Claudette Colbert

Classic film actress Lily Claudette Chauchoin (Claudette Colbert) was born on Sept. 13, 1903 in Paris, and in 1910 her and her family moved to New York. She was studying fashion design at the Art Students League when she met a Broadway playwright at a party, and he helped her land a role in his production.

After a bit of experience on stage, she made her film debut in Frank Capra's "For the Love of Mike" in 1927. She continued to establish herself as a respected actress by starring in a number of comedies and dramas, and in 1934 she won an Oscar for Best Actress in "It Happened One Night," where she played opposite Clark Gable. Though she never won another Oscar, she was nominated two more times for her roles in "Since You Went Away" and "Private Worlds." Another of her most memorable films was Capra's "Cleopatra," which was nominated for numerous academy awards in 1934.

Colbert's last film was "Parrish" in 1961, though she continued to work on stage for years after. She made a few television appearances in the 1950s, and her last project was the 1987 mini-series "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles." The Kennedy Center honored her for lifetime achievement in 1989. On July 30, 1996, Colbert died in Barbados.

Film credits include:

"The Hole in the Wall"
"The Lady Lies"
"The Big Pond"
"Young Man of Manhattan"
"His Woman"
"Honor Among Lovers"
"Make Me a Star"
"The Phantom President"
"The Wiser Sex"
"I Cover the Waterfront"
"Cleopatra"
"Imitation of Life"
"Private Worlds"
"I Met Him in Paris"
"It's a Wonderful World"
"Tomorrow is Forever"
"Since You Went Away"
"The Secret Heart"
"The Egg and I"

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