Cécile Aubry

Cécile Aubry
Aubry in 1969
Born	Anne-José Madeleine Henriette Bénard[1] (1928-08-03)3 August 1928 Paris, France
Died	19 July 2010(2010-07-19) (aged 81)[2] Dourdan, France
Occupation(s)	Actress, author, director, screenwriter
Years active	1949–1960
Notable work	Author: Belle et Sébastien Film: The Black Rose
Spouse	Si Brahim El Glaoui ​ ​ (m. 1956; div. 1959)​
Children	Mehdi El Glaoui

Cécile Aubry (born Anne-José Madeleine Henriette Bénard; 3 August 1928 – 19 July 2010) was a French film actress, author, television screenwriter and director.

Life and career

Born in 1928, Aubry began her career as a dancer. At age 20, she was signed to 20th Century Fox. She made her break as the star of Henri-Georges Clouzot's Manon (1949), which won the Golden Lion of Saint Mark at the Venice Film Festival. That brought her a leading role alongside Tyrone Power and Orson Welles in American director Henry Hathaway's feature The Black Rose (1950). Aubry had also a strong performance in Christian-Jacque's Bluebeard (1952), one of the first French-produced films to be made in color. For a short time, she was a Hollywood success, signing a lucrative contract with Fox, employing her parents as a publicity team, and regularly appearing in French film magazines as an example of the perfect hybrid of Franco-American femininity.^[3]

Aubry had a short film career. It was interrupted by a secret six-year marriage to Si Brahim El Glaoui, the eldest son of Thami El Glaoui, the Pasha of Marrakesh, whom she met in 1950 while filming The Black Rose. They had one child together, son Mehdi El Glaoui (born 1956), before their divorce. She announced her retirement from film in 1959, claiming that she had only enjoyed cinema for its travel opportunities. Aubry went on to write children's books and scenarios for children's television with considerable success.^[3][4]

Aubry became known in France for her television series for children, Poly, about a Shetland pony and a boy, and Belle and Sebastian, about a Pyrenean Mountain Dog and a boy, adapted for television from her books. The main character in each series was played by her son, Mehdi El Glaoui (credited as "Mehdi").^[5]

Death

On 19 July 2010, Aubry died from lung cancer in Dourdan (Essonne), France, aged 81.^[6]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1947	Une nuit à Tabarin
1949	Manon	Manon Lescaut
1950	The Black Rose	Maryam
1950	Bluebeard	Aline
1953	Piovuto dal cielo
1954	Dancing in the Sun	Solotänzerin Nanon
1957	La ironía del dinero	L'américaine
1957	C'est arrivé à 36 chandelles	Cécile Aubry (uncredited)
1963	L'espionne sera à Nouméa		Filmed in 1960

References

1. Weber, Bruce (2010-07-24). "Cécile Aubry, Actress and Writer of Children's Stories, Dies at 81". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
2. Bergan, Ronald (2010-07-30). "Cécile Aubry obituary". Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
3. "Belle and Sebastian author Cecile Aubry dies at 81". Big Cartoon Forum. July 20, 2010. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013.
4. Perrone, Pierre (2010-07-31). "Cécile Aubry: French actress who went on to create the much-loved children's TV series 'Belle et Sébastien". Independent. London. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
5. "Belle And Sebastien". A Television Heaven Review. Archived from the original on 14 April 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
6. "Mort de Cécile Aubry, auteure du feuilleton télévisé "Belle et Sébastien"". LE MONDE. AFP. 2010-07-20.

External links

• Cecile Aubry at IMDb
• Cécile Aubry at AllMovie
• "Actress, author of TV's 'Belle and Sebastian' dies at 81". AFP. 2010-07-20.
• Cecile Aubry on the cover of Life magazine June 26 1950 issue