ROSAY, FRANÇOISE

(1891-1974)

Actress. Born Françoise Bandy de Nalèche, the daughter of an aristocrat and an actress, Françoise Rosay studied drama at the Paris Conservatoire d'art dramatique and began her career on the stage. She also became one of the great actresses of French cinema. Rosay began her film career during the silent era and went on to appear in well over one hundred films over a period of sixty years. She made her screen debut in 1913, appearing inHenri Desfontaines'sfilm d'artproduction ofFalstaff. She had roles in a number of other silent films, mostly those by directorJacques Feyder, whom she later married. She appeared in Feyder'sAbrégeons les formalités(1916),La Trouvaille de Buchu(1916),Têtes de femmes,femmes de tête(1916),Frère de lait(1917),Le Billard cassé(1917),Crainquebille(1922), andGribiche(1926). She also worked withRené ClairinLes Deux timides(1928) and Bethold Viertel inThe One Woman Idea(1929).

Rosay's career flourished during the 1930s. She worked frequently with Feyder, acting in such films asSi l'empereur savait ça(1930),Le Grand jeu(1934),La Kermesse héroïque(1935),Pension Mimosas(1935), andLes Gens du voyage(1938). She also had roles in a significant number of films by other directors. These include Ludwig Berger'sLe Petit café(1931),René Guissart'sLa Chance(1931),Jean-Paul Paulin'sL'Abbé Constantin(1932), Alberto Cavalcanti'sCoralie et Cie(1933), Marc Didier'sLe Billet de mille(1934),André Hugon'sGangster malgré lui(1935),André Berthomieu'sLe Secret de Polichinelle(1936),Marcel Carné'sJenny(1936) andDrôle de drame(1937),Julien Duvivier'sUn carnet de bal(1937), andClaude Autant-Laraand Maurice Lehmann'sLe Ruisseau(1938).

Rosay's career remained strong throughout the 1940s and 1950s, although she fled France, along with Feyder, during the Nazi Occupation.She spent some time in Great Britain, which introduced her to English-language film. She returned to France after the war and continued her career there, although the types of roles she played evolved as she aged. She appeared in such films asGeorges Lacombe'sIls étaient douze femmes(1940), Feyder'sUne femme disparaît(1942), Marcel Blistène'sMacadam(1946), codirected with Feyder,Marc Allegret'sMaria Chapdelaine(1950), Autant-Lara'sL'Auberge rouge(1951), Yves Allegret and Autant-Lara'sLes Sept péchés capitaux(1952), Jean Dréville'sLa Reine Margot(1954), Léonide Moguy'sLe Long des trottoirs(1956), and Denys de la Patellière'sLes Yeux de l'amour(1959). Among the English-language films in which Rosay appeared are Terence Young'sThat Lady(1955), Douglas Sirk'sInterlude(1957), and Martin Ritt'sThe Sound and the Fury(1959).

Rosay's film career slowed significantly during the 1960s and 1970s, although she continued to act. She had roles in such films as Gilles Grangier'sLa Cave se rebiffe(1961), Pierre Granier-Deferre'sLa Métamorphose de cloportes(1965),Henri Verneuil'sLa Vingt-cinquième heure(1967), and Roger Pigaut'sTrois milliards sans ascenseur(1972). A talented actress who did everything from comedy to romantic comedy to drama to crime films, Rosay also maintained her stage career throughout her life. Some critics have commented that Rosay owed her career to Feyder. It is true that he recognized her talent from the beginning and that their work together is some of her best and some of his best. However, she worked with many more directors than Feyder, and her career extended two decades beyond his death. Film history has perhaps not dealt fairly with Rosay, who was certainly one of the most prominent actresses of her day.