# Simone Signoret

Simone Signoret (French:; born Simone Henriette Charlotte Kaminker; 25 March 1921 – 30 September 1985) was a French actress. She received various accolades, including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, a César Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, in addition to nominations for two Golden Globe Awards.

## Early life

Signoret was born Simone Henriette Charlotte Kaminker in Wiesbaden, Germany, to Georgette (née Signoret) and André Kaminker. She was the eldest of three children, with two younger brothers. Her father, a pioneering interpreter who worked in the League of Nations, was a French-born army officer from an assimilated and middle-class Polish-Jewish and Hungarian-Jewish family, who brought the family to Neuilly-sur-Seine on the outskirts of Paris. Her mother, Georgette, from whom she acquired her stage name, was a French Catholic.
Signoret grew up in Paris in an intellectual atmosphere and studied English, German and Latin. After completing secondary school during the Nazi occupation, Simone was responsible for supporting her family and forced to take work as a typist for a French collaborationist newspaper Les nouveaux temps, run by Jean Luchaire.

## Career

During the occupation of France, Signoret mixed with an artistic group of writers and actors who met at the Café de Flore in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés quarter. By this time, she had developed an interest in acting and was encouraged by her friends, including her lover Daniel Gélin to follow her ambition. In 1942, she began appearing in bit parts and was able to earn enough money to support her mother and two brothers as her father, who was a French patriot, had fled the country in 1940 to join General De Gaulle in England. She took her mother's maiden name for the screen to help hide her Jewish roots.
Signoret's sensual features and earthy nature led to type-casting and she was often seen in roles as a prostitute. She won considerable attention in La Ronde (1950), a film which was banned briefly in New York City as immoral. She won further acclaim, including an acting award from the British Film Academy, for her portrayal of another prostitute in Jacques Becker's Casque d'or (1951). She appeared in many French films during the 1950s, including Thérèse Raquin (1953), directed by Marcel Carné, Les Diaboliques (1954), and The Crucible (Les Sorcières de Salem; 1956), based on Arthur Miller's The Crucible.
In 1958, Signoret acted in the English independent film Room at the Top (1959), and her performance won numerous awards, including the Best Female Performance Prize at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best Actress. She was offered films in Hollywood, but turned them down for several years, continuing to work in France and England—for example, with Laurence Olivier in Term of Trial (1962). She earned another Oscar nomination for her work on Ship of Fools (1965), appeared in a few other Hollywood films, and returned to France in 1969.
In 1962, Signoret translated Lillian Hellman's play The Little Foxes into French for a production in Paris that ran for six months at the Theatre Sarah-Bernhardt. She played the Regina role as well. Hellman was displeased with the production, although the translation was approved by scholars selected by Hellman.
Signoret's one attempt at Shakespeare, performing Lady Macbeth with Alec Guinness at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 1966 proved to be ill-advised, with some harsh critics; one referred to her English as "impossibly Gallic".
Signoret won acclaim for her portrayal of a weary madam in Madame Rosa (1977) and as an unmarried sister who unknowingly falls in love with her paralyzed brother via anonymous correspondence in I Sent a Letter to my Love [fr] (1980). She continued to appear in many movies before her death in 1985.

