Lilyan Chauvin

Lilyan Chauvin was a French-American actress, television host, director, writer, and acting teacher. She was born in Paris, France, on August 6, 1925, to a French mother and an Italian father. She began her career working in broadcasting in France and performing on stage in England. She moved to New York City in 1952 and became a naturalized American citizen. She studied with Uta Hagen and at the Actors Studio in New York. She also attended the Berlitz school of languages and watched American movies every day to improve her English. She was fluent in French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Russian. Chauvin made her film debut in 1957 and appeared in over 60 films during her career. Some of her notable film credits include The Other Side of Midnight (1977), Private Benjamin (1980), Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984), Predator 2 (1990), Universal Soldier (1992), and Catch Me If You Can (2002). She was also a prolific television actress and guest-starred in many popular shows such as The X-Files, Murder, She Wrote, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Friends, Magnum, P.I., Alias, Malcolm in the Middle, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., McCloud, Perry Mason, and Ugly Betty. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role in The Young and the Restless. Chauvin was also a successful director, writer, and teacher. She directed several episodes of television shows such as Falcon Crest and The Young and the Restless. She wrote two books on acting and directing: An Actor's Guide to Auditioning (1986) and Directing Your First Play (1994). She taught acting and directing at the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California. She also coached many actors privately, including Raquel Welch, Suzanne Somers, Margie Haber, Carly Schroeder, Kevin Nealon, and Rex Steven Sikes. She served as the Vice President of Women in Film council and was on the Women's Steering Committee of the Directors Guild of America. Chauvin was married to Bernard J. Chauvin from 1946 to 1953. They divorced in Florida. She had no children. She battled breast cancer for four decades and died of complications from breast cancer and congestive heart failure on June 26, 2008, at her home in Studio City, Los Angeles. She was 82 years old. She was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills.