Marie Laure Viole Bellon, generally known asLoleh Bellon (1925–1999), was a French stage and film actress, as well as a playwright. In 1949, for her role inRobert Desnos'La Place de l'Étoile, she was awarded thePrix des Jeunes comédiens. She is remembered for her performances inGiraudoux'Judith, and inClaudel'sL'Annonce faite à Marie. Bellon was also a successful playwright, especially withDames du jeudi (1976),Une absence (1988), andLa Chambre d'amis (1995).[1][2][3] For her playL'Éloignement (1987), she was awarded theMolière prize.[4]
Born on 14 May 1925 inBayonne, Marie Laure Viole Bellon was the daughter of Jacques Bellon, a magistrate, andDenise Simone Hulmann, a well-known photographer. In 1947, she married the Spanish writerJorge Semprún Maura (1923–2011), with whom she gave birth toJaime Semprún (1947–2010), also a writer. Following a divorce in 1960, she married the poetClaude Roy (1915–1997) in 1962. Loleh Bellon was the younger sister of the film director and screenwriterYannick Bellon.[5]
Bellon studied for the theatre under the Russian-born actress and drama teacherTania Balachova, the actor and theatre managerCharles Dullin, and the actorJulien Bertheau. After making her stage début in 1945 inJ. B. Priestley'sDangerous Corner, in 1947, she played inL'An Mil byJules Romains. In 1949, for her performance inLa Place de l'Étoile, she was awarded thePrix des Jeunes comédiens.[3]
She embarked on her cinema career in the late 1940s, working withJean-Louis Barrault andJean Vilar. Her first major success was the role of Marie inLe Point du jour (1949), directed byLouis Daquin. She appeared in two more of Daquin's films –The Perfume of the Lady in Black (1949), andMaître après Dieu (1950). Thanks to her sister Yannick Bellon, in the 1970s, she starred inQuelque part quelqu'un (1972) andJamais plus toujours (1976).[3]
As a playwright, in 1976, herLes Dames du Jeudi was awarded the Ibsen prize. Other successes includedL'èloignement (1987),Une absence (1988), andLa Chambre d'amis (1995).[4]
Loleh Bellon died on 22 May 1999 inLe Kremlin-Bicêtre, in the Paris suburbs.[2][6]
In May 1951, Loleh Bellon was the sponsor of a subscription contest forFemmes françaises, a communist women's magazine.[7]
She supported thefeminist campaign to legalizeabortion on demand in France.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