## Personal life

Signoret's memoirs Nostalgia Isn't What It Used to Be, were published in 1978. She also wrote the novel Adieu Volodya, published in 1985, the year of her death.
Signoret first married filmmaker Yves Allégret (1944–1949), with whom she had a daughter Catherine Allégret. Her second marriage was to the Italian-born French actor Yves Montand in 1951, a union which lasted until her death; the couple had no children.
Signoret died of pancreatic cancer in Autheuil-Authouillet, France, aged 64. She was buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, and Yves Montand later was buried next to her.
Signoret identified as Jewish. She was a supporter of a variety of Jewish causes, including the Zionist movement and the Soviet Jewry movement. She maintained relationships with many Israeli leaders and was critical of antisemitism in the French Communist Party. Because she was of patrilineal Jewish ancestry and was therefore not considered Jewish under traditional halakha, there was no religious ceremony at her funeral.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1942 | Bolero | Une employée de la maison de couture | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Prince Charming | Extra | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Les Visiteurs du Soir | Extra | Uncredited |
| 1942 | The Benefactor | La sécrétaire du journal | Uncredited |
| 1943 | Strange Inheritance | Extra | Uncredited |
| 1943 | Goodbye Leonard | La gitane | Uncredited |
| 1944 | The Angel of the Night | Une étudiante | Uncredited |
| 1944 | Behold Beatrice | Liliane Moraccini | |
| 1944 | Night Shift | La danseuse à la taverne | Uncredited |
| 1944 | Death No Longer Awaits | La maitresse de Firmin | |
| 1945 | Box of Dreams | Une femme | Uncredited |
| 1946 | Dawn Devils | Lily, la cabaretière | |
| 1946 | The Ideal Couple | Annette | |
| 1946 | Back Streets of Paris | Gisèle | |
| 1947 | Fantômas | Hélène | |
| 1948 | Against the Wind | Michele Dennis | |
| 1948 | Dédée d'Anvers | Dédée | |
| 1948 | Dilemma of Two Angels | Marianne | |
| 1950 | Manèges | Dora | |
| 1950 | Swiss Tour | Yvonne | |
| 1950 | La Ronde | Leocadie, the Prostitute | |
| 1950 | Gunman in the Streets | Denise Vernon | (also released as The Hunted) |
| 1951 | ...Sans laisser d'adresse | Une journaliste | Uncredited |
| 1951 | Shadow and Light | Isabelle Leritz | |
| 1952 | Casque d'or | Marie 'Casque d'Or' | BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress |
| 1953 | Thérèse Raquin | Thérèse Raquin | |
| 1955 | Les Diaboliques | Nicole Horner | |
| 1955 | Mother Courage and Her Children | Yvette, Lagerhure | (unfinished) |
| 1956 | Death in the Garden | Djin | |
| 1957 | The Crucible | Elisabeth Procter | BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Award for Best Actress |
| 1958 | Room at the Top | Alice Aisgill | Academy Award for Best ActressBAFTA Award for Best Foreign ActressCannes Film Festival Award for Best ActressJussi Award for Best Foreign ActressLaurel Award for Top Female Dramatic Performance (3rd Place)National Board of Review Award for Best ActressNew York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (2nd Place)Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama |
| 1960 | General Electric Theater | Woman | Episode: Don't You Remember? |
| 1960 | Adua and Friends | Adua Giovannetti | (also released as Hungry for Love) |
| 1961 | Les Mauvais Coups | Roberte | |
| 1961 | Famous Love Affairs | Jenny | (segment "Jenny de Lacour") |
| 1962 | Term of Trial | Anna | |
| 1963 | The Shortest Day | | |
| 1963 | The Day and the Hour | Therese Dutheil | |
| 1963 | Sweet and Sour | Madame Geneviève | |
| 1965 | Ship of Fools | La Contessa | Nominated — Academy Award for Best ActressNominated — BAFTA Award for Best Foreign ActressNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama |
| 1965 | The Sleeping Car Murders | Eliane Darès | |
| 1966 | Is Paris Burning? | La patronne du bistrot / Cafe Owner | |
| 1966 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Sara Lescault | Episode: "A Small Rebellion" Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Drama |
| 1967 | The Deadly Affair | Elsa Fennan | Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress |
| 1967 | Games | Lisa Schindler | Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role |
| 1968 | Mr. Freedom | Cameo | Uncredited |
| 1968 | The Sea Gull | Arkadina, an actress | |
| 1969 | Army of Shadows | Mathilde | |
| 1969 | L'Américain [fr] | Léone | |
| 1970 | The Confession | Mme L. Lise London | |
| 1970 | A Hostage | Meg | TV movie |
| 1971 | Comptes à rebours [fr] | Léa | |
| 1971 | Le Chat | Clémence Bouin | Silver Bear for Best Actress (at the 21st Berlin International Film Festival) |
| 1971 | La Veuve Couderc [fr] | Veuve Couderc Tati | |
| 1973 | The Burned Barns | Rose | |
| 1973 | Rude journée pour la reine [fr] | Jeanne | |
| 1975 | La Chair de l'orchidée | Lady Vamos | |
| 1976 | Police Python 357 | Thérèse Ganay | |
| 1977 | Madame Rosa | Madame Rosa | César Award for Best ActressDavid di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actress (tied with Jane Fonda for Julia) |
| 1978 | Madame le juge [fr] | Elisabeth Massot | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 1978 | Judith Therpauve | Judith Therpauve | |
| 1979 | The Adolescent | Mamie | |
| 1980 | I sent a letter to my love | Louise Martin | |
| 1982 | L'étoile du nord | Mme Louise Baron | Nominated — César Award for Best Actress |
| 1982 | Guy de Maupassant [fr] | Maupassant's mother | |
| 1983 | Thérèse Humbert | Thérèse Humbert | |
| 1985 | Des terroristes à la retraite | Narrator | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1959 | Academy Awards | Best Actress | Room at the Top | Won |
| 1965 | Academy Awards | Best Actress | Ship of Fools | Nominated |
| 1971 | Berlin International Film Festival | Best Actress | Le Chat | Won |
| 1952 | British Academy Film Awards | Best Foreign Actress | Casque d'Or | Won |
| 1957 | British Academy Film Awards | Best Foreign Actress | The Crucible | Won |
| 1958 | British Academy Film Awards | Best Foreign Actress | Room at the Top | Won |
| 1965 | British Academy Film Awards | Best Foreign Actress | Ship of Fools | Nominated |
| 1967 | British Academy Film Awards | Best Foreign Actress | The Deadly Affair | Nominated |
| 1968 | British Academy Film Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Games | Nominated |
| 1959 | Cannes Film Festival | Best Actress | Room at the Top | Won |
| 1977 | César Awards | Best Actress | Madame Rosa | Won |
| 1982 | César Awards | Best Actress | L'Étoile du Nord | Nominated |
| 1977 | David di Donatello Awards | Best Foreign Actress | Madame Rosa | Won |
| 1959 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Room at the Top | Nominated |
| 1965 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Ship of Fools | Nominated |
| 1959 | Jussi Awards | Best Foreign Actress | Room at the Top | Won |
| 1957 | Karlovy Vary International Film Festival | Best Actress | The Crucible | Won |
| 1959 | Laurel Awards | Top Female Dramatic Performance | Room at the Top | 3rd Place |
| 1959 | National Board of Review Awards | Best Actress | Room at the Top | Won |
| 1959 | New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actress | Room at the Top | 2nd Place |
| 1966 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Drama | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (Episode: "A Small Rebellion") | Won |

## Popular culture

* Marilyn (2011) by Sue Glover premiered at the Citizens' Theatre, Glasgow on 17 February 2011. The play charted the deteriorating relationship between Signoret and Marilyn Monroe during the filming of Let's Make Love. Unable to achieve the recognition of Oscar-winning Signoret, Monroe begins an affair with Signoret's husband, Yves Montand.
* Singer Nina Simone (Born Eunice Waymon) took her last name from Simone Signoret.