Prince Michael Feodorovich of Russia
Encyclopedia
Prince Michael Feodorovich of Russia ( was a French filmmaker
. A descendant of the Russian Emperors, he was a great nephew of the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II
.
and his wife Princess Irina Pavlovna Paley
. He descended from the Romanovs through both his father and his mother. Through his father he was a grandson of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia
and his wife Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia
. His mother was a daughter of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia
and his second wife Princess Olga Valerianovna Paley, Countess of Hohenfelsen. Prince Michael Feodorovich was called in France Michel Romanoff (his civil name in his French identity papers). He was brought up in Paris and Biarritz
. As a child he learned to speak French, English and Russian. In his later years he learned Spanish and Catalan.
After the separation of his parents in 1932, Prince Michael Feodorovich went to live with his mother in Neuilly
where he attended the École du Montcel school. Following the outbreak of World War II his family moved back to Biarritz. He served in the French infantry between 1945 and 1946 and accompanied the army of General Leclerc into Germany.
, who had been married to his aunt Princess Natalie Paley. In 1949, Prince Michael Feodorovich moved into the film industry working as an assistant director
, later becoming a director of production. He worked, among others, with René Clair
, Julien Duvivier
and Henri-Georges Clouzot
. Burt Lancaster
, Tony Curtis
, Gina Lollobrigida
and Marlon Brando
were some of the well known actors who appeared in his films. In the 1950s the prince had an affair with actress Annabella
(1907–1996), after the latter had divorced the American actor Tyrone Power
. Their love affair lasted ten years and despite their age difference, the French actress would have liked to marry the prince. They later split, but Michael Feodorovich remained very attached to Annabella until her death.
After retiring from the industry in 1985 he spent his retirement living between Biarritz
and Neuilly
. After his second marriage he brought a house in L'Escala
on the Costa Brava
. Prince Michael Feodorovich joined the Romanov Family Association
on its creation in 1979.
Prince Michael Feodorovich first visited Russia in 1990. He made another trip in 1994 to attend a book launch with the St Petersburg authorities looking to provide him with a house in return for his help in promoting Russian culture. When asked about the house he said "First the house, then I'll ask for a passport." He made another visit to Russia in 1997 to attend the opening of his Romanov photographic exhibition which was also attended by a number of his cousins. Prince Michael Feodorovich refused to attend with other members of the Imperial family, the burial of his great uncle Nicholas II as he doubted the bones were genuine. He later tried unsuccessfully to prevent the reburial of the remains in St Petersburg of his great grandmother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, as he felt that "members of the Imperial family who died in exile should stay where they passed away".
Prince Michael Feodorovich died in Paris at the age of 84. His cousin Prince Michael Andreevich of Russia
died in Sydney on the same day.
After his divorce he was married secondly in Josse on 15 January 1994 to Maria de las Mercedes Ustrell-Cabani (b. 1960). In 1995 he adopted his granddaughter Tatiana (b. 1986) the illegitimate daughter of his wife by his son Prince Michael Mihailovich.
N.B. After the Russian revolution members of the Imperial family tended to drop the territorial designation "of Russia" and use the princely title with the surname Romanov. However this title, and even his right to the surname Romanov were disputed by some.
Cinema of France
The Cinema of France comprises the art of film and creative movies made within the nation of France or by French filmmakers abroad.France is the birthplace of cinema and was responsible for many of its early significant contributions. Several important cinematic movements, including the Nouvelle...
. A descendant of the Russian Emperors, he was a great nephew of the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
.
Early life
Prince Michael Feodorovich was born in Paris the only son of Prince Feodor Alexandrovich of RussiaPrince Feodor Alexandrovich of Russia
Prince Feodor Alexandrovich of Russia was a son of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia and Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia. He was a nephew of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia-Russian prince:...
and his wife Princess Irina Pavlovna Paley
Irina Pavlovna Paley
Princess Irina Pavlovna Paley, , was the daughter of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia and his second wife Olga Valerianovna Paley.-Early life:...
