Micheline Presle
Encyclopedia
Micheline Presle is a French actress also known in English language films as Micheline Prelle.
Born Micheline Nicole Julia Émilienne Chassagne in Paris, she wanted to be an actress from an early age. She took acting classes in her early teens and made her film debut at the age of fifteen in the 1937 production of La Fessée. In 1938 she was awarded the Prix Suzanne Bianchetti
as the most promising young actress in French cinema. Her rise to European stardom, in films such as Devil in the Flesh
, led to offers from Hollywood and in 1950 she was signed by 20th Century Fox
. Using the easier to pronounce last name of "Prelle," her first Hollywood production was a starring role opposite John Garfield
in the film Under My Skin
directed by Jean Negulesco
. That same year director Fritz Lang
cast her opposite Tyrone Power
in the war drama American Guerrilla in the Philippines
. In 1950 she became the second wife of American actor William Marshall with whom she had a daughter, Tonie. William Marshall had teamed up with actor Errol Flynn
and his production company and in 1951 he directed her and Flynn in the film Adventures of Captain Fabian.
Presle's marriage did not last and she returned to France, divorcing Marshall in 1954. Her career flourished in French films and in 1957 she was a guest on the American Ed Sullivan Show
. In 1959 she performed in the United Kingdom English-language production of Blind Date
directed by Joseph Losey
. She returned to Hollywood in 1962 for the role of Sandra Dee's
mother in the Universal Studios
film If a Man Answers
which also featured Dee's husband, singer Bobby Darin
. The following year Presle acted again in English in The Prize starring Paul Newman
. She did not make another English film but after performing in for than fifty films in French, in 1989 she appeared in the French-made bilingual production I Want to Go Home
for which she was nominated for the César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
.
Presle continues to act both in film and on television, and over her career she has made more than one hundred and fifty films. One of her more recent appearances is Venus Beauty Institute
.
Born Micheline Nicole Julia Émilienne Chassagne in Paris, she wanted to be an actress from an early age. She took acting classes in her early teens and made her film debut at the age of fifteen in the 1937 production of La Fessée. In 1938 she was awarded the Prix Suzanne Bianchetti
Prix Suzanne Bianchetti
The Prix Suzanne Bianchetti is an award in French cinema given annually since 1937 to the most promising young film actress.The award was created by writer/actor René Jeanne who served as the director of L'Etablissement Cinématographique des Armées...
as the most promising young actress in French cinema. Her rise to European stardom, in films such as Devil in the Flesh
Devil in the Flesh (1947 film)
Devil in the Flesh The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures named it the fifth best film of 1949.-Cast:*Micheline Presle ... Marthe Grangier*Gérard Philipe ... François Jaubert*Denise Grey ... Madame Grangier...
, led to offers from Hollywood and in 1950 she was signed by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
. Using the easier to pronounce last name of "Prelle," her first Hollywood production was a starring role opposite John Garfield
John Garfield
John Garfield was an American actor adept at playing brooding, rebellious, working-class character roles. He grew up in poverty in Depression-era New York City and in the early 1930s became an important member of the Group Theater. In 1937 he moved to Hollywood, eventually becoming one of Warner...
in the film Under My Skin
Under My Skin (film)
Under My Skin is a 1950 American film directed by Jean Negulesco, starring John Garfield and Micheline Presle. It is based on the short story "My Old Man", by Ernest Hemingway, about a jockey being threatened by a mobster after winning a race he had agreed to throw.The Hemingway story was later...
directed by Jean Negulesco
Jean Negulesco
Jean Negulesco was a Romanian-born American film director and screenwriter....
. That same year director Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute...
cast her opposite Tyrone Power
Tyrone Power
Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr. , usually credited as Tyrone Power and known sometimes as Ty Power, was an American film and stage actor who appeared in dozens of films from the 1930s to the 1950s, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads such as in The Mark of Zorro, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan,...
in the war drama American Guerrilla in the Philippines
American Guerrilla in the Philippines
American Guerrilla in the Philippines is a 1950 war film starring Tyrone Power as a U.S. Navy ensign stranded by the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II...
. In 1950 she became the second wife of American actor William Marshall with whom she had a daughter, Tonie. William Marshall had teamed up with actor Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
and his production company and in 1951 he directed her and Flynn in the film Adventures of Captain Fabian.
Presle's marriage did not last and she returned to France, divorcing Marshall in 1954. Her career flourished in French films and in 1957 she was a guest on the American Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
. In 1959 she performed in the United Kingdom English-language production of Blind Date
Blind Date (1959 film)
Blind Date is a 1959 murder mystery film. A police inspector investigates a woman's death, with her lover being the prime suspect...
directed by Joseph Losey
Joseph Losey
Joseph Walton Losey was an American theater and film director. After studying in Germany with Bertolt Brecht, Losey returned to the United States, eventually making his way to Hollywood...
