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One of the brightest film stars to grace the screen was born Emilie Claudette Chauchoin on September 13, 1903, in Saint Mandé, France where her father owned a bakery at 57, rue de la République (now Avenue Général de Gaulle). The family moved to the United States when she was three. As Claudette grew up, she wanted nothing more than to play to Broadway audiences (in those days, any actress or actor worth their salt went for Broadway, not Hollywood). After her formal education ended, she enrolled in the Art Students League, where she paid for her dramatic training by working in a dress shop. She made her Broadway debut in 1923 in the stage production of "The Wild Wescotts". It was during this event that she adopted the name Claudette Colbert.

When the Great Depression shut down most of the theaters, Claudette decided to make a go of it in films. Her first film was called For the Love of Mike (1927). Unfortunately, it was a box-office disaster. She wasn't real keen on the film industry, but with an extreme scarcity in theatrical roles, she had no choice but to remain. In 1929 she starred as Joyce Roamer in The Lady Lies (1929). The film was a success and later that year she had another hit entitled The Hole in the Wall (1929). In 1930 she starred opposite Fredric March in Manslaughter (1930), which was a remake of the silent version of eight years earlier. A year after that Claudette was again paired in a film with March, Honor Among Lovers (1931). It fared well at the box-office, probably only because it was the kind of film that catered to women who enjoyed magazine fiction romantic stories. In 1932 Claudette played the evil Poppeia in Cecil B. DeMille's last great work, The Sign of the Cross (1932), and once again was cast with March. Later the same year she was paired with Jimmy Durante in The Phantom President (1932). By now Claudette's name symbolized good movies and she, along with March, pulled crowds into the theaters with the acclaimed Tonight Is Ours (1933).

The next year started a little on the slow side with the release of Four Frightened People (1934), where Claudette and her co-stars were at odds with the dreaded bubonic plague on board a ship. However, the next two films were real gems for this young actress. First up, Claudette was charming and radiant in Cecil B. DeMille's spectacular Cleopatra (1934). It wasn't one of DeMille's finest by any means, but it was a financial success and showcased Claudette as never before. However, it was as Ellie Andrews, in the now famous It Happened One Night (1934), that ensured she would be forever immortalized. Paired with Clark Gable, the madcap comedy was a mega-hit all across the country. It also resulted in Claudette being nominated for and winning the Oscar that year for Best Actress. IN 1935 she was nominated again for Private Worlds (1935), where she played Dr. Jane Everest, on the staff at a mental institution. The performance was exquisite. Films such as The Gilded Lily (1935), Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) and No Time for Love (1943) kept fans coming to the theaters and the movie moguls happy. Claudette was a sure drawing card for virtually any film she was in. In 1944 she starred as Anne Hilton in Since You Went Away (1944). Again, although she didn't win, Claudette picked up her third nomination for Best Actress.

By the late 1940s and early 1950s she was not only seen on the screen but the infant medium of television, where she appeared in a number of programs. However, her drawing power was fading somewhat as new stars replaced the older ones. In 1955 she filmed the western Texas Lady (1955) and wasn't seen on the screen again until Parrish (1961). It was her final silver screen performance. Her final appearance before the cameras was in a TV movie, The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (1987). She did, however, remain on the stage where she had returned in 1956, her first love. After a series of strokes, Claudette divided her time between New York and Barbados. On July 30, 1996, Claudette died in Speightstown, Barbados. She was 92.

Bruno Cremer went to Paris following high school. He always knew he was made to be an actor and his mother helped him. He was admitted to the Paris Conservatory. He rose to prominence in the theater playing in Shakespeare's "Pericles," Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband" and Jean Anouilh's "Poor Bitos" and "Becket."

He has appeared in dozens of films, including The 317th Platoon, Is Paris Burning?, William Friedkin's Sorcerer and Bertrand Blier's Ménage. Cremer also appeared in over fifty television movies as the popular Commissaire Jules Maigret. In 2000, he wrote his memoirs in "Un certain jeune homme".

Frédéric Diefenthal was born on 26 July 1968 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. He is an actor and producer, known for Taxi 4 (2007), Taxi 3 (2003) and Taxi (1998). He was previously married to Gwendoline Hamon.

The world's first female filmmaker, French-born Alice Guy entered the film business in 1896 as a secretary at Gaumont, a manufacturer of movie cameras and projectors who had purchased a "cinématographe" from its inventors, the Lumiere brothers. The next year Gaumont became the world's first motion picture production company when they switched to creating movies, and Guy became its first film director. She impressed the company so much with the output (she averaged two two-reelers a week) and quality of her productions that by 1905 she was made the company's production director, supervising its other directors. In 1907 she married Herbert Blaché, an Englishman who ran Gaumont's British and German offices. The pair went to the U.S. to set up the company's operations there. In 1910 Mme. Guy set up her own production company, Solax, in New York and with her husband built a studio in Fort Lee, New Jersey. After a period of critical and financial success, the couple's fortunes declined when Thomas Alva Edison's trust hindered film production in the East coast, and they eventually shut down the studio in 1919. Although her husband secured work directing films for several major Hollywood studios, Guy was never able to secure any directorial jobs there, never made a film again, most of her films were lost, some were credited to other film directors, and she did no receive recognition for her pioneering work in France and the United States. She returned to France in 1922 after her divorce from Blaché, and in 1964 returned to the U.S. and lived in Mahwah, New Jersey - not far from where her original studios were - with her daughter, where she died in 1968.

