Claudette Colbert (born Émilie “Lily” Claudette Chauchoin; September 13, 1903 – July 30, 1996) was an American actress. Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the late 1920s and progressed to films with the advent of talking pictures. Initially contracted to Paramount Pictures, Colbert became one of the few major actresses of the period who worked freelance; that is to say, independently of the studio system. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Colbert the 12th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema.
Born in France in 1903, her family emigrated to New York City when she was a child, and she grew up in Manhattan. Initially aspiring to be a fashion designer or painter, Colbert studied at the Art Students League before discovering acting. She began working in the theater around 1923, performing on Broadway in small roles under the name Claudette Colbert (adopting her grandmother’s maiden name). Early stage roles included The Wild Westcotts (1923) and A Kiss in a Taxi (1925), where her sophisticated look and refined diction began to stand out.
Her breakthrough role was as a carnival snake charmer in the 1927 production of The Barker, a performance that garnered her significant acclaim. The roaring success of The Barker brought her to the attention of film producers. While still performing in the play, Colbert made her film debut in a silent movie directed by Frank Capra, For the Love of Mike (1927). However, she was reportedly unhappy with the experience, feeling that she couldn’t use her voice, which was one of her greatest assets as a stage performer. She returned to the stage, vowing not to make another film.
The advent of sound film, or “talkies,” proved to be the perfect opportunity for Colbert. Her stage-trained voice, with its pleasing, clear alto, made her a desirable commodity for Hollywood studios. In 1929, she signed a contract with Paramount Pictures and made her first talking picture, The Hole in the Wall, co-starring with Edward G. Robinson. This was followed by another 1929 film, The Lady Lies.
By the end of the decade, Colbert had firmly established herself as an actress who could successfully make the leap from the stage to the screen. The 1920s set the stage for her incredible career in the 1930s, a decade in which she would achieve superstardom and win an Academy Award.
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