. She returned to Hollywood in 1962 for the role of Sandra Dee's
Sandra Dee
Sandra Dee was an American actress. Dee began her career as a model and progressed to film. Best known for her portrayal of ingenues, Dee won a Golden Globe Award in 1959 as one of the year's most promising newcomers, and over several years her films were popular...
mother in the Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
film If a Man Answers
If a Man Answers
If a Man Answers is a comedy film directed by Henry Levin and starring Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee. It was produced by Ross Hunter Productions, Inc, and distributed by Universal Pictures. The screenplay was written by Richard Morris from a novel by Winifred Wolfe.-Plot summary:Chantal Stacy is a...
which also featured Dee's husband, singer Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...
. The following year Presle acted again in English in The Prize starring Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
. She did not make another English film but after performing in for than fifty films in French, in 1989 she appeared in the French-made bilingual production I Want to Go Home
I Want to Go Home (film)
I Want to Go Home is a 1989 French film directed by Alain Resnais, from a screenplay by Jules Feiffer. It explores the differences between French and American cultural values through a story about a veteran cartoonist who encounters conflicting reactions to his work during a trip abroad.-Plot:Joey...
for which she was nominated for the César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
List of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Supporting Actress .-Winners:Adapted from the article , from Wikinfo, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License....
.
Presle continues to act both in film and on television, and over her career she has made more than one hundred and fifty films. One of her more recent appearances is Venus Beauty Institute
Venus Beauty Institute
Venus Beauty Institute is a 1999 French movie, telling the story of three employees of a beauty parlor in search of love and happiness.The film is directed by Tonie Marshall...
.
Selected filmography
- La Nuit fantastiqueLa Nuit fantastiqueLa Nuit fantastique is a 1942 French fantasy film directed by Marcel L'Herbier. It is regarded as one of the most successful films made in France during the German occupation.-Plot:...
(1942) - The Last Days of PompeiiThe Last Days of Pompeii (1950 film)The Last Days of Pompeii is a French-Italian drama film, directed by Marcel L'Herbier "in collaboration with" Paolo Moffa, who was also the director of production. It was adapted from Edward Bulwer-Lytton's novel The Last Days of Pompeii...
(1950) - Under My SkinUnder My Skin (film)Under My Skin is a 1950 American film directed by Jean Negulesco, starring John Garfield and Micheline Presle. It is based on the short story "My Old Man", by Ernest Hemingway, about a jockey being threatened by a mobster after winning a race he had agreed to throw.The Hemingway story was later...
(1950) - It Happened in the Park (1953)
- Les ImpuresLes ImpuresLes Impures , is a French drama film from 1954, directed by Pierre Chevalier, written by Juliette Saint-Giniez, starring Micheline Presle and Louis de Funès...
(1954) - NapoléonNapoléon (1955 film)Napoléon is a 1955 French historical epic film directed by Sacha Guitry that depicts major events in the life of Napoleon I of France.The film is notable for its use of location shooting for numerous scenes, especially at the French estates of Malmaison and Fontainebleau, the Palace of Versailles,...
(1965) - Venere ImperialeVenere ImperialeVenere Imperiale is a 1962 French-Italian historical film directed by Jean Delannoy and starring Gina Lollobrigida, Stephen Boyd and Raymond Pellegrin...
(1962) - Le Diable et les Dix CommandementsLe Diable et les Dix CommandementsLe Diable et les Dix Commandements , is a French comedy-drama film from 1963, directed by Julien Duvivier, written by David Alexander and Michel Audiard, starring Michel Simon and Louis de Funès...
(1963) - Le Roi de CœurKing of Hearts (1966 film)King of Hearts is a 1966 French comedy-drama film directed by Philippe de Broca and starring Alan Bates....
(1966) - Peau d'ÂnePeau d'ÂnePeau d'Âne is a 1970 French musical film directed by Jacques Demy. It is also known by the English titles Once Upon a Time and The Magic Donkey. The film was adapted by Demy from Donkeyskin, a fairy tale by Charles Perrault about a king who wishes to marry his daughter...
(1970) - The Legend of Frenchie KingThe Legend of Frenchie KingThe Legend of Frenchie King is a 1971 French western comedy film directed by Christian-Jaque and starring Brigitte Bardot and Claudia Cardinale.-Cast:* Brigitte Bardot as Louise a.k.a. Frenchie King* Claudia Cardinale as Marie Sarrazin* Michael J...
(1971) - Devil in the Brain (1972)
- Thieves After DarkThieves After DarkThieves After Dark is a 1984 drama film directed by Samuel Fuller. It stars Véronique Jannot and Bobby Di Cicco. The film was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:*Véronique Jannot as Isabelle*Bobby Di Cicco as Francois...
(1984) - Les MisérablesLes Misérables (1995 film)Les Misérables is a 1995 film written and directed by Claude Lelouch. Set in France during World War II, it concerns a poor and illiterate man Henri Fortin who is introduced to Victor Hugo's classic novel Les Misérables and begins to see parallels between it and his own life.-Plot:The film starts...
(1995) - ChouchouChouchou (film)Chouchou is a 2003 French comedy film about a maghrebin transvestite who settles in Paris to find his nephew. The film stars Gad Elmaleh as the title character Chouchou, for which he was nominated the César Award for Best Actor.-Cast:...
(2003) - A Man and His DogA Man and His DogA Man and His Dog is a 2009 French film directed by French director Francis Huster, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, based on the 1952 film Umberto D...
(2009)
External links
- Micheline Presle at Allocine (French language)