French actress Jeanne Moreau died at her home in Paris on July 31, reported the Washington Post. She was 89. Moreau was one of the most famous film stars during the 1960s. Besides starring in 150 movies, she also worked in television. Renowned director Orson Welles said that Moreau was one of “the greatest actresses in the world”.
Jeanne Moreau's peak of popularity was during the movement French New Wave, and the most outstanding movie was “Jules and Jim” (1962) in which she played the lead role.
Jeanne Moreau's early years
Moreau never accepted long term contracts offered by big studios because she compared them with prison terms.
She worked with many international directors such as Jacques Demy, Rainer Werner, Tony Richardson, Elia Kazan, François Truffaut, Orson Welles etc.
Jeanne Moreau was born in 1928, in France. Her family was very poor and they lived in a small flat. When she was a teenager, she found her interest in an acting profession but her father did not agree with her decision. She used to miss her school to take part in different plays. She continued to learn acting for many years.
Further career development
When Jeanne was only 20, she took part in the Comédie-Française and she was the youngest participant in the play. She chose her roles in movies by checking the director of her own choice.
Moreau also worked as a director and directed two movies: “Lumiere” (1976) and “The Adolescent” (1979).
After them, she decided to go back to her actress life and returned to the stage.
Jeanne Moreau was married twice. She married her first husband Jean-Louis Richard in 1949 and the couple had one child. They divorced in 1964. Later, she married film director William Friedkin, but their marriage was last only for two years. She had many affairs including Malle, Cardin, and Richardson.
One of her most famous quotes was “Age does not protect you from love, but love, to some extent, protects you from age.”
Jeanne Moreau received many highest acting awards which included the prize at Cannes for Moderato Cantabile (1960), the Bafta Award for the best foreign actress for Viva Maria! (1967), a Cesar for best actress, for The Old Lady Who Walked in the Sea (1992).
The actress died in her house on Faubourg Saint Honore street. Her body was found by her housekeeper early in the morning. "Her spirit will live forever," Moreau's second ex-spouse William Friedkin wrote on his Twitter on Monday. President of France Emmanuel Macron noted Moreau as “a legend of cinema and theater."
