Lila Kedrova | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kedrova in 1965 | |
| Born | Yelizaveta Nikolayevna Kedrova (1909-10-09)9 October 1909 St. Petersburg, Russia |
| Died | 16 February 2000(2000-02-16) (aged 90) Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1938–1994 |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Father | Nikolay Kedrov Sr. |
| Relatives | Nikolay Kedrov Jr. (brother) |
Yelizaveta Nikolaevna Kedrova (Russian:Елизавета Николаевна Кедрова; 9 October 1909[1] – 16 February 2000), known asLila Kedrova, was aRussian-French[2] actress of the screen and stage. For her portrayal of Madame Hortense inZorba the Greek (1964), she won anAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She later won aTony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and aDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical for the same role in themusical stage version of the film in 1984.[3]
Yelizaveta Nikolayevna Kedrova was born inSaint Petersburg, Russia. During her life, her birth date was often reported as 9 October 1918.[4] However, her gravestone gives her birth date 9 October 1909.[1]
Kedorva was the youngest of three children born to opera singer parents. Her father,Nikolay Kedrov Sr. (1871–1940), was a singer and composer, a creator of the first Russian male quartet to perform liturgical chants. Her mother,Sofia Gladkaya (1874–1965), was a singer at theMariinsky Theatre and a teacher at theConservatoire de Paris. Her brother,Nikolay Kedrov Jr. (died 1981), was a Russian singer and composer of liturgical music. Her sister, Irene Kedroff (Irina Nikolayevna Kedrova; died 1989), was a soprano.[5]
In 1922, several years after theOctober Revolution, the family emigrated toBerlin. In 1928, they moved to France, where Kedrova's mother taught at theConservatoire de Paris, and her father again recreated Quatuor Kedroff.
In 1932, Kedrova joined theMoscow Art Theatre touring company. Throughout the 1950's and '60s was a fixture of the Parisian stage, notably appearing in productions ofThe Rose Tattoo,The Playboy of the Western World,A View from the Bridge,A Taste of Honey, andLes Parents terribles.[6] During this time, she also married actor-director Pierre Valde.[6]
She made her film debut in 1938'sUltimatum. She appeared in several French films, mainly in supporting parts, until her first English-language film appearance as Madame Hortense inZorba the Greek (1964). She won the role after the director's first choice,Simone Signoret, quit early in production.[7] Despite being a relative unknown internationally, directorMichael Cacoyannis reached out to her personally.[6] Her performance ultimately won her theOscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Kedrova then appeared inAlfred Hitchcock's filmTorn Curtain (1966), playing the role of Countess Kuchinska, a Polish noblewoman in East Berlin who is desperate to emigrate to the United States. Kedrova played Fräulein Schneider in the West End stage production ofCabaret in 1968, and Lyuba Ranevskaya in a UK touring production ofThe Cherry Orchard.[6] She then played a series of eccentric and crazy women in Hollywood films, as well as in several Italian productions including the horror filmsFootprints on the Moon andThe Cursed Medallion. In 1976, she starred inRoman Polanski'sThe Tenant.
