Betty Mars | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Yvette Baheux |
| Born | (1944-07-30)30 July 1944 |
| Origin | Paris, France |
| Died | 20 February 1989(1989-02-20) (aged 44) |
| Genres | Pop,Chanson |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Formerly of | Alain Barrière |
Betty Mars (bornYvette Baheux, 30 July 1944 – 20 February 1989) was a French singer and actress, best known for her participation in the 1972Eurovision Song Contest.
Mars was the youngest of ten children and from an early age showed a flair for dance and acrobatics. By age 16 she was appearing in revues and spent the 1960s travelling as a lead performer in shows around Europe and the Americas.
In 1971 she was spotted singing in cabaret by composerFrédéric Botton, who offered her the song "Monsieur l'étranger" which became her first recording.
In 1972, Mars was chosen to sing the Botton-penned "Comé-comédie" as the French representative in the 17thEurovision Song Contest, which took place on 25 March inEdinburgh. "Comé-comédie" is an unmistakably Frenchchanson-style song, which finished in 11th place of 18 entries.[1]
Mars continued recording through the 1970s, including duets withMike Brant andAlain Barrière. She moved into film work, appearing inMichel Audiard's 1974 filmBons baisers... à lundi, andClaude Lelouch'sSi c'était à refaire in 1976. More notoriously, she starred in the 1975softcore filmEmilienne, which was seen as an obvious attempt to cash in on theEmmanuelle phenomenon of the time.[2] She had a daughter, Marie-Laure.
Into the 1980s, Mars tended to drift out of sight as fashions changed and her performance style fell out of favour.[3]
Reportedly beset by emotional and financial problems, Marsjumped from a window of her flat inLa Défense on 31 January 1989. She died three weeks later, on 20 February in theFoch Hospital atSuresnes.[4]
| Preceded by | France in the Eurovision Song Contest 1972 | Succeeded by |
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