. He descended from the Romanovs through both his father and his mother. Through his father he was a grandson of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia
Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia
Grand Duke Alexander Mihailovich of Russia, Александр Михайлович Aleksandr Mihailovits was a dynast of the Russian Empire, a naval officer, an author, explorer, the brother-in-law of Emperor Nicholas II, and an advisor of the said Emperor.-Biography: Alexander was born the son of Grand Duke...
and his wife Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia was a daughter of Tsar Alexander III of Russia and the elder of Tsar Nicholas II two sisters. She married her cousin Grand Duke Alexander Mikailovich of Russia, with whom she had seven children....
. His mother was a daughter of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia
Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia
Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia was the eighth child of Tsar Alexander II of Russia by his first wife Empress Maria Alexandrovna. His birth was commemorated by the naming of the city of Pavlodar in Kazakhstan...
and his second wife Princess Olga Valerianovna Paley, Countess of Hohenfelsen. Prince Michael Feodorovich was called in France Michel Romanoff (his civil name in his French identity papers). He was brought up in Paris and Biarritz
Biarritz
Biarritz is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers....
. As a child he learned to speak French, English and Russian. In his later years he learned Spanish and Catalan.
After the separation of his parents in 1932, Prince Michael Feodorovich went to live with his mother in Neuilly
Neuilly
Neuilly is a common place name in France, deriving from the male given name Nobilis or Novellius:...
where he attended the École du Montcel school. Following the outbreak of World War II his family moved back to Biarritz. He served in the French infantry between 1945 and 1946 and accompanied the army of General Leclerc into Germany.
Career
For sometime he worked for the Societé des Parfums of Lucien LelongLucien Lelong
Lucien Lelong was a French couturier who was prominent from the 1920s to the 1940s.-Career:Born in Paris as the son of Arthur Lelong, the owner of a textile shop, he trained at the Hautes Etudes de Commerciales in Paris and opened his fashion house in the late 1910s...
, who had been married to his aunt Princess Natalie Paley. In 1949, Prince Michael Feodorovich moved into the film industry working as an assistant director
Assistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
, later becoming a director of production. He worked, among others, with René Clair
René Clair
René Clair born René-Lucien Chomette, was a French filmmaker.-Biography:He was born in Paris and grew up in the Les Halles quarter. He attended the Lycée Montaigne and the Lycée Louis-le-Grand. During World War I, he served as an ambulance driver. After the war, he started a career as a journalist...
, Julien Duvivier
Julien Duvivier
Julien Duvivier was a French film director. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930-1960...
and Henri-Georges Clouzot
Henri-Georges Clouzot
Henri-Georges Clouzot was a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best remembered for his work in the thriller film genre, having directed The Wages of Fear and Les Diaboliques, which are critically recognized to be among the greatest films from the 1950s...
. Burt Lancaster
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
, Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
, Gina Lollobrigida
Gina Lollobrigida
Gina Lollobrigida is an Italian actress, photojournalist and sculptress. She was one of the most popular European actresses of the 1950s and early 1960s. She was also an iconic sex symbol of the 1950s. Today, she remains an active supporter of Italian and Italian American causes, particularly the...
and Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
were some of the well known actors who appeared in his films. In the 1950s the prince had an affair with actress Annabella
Annabella
Annabella was a French cinema actress who appeared in 46 films between 1927 and 1952, including some Hollywood films during the late 1930s and 1940s....
(1907–1996), after the latter had divorced the American actor 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,...
. Their love affair lasted ten years and despite their age difference, the French actress would have liked to marry the prince. They later split, but Michael Feodorovich remained very attached to Annabella until her death.
After retiring from the industry in 1985 he spent his retirement living between Biarritz
Biarritz
Biarritz is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers....
and Neuilly
Neuilly
Neuilly is a common place name in France, deriving from the male given name Nobilis or Novellius:...
. After his second marriage he brought a house in L'Escala
L'Escala
L'Escala is a municipality in the comarca of the Alt Empordà in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the Costa Brava, located between the southern end of the Gulf of Roses and Cala Montgó. It is an important fishing port and tourist centre, and has a festival dedicated to its famous anchovies...
on the Costa Brava
Costa Brava
The Costa Brava is a coastal region of northeastern Catalonia, Spain, in the comarques of Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà and Selva, in the province of Girona. Costa is the Catalan and Spanish word for 'coast', and Brava means 'rugged' or 'wild'...
. Prince Michael Feodorovich joined the Romanov Family Association
Romanov Family Association
The Romanov Family Association, Obyedineniye Chlenov Roda Romanovykh , is an organization for male-line descendants of Emperor Paul I of Russia...
on its creation in 1979.
