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Jeanne Moreau

Jeanne Moreau

Vanessa Redgrave named Moreau as co-respondent in her 1967 divorce from director Tony Richardson on grounds of adultery.

Orson Welles is the first person Moreau spoke to about directing and the only one who wasn't protective about it.

After the end of her affair with director Louis Malle (1959), she had a long correspondence with Ingmar Bergman, who developed a film project for her, "L'Amour Monstre". The film was never made, because Moreau couldn't learn Swedish and Bergman couldn't learn French.

Agreed to be paid in silver plates for her work in Orson Welles's Chimes at Midnight (1965), because of the limited budget.

Attended the Lycee Edgar Quinet, in Paris.



Became world famous, when she starred in Louis Malle's controversial hit The Lovers (1958), as a provincial wife who abandons her family for a man she has just met; the film had a lot of censorship problems all over the world because of its erotic scenes and Moreau instantly became an international sex symbol.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#76). [1995]

Chosen by the magazine "Esquire" as one of "the 100 Best People in the World" (December 1997).

Considered by Orson Welles as "the greatest actress in the world".

Despite her important singing career, Moreau has rather avoided concerts. One notable exception was a Carnegie Hall concert opposite Frank Sinatra (July 1984).

During the 2002 presidential elections in France she supported Socialist candidate and former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin (March 2002).

Festival tribute at the Créteil International Women's Film Festival, France. [1999]

For personal reasons, Moreau has turned down roles in many major films, including the part of Varinia in Spartacus (1960), finally played by Jean Simmons, the Mrs. Robinson part in The Graduate (1967), played by Anne Bancroft and the part of Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), for which Louise Fletcher won a Best Actress Academy Award in 1976. She has also been twice replaced by Annie Girardot: in Rocco and His Brothers (1960) and in the recent The Piano Teacher (2001).

Has a Paris cinema named after her.

Has been a close friend of major literary figures, like Jean Cocteau, Jean Genet, Henry Miller, Anaïs Nin and Marguerite Duras.

Has been romantically involved with Louis Malle, Lee Marvin, fashion designer Pierre Cardin and Greek actor Thodoros Roubanis.

Has been trained for the stage at the Paris Conservatoire.

Has co-produced some of her films, like Jules and Jim (1962), Bay of Angels (1963) and Banana Peel (1963).

Has supported Lionel Jospin's 2002 presidential campaign.

Her father owned a restaurant in Monmartre, Paris, where she spent part of her childhood.

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