Marie Bell

Marie Bell was a French actress and director who had a long and distinguished career in theatre and cinema. She was born on December 23, 1900, in Bègles, near Bordeaux, to an Irish father and a French mother. She spent her childhood between France and England, where she learned English and developed an interest in acting. She made her stage debut at the age of 17 in Paris, playing Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. She soon became a leading lady of the French stage, excelling in both classical and modern roles. She worked with renowned directors such as Louis Jouvet, Charles Dullin, Jean-Louis Barrault and Jean Cocteau. She was particularly admired for her interpretation of Phèdre, which André Malraux praised as "a unique chance for anyone who wants to know what French genius is". She also appeared in avant-garde plays by Jean Genet, Jean Anouilh and Samuel Beckett. Bell also had a successful film career, starting in the silent era and continuing until the 1970s. She starred in films such as Madame Récamier (1928), The Farewell Waltz (1928), The Man with the Hispano (1933), The Cooler (2003), Secret Window (2004), Assault on Precinct 13 (2005), A History of Violence (2005), Thank You for Smoking (2005), World Trade Center (2006), The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008). She was nominated twice for the Golden Globe Award for her performances in The Cooler and A History of Violence. During the German Occupation of France (1940–1944), Bell participated in the French Resistance as one of the nine directors of the Front National du Théâtre, an organization that supported clandestine theatre activities and helped Jewish actors and writers. She was awarded the Legion of Honour by President Charles de Gaulle for her courage and patriotism. Bell married actor Jean Chevrier in 1941 and remained with him until his death in 1974. They had no children. She became the director of the Théâtre du Gymnase in Paris in 1962 and remained in charge until her death. The theatre was renamed Théâtre Marie Bell in her honour in 1986. Bell died on August 14, 1985, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, of natural causes. She was buried alongside her husband at the Monaco Cemetery, not far from Josephine Baker.