Claudette Royelle

**Claudette Royelle** (born **Bernarde Madeleine Bullion**; 27 April 1918 – 20 October 1999) was a Maronan actress notable for her career in the 1940s and 1950s. The recipient of numerous awards and accolades, Royelle received nominations for three Gilles Awards throughout her career.

Royelle was born into an artistic family, and was classically trained as a ballerina at the École nationale de danse in Delmas. After abandoning her career aspirations to become a professional ballerina, Royelle was crowned Miss Pitaine 1937 and later Miss Marone 1938. After completing her reign, she decided to pursue a career as an actress, enrolling in the École nationale de drame et théâtre, and graduating in 1942.

Royelle first appeared as a Vaugrenard Girl on stage in 1942, before beginning her film career with small roles in movies such as *She's the One* (1943) and *An Evil Deed* (1943). She signed with M&E Productions in 1944, and was launched into stardom with appearances in the blockbuster successes *Two for the Lady* (1945), *The Stroke of Midnight* (1946), and *Titanium* (1946), her performance in the latter earning her a nomination for the Gilles Award for Best Leading Actress. She received further acclaim and superstardom in the end of the decade and beginning of the 1950s, appearing in *Lucky You!* (1949), *In the Middle* (1951), and *Kitty Kitty* (1952), receiving Gilles Award nominations for her performances in the former two.

Royelle was married twice: first to Maronan actor Pierre-Louis Gérin and second to Belgrian businessman Sebastian Debruyne, both marriages receiving substantial media attention. Following her marriage to Debruyne in 1959, Royelle largely retired from acting and moved to Frankenland. Following Debruyne's death in 1970, Royelle reemerged as a socialite, before her death in 1999.

## Early life and education

Royelle was born as Bernarde Madeleine Bullion on 27 April 1918 in Bruc, to parents Christophe (1885–1953) and Laurence Bullion (née *Guilloux*; 1885–1961). Both of her parents were originally from Delmas, and were involved in the arts; her father was a jazz musician, while her mother was a professional opera singer. At the time of Royelle's birth, the family was residing in Bruc as her mother was to begin performing a 10-week engagement at the Théâtre de Bruc shortly after Royelle's birth.

Royelle was raised as an only child in various Eurean countries and cities, traveling with her parents as her mother began performing with different opera houses. By the time she was 15, Royelle had resided in Alaslavia, Ardwall, Austia, Bagory, Belgrum, Escaria, Frankenland, Medland, Regia, Sudmark, West Lungary, and various cities throughout Marone, typically moving to a different city every three months. Due to her upbringing, Royelle did not attend formal schooling, and received private tutoring provided by the opera house her mother was performing with at the time. In 1933, aged 15, Royelle relocated on her own to Delmas to enroll in the École nationale de danse, studying ballet with the intention of becoming a professional ballerina. While at the school, Royelle developed an eating disorder and decided she did not wish to pursue ballet professionally, graduating with her *baccalauréat* in 1936 and opting not to pursue further studies.

After reigning as Miss Marone 1938, Royelle determined that she wished to pursue an acting career, and enrolled in a post-secondary program at the École nationale de drame et théâtre, graduating with her degree in drama in 1942.

## Miss Marone 1938

After graduating from the École nationale de danse in 1936, Royelle moved to Valenême with a friend from school whom had grown up in Pitaine. Having abandoned her ambitions to pursue ballet professionally, Royelle began working a variety of odd jobs, including as a barmaid and waitress, before being hired as a children's ballet instructor. In her spare time, Royelle also performed as a chorus girl in local theatrical productions, inspiring an interest in theatre.

In early 1937, Royelle was recommended by the mother of one of her students to take part in Miss Pitaine, as they had seen an advertisement for the competition and thought Royelle would be a strong candidate. She took their advice and later was accepted as a candidate. The pageant was later held in September 1937, with Royelle going on to be crowned the winner. Royelle later competed in Miss Marone 1938 in Delmas in December 1937. Royelle went on to advance into the Top 7, and was ultimately crowned by outgoing titleholder Anastasie Cahun as Miss Marone 1938. During her reign, Royelle traveled to more than 30 countries throughout the world as an ambassador of Marone, and additionally worked as a promotional model to promote the products of Henri Pétresse and other sponsors. She completed her reign as Miss Marone the following year, after crowning her successor at Miss Marone 1939.

## Career

### 1939–1943: Early career and *Les Filles Vaugrenards*

Royelle determined that she wished to pursue an acting career while reigning as Miss Marone 1938, and enrolled in a bachelor's degree program at the École nationale de drame et théâtre in Delmas shortly after completing her reign, in order to train and form connections in the industry. While a student, Royelle befriended a former Vaugrenard Girl, who put her in contact with Florimond Vaugrenard. Following her graduation in 1942, Royelle was quickly cast by Vaugrenard as one of his Vaugrenard Girls in the long-running musical stage revue *Les Filles Vaugrenards*. She performed in the show from July to November 1942, after which she departed in order to pursue film.

Royelle signed a developmental contract with Eyphrène Pictures in October 1942, with the studio changing her name from Bernarde Bullion to Claudette Royelle, as stage names were typical of film actresses at the time. She made her film debut with a small role in the 1943 romantic comedy *She's the One*, which proved to be a box office hit. She followed with a supporting role in the 1943 thriller *An Evil Deed*, which became one of the biggest box office hits of 1943 in Marone.

### 1944–1954: M&E Productions and stardom

Following the success of *An Evil Deed*, Royelle's contract with Eyphrène had expired, and she had emerged as one of the most sought-after starlets amongst production companies in Marone. Royelle ultimately signed a contract with M&E Productions in May 1944, choosing M&E as they would allow her to perform leading roles in two films per year, while most studios did not allow their stars to lead more than one film per year in order to not have to pay them for two starring roles. Royelle's first film with the studio, the romantic comedy *Two for the Lady*, was later released in April 1945, becoming a blockbuster hit buoyed by significant media attention towards her relationship with costar Pierre-Louis Gérin. The film propelled Royelle to stardom, and is credited with transforming Royelle from an up-and-coming starlet to a household name.

Royelle later appeared in the supernatural horror film *A Spectre Over Lake Charbonnier* as her second starring role with M&E, considered to be an out-of-the-box choice as horror was not a particularly popular genre at the time. The film was a critical success but box office failure following its release in October 1945, despite going on to become a cult film. Royelle later made up for the disappointment the following year, starring in two critically acclaimed blockbusters: the thriller *The Stroke of Midnight* in April 1946 and the romantic drama *Titanium* in November 1946. For her performance in *Titanium*, Royelle was nominated for the Gilles Award for Best Leading Actress.

Following a brief pause in her career due to her marriage to Gérin and subsequent pregnancy, Royelle returned to film after starring in the blockbuster comedy *Lucky You!* in May 1949, for which she received a nomination for the Gilles Award for Best Supporting Actress. She subsequently appeared in the comedy drama *Lovelorn* in December 1949 and the romantic drama *The Deep* in May 1950, both of which were commercially successful. Royelle later received acclaim for her role in the drama *In the Middle* in November 1951, receiving another nomination for the Gilles Award for Best Leading Actres, and also appeared in the blockbuster comedy *Kitty Kitty* in June 1952. Following the success of *Kitty Kitty*, Royelle's career began to decline, starring in several box office disappointments such as the comedy *Girls Like Pink* in July 1953, the thriller *Shinese Dream* in January 1954, and the drama *Guardian of the Heart* in November 1954.

### 1955–1959: Hiatus and retirement

Royelle began another hiatus from acting in 1954, following her divorce from Gérin earlier that year. While on hiatus, she began a relationship with Belgrian businessman Sebastian Debruyne in 1955, and opted to continue her hiatus rather than return to acting. Amidst contractual obligations and pressure from M&E executives, Royelle ended her hiatus to appear in a supporting role in the comedy *Dawn of the Dance Floor* in September 1957. While the film was a critical and box office success, it was ultimately Royelle's final film appearance. Royelle and Debruyne married in 1959, and she soon afterwards confirmed that she had parted ways with M&E and intended to retire permanently from acting.

## Personal life

Royelle began a relationship with Maronan actor Pierre-Louis Gérin in 1944, after meeting on the set of *Two for the Lady*. Their relationship caused a media sensation and was exploited significantly by M&E Productions to promote the film. Royelle and Gérin later married in a secret ceremony in Wahiti in December 1946, later selling exclusive photos of the wedding to the press. They had one daughter together, Pauline (born 1948), who also became an actress, before Royelle filed for divorce in 1954, which was finalized later that year.

Shortly after divorcing Gérin, Royelle began a relationship with Belgrian businessman Sebastian Debruyne in 1955. After beginning their relationship, Royelle retreated from acting, and only appeared in one other film for the rest of her career. They became engaged in 1958, and married the following year in a lavish ceremony in Dax. Following the marriage, Royelle and Debruyne relocated to a luxury chalet in Gorborn, Egsau in Frankenland, and Royelle completely retired from her acting career. Debruyne later died of heart failure in 1970, aged 70.

## Death

Royelle died in her home in Frankenland on 20 October 1999, aged 81. Her cause of death was listed as heart failure, the same cause of death as her husband Sebastian Debruyne.

## Filmography

*Main article: Claudette Royelle filmography*
## Awards and nominations

*Main article: Awards and nominations received by Claudette Royelle*