Prince Michael Feodorovich first visited Russia in 1990. He made another trip in 1994 to attend a book launch with the St Petersburg authorities looking to provide him with a house in return for his help in promoting Russian culture. When asked about the house he said "First the house, then I'll ask for a passport." He made another visit to Russia in 1997 to attend the opening of his Romanov photographic exhibition which was also attended by a number of his cousins. Prince Michael Feodorovich refused to attend with other members of the Imperial family, the burial of his great uncle Nicholas II as he doubted the bones were genuine. He later tried unsuccessfully to prevent the reburial of the remains in St Petersburg of his great grandmother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, as he felt that "members of the Imperial family who died in exile should stay where they passed away".
Prince Michael Feodorovich died in Paris at the age of 84. His cousin Prince Michael Andreevich of Russia
Prince Michael Andreevich of Russia
Prince Michael Andreevich of Russia was a descendant of the House of Romanov which ruled Russia from 1613 to 1917. He was a great nephew of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia.-Early life:...
died in Sydney on the same day.
Marriages and children
Prince Michael Feodorovich married firstly Helga Staufenberger (b. 1926) in Paris on 15 October 1958. They had one son before divorcing in 1992.- Prince Michael Mihailovich (31 July 1959 – 24 January 2001)
After his divorce he was married secondly in Josse on 15 January 1994 to Maria de las Mercedes Ustrell-Cabani (b. 1960). In 1995 he adopted his granddaughter Tatiana (b. 1986) the illegitimate daughter of his wife by his son Prince Michael Mihailovich.
Filmography as assistant director
- 1957 : Pot-Bouille directed by Julien DuvivierJulien DuvivierJulien Duvivier was a French film director. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930-1960...
- 1949 : Black Jak directed by Julien Duvivier]
- 1961 : Fanny directed directed by Joshua LoganJoshua LoganJoshua Lockwood Logan III was an American stage and film director and writer.-Early years:Logan was born in Texarkana, Texas, the son of Susan and Joshua Lockwood Logan. When he was three years old his father committed suicide...
- 1951 : Juliette ou la clé des songes directed by Marcel CarnéMarcel Carné-Biography:Born in Paris, France, the son of a cabinet maker whose wife died when their son was five, Carné began his career as a film critic, becoming editor of the weekly publication, Hebdo-Films, and working for Cinémagazine and Cinémonde between 1929 and 1933. In the same period he worked in...
- 1967 : Diaboliquement vôtre directed by Julien DuvivierJulien DuvivierJulien Duvivier was a French film director. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930-1960...
- 1957 : L'Homme à l'imperméable directed by Julien Duvivier
- 1953 : Le retour de Don Camillo directed by Julien Duvivier
- 1955 : Les Diaboliques directed by Henri-Georges ClouzotHenri-Georges ClouzotHenri-Georges Clouzot was a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best remembered for his work in the thriller film genre, having directed The Wages of Fear and Les Diaboliques, which are critically recognized to be among the greatest films from the 1950s...
- 1959 : Marie-Octobre directed by Julien Duvivier
- 1965 : Le dimanche de la vie directed by Jean Herman
- 1968 : Un soir, un train directed by Jean Delvaux
- 1967 : Les Demoiselles de Rochefort directed by Agnès Varda and Jacques Demy
- 1967 : Trois Chambres à Manhattan directed by Marcel Carné
- 1957 : Les espions directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
- 1956 : Trapèze directed by Carol ReedCarol ReedSir Carol Reed was an English film director best known for Odd Man Out , The Fallen Idol , The Third Man and Oliver!...
- 1953 : Les Orgueilleux directed by Yves Allégret and Rafael E. Portas
- 1953 : Le Salaire de la peur directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
- 1956 : Anastasia directed by Anatole LitvakAnatole LitvakAnatole Litvak was a Ukrainian-born filmmaker who wrote, directed, and produced films in a various countries and languages...
.
Title and styles
- His Highness Prince Michael Feodorovich of Russia
N.B. After the Russian revolution members of the Imperial family tended to drop the territorial designation "of Russia" and use the princely title with the surname Romanov. However this title, and even his right to the surname Romanov were disputed by some.