In 1983, she reprised her role as Madame Hortense on Broadway in themusical stage version ofZorba the Greek, winning both aTony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and aDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical in the process. In 1989, she played Madame Armfeldt in the London revival ofA Little Night Music.[8]
Kedrova's second husband was Canadian stage director Richard Howard (1932–2017).[9] She retired from acting in the mid-1990s due toAlzheimer's disease.[3][10]
In 2000, Kedrova died at her summer home in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, ofpneumonia.[3] Her remains were cremated, and her ashes are buried in her family grave in theSainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Russian Cemetery in Paris.[1]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Ultimatum | Irina | as Lila Kédrova |
| 1953 | No Way Back | Ljuba | |
| 1954 | Le Défroqué | Uncredited | |
| 1954 | Flesh and the Woman | Rose | |
| 1955 | Les Impures | Mme. Denis, la concierge | |
| 1955 | Les Chiffonniers d'Emmaus | Le femme de Bastien | Uncredited |
| 1955 | Razzia sur la chnouf | Léa | |
| 1955 | Futures vedettes | Mme. Dimater, Sophie's mother | |
| 1956 | Des gens sans importance | Mme. Vacopoulos | |
| 1956 | Calle Mayor | Pepita | |
| 1957 | Until the Last One | Marcella Bastia | |
| 1957 | Ce joli monde | Léa | |
| 1958 | The Lovers of Montparnasse | Mme. Sborowsky | |
| 1959 | La Femme et le Pantin | Manuela | |
| 1959 | Jons und Erdme | ||
| 1959 | Mon pote le gitan | La Choute | |
| 1963 | Kriss Romani | Kirvi | |
| 1964 | La Mort d'un tueur | La mère de Massa | |
| 1964 | Zorba the Greek | Madame Hortense | |
| 1965 | A High Wind in Jamaica | Rosa, Tampico Bar Owner | |
| 1966 | Torn Curtain | Countess Kuchinska | |
| 1966 | Penelope | Sadaba | |
| 1967 | Maigret de Pigalle | Rose Alfonsi | |
| 1967 | Le Canard en fer-blanc | Rosa | |
| 1968 | The Girl Who Couldn't Say No | Yolanda's mother | |
| 1970 | The Kremlin Letter | Madam Sophie | |
| 1972 | A Time for Loving | Madame Olga Dubillard | |
| 1972 | Rak | La mère de David | |
| 1972 | Escape to the Sun | Sarah Kaplan | |
| 1974 | Soft Beds, Hard Battles | Madame Grenier | |
| 1974 | Alla mia cara mamma nel giorno del suo compleanno | Countess Mafalda | |
| 1975 | Footprints on the Moon | Mrs. Heim, Old woman on the beach | |
| 1975 | The Cursed Medallion | Contessa Cappelli | |
| 1975 | Eliza's Horoscope | Lila | |
| 1976 | The Tenant | Madame Gaderian | |
| 1977 | Moi, fleur bleue | Countess de Tocqueville | |
| 1977 | Nido de Viudas | Mother | US:Widow's Nest |
| 1978 | Le Paradis des riches | Camille Chevallier | |
| 1979 | Le Cavaleur | Olga | |
| 1979 | Les Égouts du paradis | Charlotte | |
| 1979 | Womanlight | Sonia Tovalski | |
| 1980 | Les Parents terribles | Yvonne | |
| 1980 | Tell Me a Riddle | Eva | |
| 1981 | Il Turno | Maria | |
| 1982 | Blood Tide | Sister Anna | |
| 1983 | Testament | Uncredited | |
| 1984 | Sword of the Valiant | Lady of Lyonesse | |
| 1988 | Some Girls | Granny | |
| 1988 | Two Men | Rose | |
| 1991 | A Star for Two | Simone | |
| 1993 | Next Time the Fire | Mother |
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Results | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | 1964 | Best Supporting Actress | Zorba the Greek | Won | [11] |
| British Academy Film Awards | 1965 | Best Foreign Actress | Nominated | [12] | |
| Canadian Film Awards | 1975 | Best Supporting Actress | Eliza's Horoscope | Won | |
| Drama Desk Awards | 1984 | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Zorba | Won[a] | [13] |
| Golden Globe Awards | 1964 | Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Zorba the Greek | Nominated | [14] |
| Laurel Awards | 1964 | Supporting Performance – Female | 4th Place | ||
| New Faces – Female | 6th Place | ||||
| Taormina International Film Festival | 1981 | Best Actress | Tell Me a Riddle | Won | |
| Tony Awards | 1984 | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Zorba | Won | [15] |
Lila Kedrova, the Russian-French character actress who won an Academy Award and a Tony Award for playing Madame Hortense in works inspired by the novel, "Zorba the Greek," died Feb. 16 of heart failure in Saulte St. Marie, Ontario.
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