France's major sex siren of the early 50s, this lesser-remembered post-war French dish pre-dated bombshell Brigitte Bardot by a few years. Martine was born Marie-Louise (Maryse) Jeanne Nicholle Mourer on May 16, 1920, but little is known of her childhood. A chance meeting with comedian André Luguet steered her towards a career in the theatre. Trained by René Simon, she made her 1940 stage debut with "Phedre" billed as Maryse Arley.

In unbilled film parts from 1941, she subsequently caught the eye of Henri-Georges Clouzot who hired her for an upcoming film with the working title of "The Cat," based on the novel by Colette, but the project was scrapped. Nevertheless, she did attract attention in the movie La ferme aux loups (1943) (Wolf Farm), which takes advantage of her photogenic beauty and ease in front of the camera despite a limited acting ability.

A pin-up goddess and support actress throughout the 40s, Martine also appeared on the stage of the Theater of the Renaissance. A torrid affair with actor Georges Marchal, who was married to actress Dany Robin at the time, ended disastrously and she attempted suicide by taking an alcohol/drug overdose and throwing herself into the Seine River. She was saved by a taxi driver who accompanied her there. Ironically, the unhappy details surrounding her suicide attempt renewed the fascination audiences had with Martine up until that time. In 1949, she married her first husband, former American actor-turned-restaurateur Stephen Crane, who was once married to Lana Turner.

Continuing on with post-war French filming, she co-starred in such movies as Bifur 3 (1945), L'extravagante mission (1945), Trente et quarante (1946), Voyage surprise (1947), Sextette (1948), I Love Only You (1949), Une nuit de noces (1950), the title role in Dear Caroline (1951) and Adorable Creatures (1952). She scored her first box office blockbuster hit with the French Revolution epic Caroline Cherie (1953). Without a doubt, the success was prompted by her semi-nude scenes and taunting, kittenish sexuality.

From there she was off and running. Her film romps were done tastefully with an erotic twinge of innocence and gentle sexuality plus an occasional bubble bath thrown in as male bait. Her array of costumed teasers included the title role in Lucrèce Borgia (1953), as Lysistrata Daughters of Destiny (1954), Riviera (1954), the title role in Madame du Barry (1954), the title role in Nana (1955), The French, They Are a Funny Race (1955), the title role in Lola Montès (1955) and Defend My Love (1956). Several of the above-mentioned films were guided and directed by her second husband Christian-Jaque, her husband from 1954 to 1959. They later divorced due to professional conflicts and long separations.

A true feast for the eyes and one of the most beautiful actresses of her time, Martine tried to branch out internationally in films in the late 1950s. Unfortunately, Bardot had already taken over the top French sex goddess pedestal and Martine's fan base diminished. She co-starred with Van Johnson in the crime drama Action of the Tiger (1957), but it was met with indifference. She immediately returned to French/Italian films The Foxiest Girl in Paris (1957), The Stowaway (1958), La prima notte (1959), Ten Seconds to Hell (1959) and Atomic Agent (1959).

Problems with substance abuse and a severe accident severely curtailed her career in the 1960's. She continued with such films as The Battle of Austerlitz (1960) (as Empress Josephine), plus Un soir sur la plage (1961), The Counterfeiters of Paris (1961) and Beach Casanova (1962). She made her last film in 1963, which was released four years later as Hell Is Empty (1967).

Depressed, Martine turned alarmingly reclusive as a third marriage to French doctor Andre Rouveix also soured by 1962. One last marriage to fourth husband Mike Eland, an English businessman and friend of first hubby Steve Crane, seemed hopeful, but on February 6, 1967, Martine died of cardiac arrest at age 46 in the bathroom of a hotel in Monaco. Her husband discovered her. Newspapers hinted at a possible drug overdose but nothing was ever proven. She was buried in the cemetery of Cannes.

