'' being menaced by

Dick Sutherland Dick Sutherland (born Archibald Thomas Johnson, December 23, 1881 – February 3, 1934) was an American film actor, active mostly during the silent film era. Born in Benton, Kentucky, in 1881, Sutherland appeared in more than 70 films betwe ...

in a bar. In December 1948, Corday retired from films and moved with her husband to Hawaii. There she worked with the Honolulu Community Theater. She died at age 81 on 25 June 1971 in

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...

Partial filmography

*'' Lost: A Wife'' (1925) *''

We Moderns ''We Moderns'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by John Francis Dillon and starring Colleen Moore. The film was produced by Moore's husband John McCormick and was released through First National Pictures. It was based on the p ...

'' (1925) *''

Jim, the Conqueror ''Jim, the Conqueror'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by George B. Seitz and starring William Boyd and Elinor Fair. Cast Preservation A print of ''Jim, the Conqueror'' survives in the French archive Centre national du ciné ...

'' (1926) *''

The Splendid Crime ''The Splendid Crime'' is a 1926 American crime drama film directed by William C. deMille and starring Bebe Daniels. Famous Players–Lasky produced and Paramount Pictures distributed. Plot As described in a film magazine review, Jenny, a young ...

'' (1926) *''

The Greater Glory ''The Greater Glory'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Curt Rehfeld. The film starred Conway Tearle and Boris Karloff. ''The Greater Glory'' is sometimes listed as ''The Viennese Medley'', the title of Edith O'Shaughnessy's no ...

'' (1926) *''

The Scarlet Letter ''The Scarlet Letter: A Romance'' is a work of historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym ...

'' (1926) *''

Flesh and the Devil ''Flesh and the Devil'' is an American silent romantic drama film released in 1927 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and stars Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lars Hanson, and Barbara Kent, directed by Clarence Brown, and based on the novel ''The Undying P ...

'' (1926) *''

When a Man Loves ''When a Man Loves'' is a 1927 American silent historical drama film directed by Alan Crosland and produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The picture stars John Barrymore and features Dolores Costello in the frequently filmed story of Abbe P ...

'' (1927) *'' Quality Street'' (1927) *''

Dry Martini The martini is a cocktail made with gin and vermouth, and garnished with an olive or a lemon twist. Over the years, the martini has become one of the best-known mixed alcoholic beverages. A popular variation, the vodka martini, uses vodka in ...

'' (1928) * ''

Lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...

'' (1928) *''

The Trespasser Trespasser In the law of tort, property, and criminal law a trespasser is a person who commits the act of trespassing on a property, that is, without the permission of the owner. Being present on land as a trespasser thereto creates liabi ...

'' (1929) *''

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) *''

Midnight Mystery ''Midnight Mystery'' is a 1930 American pre-Code mystery film directed by George B. Seitz, from a screenplay by Beulah Marie Dix, which was adapted from the play ''Hawk Island'' by Howard Irving Young. Betty Compson starred, leading an ensemble ...

'' (1930) *''

Blonde Venus ''Blonde Venus'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film starring Marlene Dietrich, Herbert Marshall and Cary Grant. It was produced and directed by Josef von Sternberg from a screenplay by Jules Furthman and S. K. Lauren, adapted from a story b ...

'' (1932) *'' The Barbarian'' (1933) *''

The Great Ziegfeld ''The Great Ziegfeld'' is a 1936 American musical drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and produced by Hunt Stromberg. It stars William Powell as the theatrical impresario Florenz "Flo" Ziegfeld Jr., Luise Rainer as Anna Held, and Myrna L ...

'' (1936) *''

Dead End Dead End or dead end may refer to: * Dead end (street), a street connected only at one end with other streets, called by many other official names, including ''cul-de-sac''. Film and television * ''The Dead End'' (1914 film), directed by Davi ...

'' (1937) * ''

A Yank on the Burma Road ''A Yank on the Burma Road'' is a 1942 drama film directed by George B. Seitz and starring Laraine Day, Barry Nelson and Keye Luke. It is also known as ''China Caravan'' and ''Yanks on the Burma Road''. It was produced as part of a cluster of Ho ...

'' (1942) *''

Swamp Fire A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

'' (1946)

References

External links

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Portrait
(archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Corday, Marcelle 1890 births 1971 deaths Actresses from Brussels 20th-century American actresses Belgian emigrants to the United States American film actresses American silent film actresses