Maurice Chevalier is a singer who is often called the patriarch of the French chanson. Chevalier sang a thousand songs and recorded about three hundred records. He achieved significant success as a film actor - he played both in French films and in Hollywood. In general, his creative career lasted almost seventy years.
Childhood and early creativity
Maurice Chevalier (real name - Saint-Leon) was born on September 12, 1888 in Menilmontant (this is one of the suburbs of Paris). His father, Victor-Charles Chevalier, was a painter by profession, and Josephine's mother was a fisherman. The couple had three sons, and Maurice was the youngest of them.
At some point, my father drank himself and left his family. And from an early age, Maurice combined school with work - so he tried to help a poor mother. At the age of twelve, he became an apprentice chansonnier and began to appear on stage with his numbers in various institutions in Paris. One of these establishments was the Turel casino, where the boy received three francs a day for his performances. Gradually, his popularity and his earnings grew, they started talking about the young talented singer not only in the capital, but also in other cities of France.
In 1908, Maurice made his debut as a comic actor in silent short films. And in 1911, in the film Out of Habit, he already appeared before the audience in a straw boater hat and with a cane - these two elements would become the hallmark of the Chevalier's stage image.
From 1909 to 1913, Maurice was an irreplaceable partner of the pop artist Mistenget, which was quite popular at that time, and worked with her in the Buff-Parisienne music hall.
Participation in the war and successes of the twenties
By 1914, Chevalier was already earning about 4,000 francs a month with his creativity - quite large sums for those times! When the First World War broke out in Europe, Chevalier was forced to interrupt his successful career - he went to the front. A few weeks later, in one of the battles, he was wounded in the back and was taken prisoner by the Germans. Only two years later he was released - and this happened not without the intervention of the King of Spain Alfonso XIII, who was an admirer of the chansonnier's talent.
Returning to Paris, Maurice starred in several silent films, but they did not bring significant success to the actor. Much more he was remembered for his participation in the operetta "Dede", shown including on the Broadway stage in 1922. Around the same period, Maurice met the charming dancer Yvonne Valli, who officially became his wife five years later.
It is worth noting that in the twenties, Maurice also created a number of excellent hits, in particular, the song "Valentine" (1924), which later sounded in several films. This song is considered one of the best in Chevalier's repertoire.
Conquering Hollywood and returning to France
When cinematography became sound, Chevalier realized that new opportunities could open up for him in this area. As a result, he was able to sign a lucrative contract with Paramount Pictures. In 1929, he played his first film role in the States, in the Hollywood film Innocents of Paris. The film's success was truly phenomenal, both in America and in Europe. In his native France, Chevalier was greeted as a winner, because he was able to conquer Hollywood!
Over the next six years, the actor starred in several more films in America - Playboy from Paris, Love Parade, Big Pond, One Hour With You, The Merry Widow, and Love Me Today. By the way, in 1930 he was even nominated for an Oscar in the prestigious Best Actor nomination. But then the statuette was still received by another actor - George Arliss for playing in the film "Disraeli".
In 1934, Chevalier divorced Yvonne, and a year later, in 1935, tired of Hollywood mores, he returned to France.
In 1937 he married again - this time Nita Raya became his wife. Like her first wife, she was a dancer by profession. This marriage lasted long enough - until 1946.
One of the most important works of Maurice Chevalier after his return to his homeland is his role in the film by French director Julien Duvivier "Hero of the Day". Then he played in several more European films ("Stun with the News", "Trap"), but mainly during this time he was engaged in performing his songs on various venues.
Chevalier in the forties and fifties
During the occupation of France (and it lasted four years - from 1940 to 1944), the chansonnier continued to perform in Paris. In addition, he once agreed to sing for French prisoners of war in Germany. At the same time, he demanded the release of ten captives, and they eventually actually received freedom.
In 1944, when the pro-Hitler regime in France was overthrown, Chevalier was accused of collaboration, but the court later acquitted him.
Chevalier did not reduce his creative activity after the war. He willingly toured the world - his concerts were sold out in Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Great Britain, Sweden, Canada …
After 1954, Chevalier again began acting in Hollywood. Most notably, he can be seen in Billy Wilder's 1957 film Love in the Afternoon. Interestingly, here his partners on the set were such stars as Audrey Hepburn and Gary Cooper.
In 1958, Chevalier appeared in the musical melodrama Jizhi. And in the same year, Chevalier was awarded the Oscar for his contribution to the art of cinema - the American Film Academy finally appreciated the famous chansonnier and artist.
Retirement and death
Chevalier continued to work hard even in old age. In the early sixties, he again visited the United States and starred in a whole series of Hollywood films. Examples include the films Cancan (here Chevalier had a chance to work with another music legend - Frank Sinatra), In Search of the Shipwrecked, Jessica, Fanny and I Better Be Rich.
And in the second half of the sixties, Maurice Chevalier showed himself more as a chansonnier - his concerts were held in different parts of the world. In early October 1968, after celebrating his 80th birthday at the Lido Music Hall, he announced that his upcoming tour would be his farewell tour. At the end of this tour, the chansonnier really did not give concerts anymore, did not participate in radio broadcasts and television shows. However, in 1970 he recorded the title song for the Walt Disney studio's full-length cartoon "Aristocratic Cats", and this, in fact, became his last significant work.
In December 1971, the great singer was hospitalized due to kidney problems. And on January 1, 1972, right during a necessary medical operation, Maurice Chevalier died. At that time he was 83 years old. He was buried in the Marne-la-Coquette cemetery on the outskirts of Paris.