Charles Berling was born on the 30th of April 1958, in Saint-Mandé in Val de Marne, France. His father was a doctor in Toulon and his mother was an English teacher. At the age of 15, he began theater at school with his brother. His interest in acting grew thanks to his love in literature for authors such as Baudelaire and Céline. Later, he studied acting in Insas in Brussels, Belgium. This was when he decided to have a long career in acting. At this point, he began playing in several plays, such as "L'école des femmes" by Molière or "Le Parc" by Botho Strauss. Soon afterward, Jean-Louis Martinelli, director of the national theater of Strasbourg, hired him. Charles spent several years with him. There, he played numerous plays as well, one of which is "Roberto Zucco" by Bernard-Marie Koltès. In what concerns movies, his career began only later in the nineties. It began with small roles, like Desire (1992) or Just Friends (1993). However, the year where his career really took off was in 1996, with his movie Ridicule (1996), in which he plays a nobleman trying to survive in the royal court of Louis XVI. As time passed by, his success grew, and people began to recognize his true talent. In 1998, he was nominated with a César for Best Actor for his performance in Boredom (1998). A couple of years later, in 2000, his movie Stardom (2000) was presented in the Festival of Cannes.

Arthur Dupont was born in 1985 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. He is an actor, known for Bus Palladium (2010), La Famille Rose and Arsène Lupin (2004).

Françoise Blanchard was born on 6 June 1954 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. She was an actress and art director, known for Caligula and Messalina (1981), Nero and Poppea - An Orgy of Power (1982) and The Living Dead Girl (1982). She died on 24 May 2013 in Caen, Calvados, France.

Dominique Laffin was born on 3 June 1952 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. She was an actress, known for The Crying Woman (1979) and Tell Her That I Love Her (1977). She was married to Yvan Dautin. She died on 12 June 1985 in Paris, France.

Pierre Jolivet was born on 9 October 1952 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. He is a writer and director, known for A Mere Mortal (1991), The Last Battle (1983) and Ma petite entreprise (1999).

Jacques Martial was born on 7 November 1955 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. He is an actor, known for Navarro (1989), Street of No Return (1989) and The Hitchhiker (1983).

Francis Leplay was born on 25 July 1967 in Saint-Mandé, Seine [now Val-de-Marne], France. He is an actor and director, known for Acts of Love (2021), Marie Antoinette (2006) and Farewell, My Queen (2012).

Laurent Grévill was born on 18 June 1961 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. He is an actor, known for Camille Claudel (1988), L'année de l'éveil (1991) and The Good Thief (2002).

Pierre Christin was born on 27 July 1938 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. He was a writer, known for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017), Bunker palace hôtel (1989) and Time-Jam - Valérian & Laureline (2007). He died on 3 October 2024 in Paris, France.

Véronique K. Colucci was born on 27 September 1948 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. She was an actress and production manager, known for Vous n'aurez pas l'Alsace et la Lorraine (1977), L'an 01 (1973) and My Life and Times with Antonin Artaud (1993). She was married to Coluche. She died on 6 April 2018 in Paris, France.

Pascale Pouzadoux was born on 19 April 1970 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. She is an actress and director, known for Toutes les filles sont folles (2003), Mon jour de chance (1997) and The Final Lesson (2015). She has been married to Antoine Duléry since 1998.

Bernard Lajarrige was born on 25 February 1912 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. He was an actor and writer, known for Bernadette of Lourdes (1960), Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (1967) and Au p'tit zouave (1950). He died on 29 May 1999 in Paris, France.

Jean-Michel Defaye was born on 18 September 1932 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. He was a composer, known for The Widow Couderc (1971), Happiness (1965) and Max and the Junkmen (1971). He died on 1 January 2025 in Porto-Vecchio, Corsica, France.

Annie Tresgot was born on 31 August 1937 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. She is a director and editor, known for L'ange de l'abîme (1982), La folle passion (1960) and Elia Kazan: An Outsider (1982).

André Versini was born on 23 November 1923 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. He was a writer and actor, known for The Fabiani Affair (1962), Rue barrée (1967) and Stranger from Hong-Kong (1963). He was married to Vanna Urbino. He died on 8 December 1966 in Paris, France.

François Chardeaux was born on 12 November 1933 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. He was an assistant director and producer, known for Douce France (1986), Félicité (1979) and Il pleut toujours où c'est mouillé (1974). He died on 9 June 2011 in Villejuif, Val-de-Marne, France.

Jean-Marie Coldefy was born on 2 June 1922 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. He was a director and writer, known for Jean Renoir parle de son art (1961), Les dossiers de Me Robineau (1972) and Messieurs les jurés (1974). He died on 23 June 2008 in Rodez, Aveyron, France.

Jacques-Henri Marin was born on 17 February 1928 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. He was a producer and writer, known for Stop Fooling Around... Soldier! (1977), Te marre pas... c'est pour rire! (1982) and Général... nous voilà! (1978). He was married to Chantal Nobel. He died on 12 April 2021 in Paris, France.

Philippe Briche was born on 24 September 1947 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. He was a composer, known for Attention, les enfants regardent (1978), Ne pleure pas (1978) and Cinéma 16 (1975). He died on 24 January 2014 in Paris, France.

Jacques Dannoville was born on 12 July 1927 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. He was an actor, known for Blanc, bleu, rouge (1981), Le théâtre de la jeunesse (1960) and Au théâtre ce soir (1966). He died on 14 May 1980 in Garches, Hauts-de-Seine, France.