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Zizi Jeanmaire | |
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.jpg) Jeanmaire in 1963 | |
| Born | Renée Marcelle Jeanmaire (1924-04-29)29 April 1924 Paris, France |
| Died | 17 July 2020(2020-07-17) (aged 96) Tolochenaz,Vaud, Switzerland |
| Occupation(s) | Dancer, actress, singer |
| Years active | 1949–1982 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Renée Marcelle "Zizi"Jeanmaire (29 April 1924 – 17 July 2020) was a Frenchballet dancer, actress and singer. She became famous in the 1950s after playing the title role in the balletCarmen, produced in London in 1949, and went on to appear in severalHollywood films and Paris revues. She was the wife of dancer and choreographerRoland Petit, who created ballets and revues for her.
Jeanmaire was born in Paris to Olga Renée (née Brunus) and Marcel Jeanmaire. She later wrote in her autobiography: "When I was little my mother called me 'mon Jésus' which transformed into 'mon Zizi'."[1]
She met her future husband and long-time collaboratorRoland Petit at theParis Opera Ballet when they were both aged nine.[2][3] She danced in 1944 in theSoirées de la danse at the Theater Sarah Bernhardt. She became aballerina of the Nouveau Ballet de Monte Carlo in 1946, and danced during the last season of Colonel de Basil'sBallets Russes de Monte Carlo in London in 1947. In 1949, she became the star of theBallets de Paris directed by Petit, where she was known for her energy and passion.[3] She created her most famous role,Carmen, to a musical arrangement of Bizet'sopera. For the role, she had her hair cut to boyish shortness, which was copied by many women.[1] The ballet was premiered in London at thePrince's Theatre on 21 February 1949, and the obituary inThe Guardian noted: "Nothing as sensual as the duets that Petit created for the lovers had been seen on the London stage before."[1] The performance was taken to an extended tour on Broadway, repeated the following season.[1]
Jeanmaire first appeared as a chanson singer in Petit'sCroqueuse de Diamants in 1950.[1] A chanson, composed by Raymond Cheneau, won aGrand Prix du disque.[3] In Hollywood, she appeared in the musical filmHans Christian Andersen in 1952, withDanny Kaye andFarley Granger. In 1954, she starred on Broadway again, in the musicalThe Girl in Pink Tights.[1] She returned to Paris and married Petit that year. Their daughter Valentine was born the following year,[1] and would become a dancer and actress.[4]
Jeanmaire appeared in film again in 1956, in Cole Porter'sAnything Goes withBing Crosby,[3] but otherwise focused on dance, including Petit'sLa Rose des vents in 1958 andCyrano de Bergerac in 1959. Beginning in 1961, she made a career in revues at theAlhambra Theatre, with hits such as "Mon truc en plumes".[3][1][5] She performed the song in a dress byYves Saint Laurent, who became her chief designer for stage and private clothes, and a friend. The number, with twelve young men carrying pink feather fans, became a signature tune and was repeated in other revues by Petit,[1] who produced more than 60 shows with her.[3]
Her fame garnered her press attention, and she preferred seating at fashion shows, for example in aYves Saint Laurent show in 1967, next toElsa Martinelli,Françoise Hardy andCatherine Deneuve. Almost 50 years later,Vogue magazine viewed Jeanmaire and her peers as representing a guidepost offashion week celebrity culture.[6]
Jeanmaire died in Switzerland[3] on 17 July 2020.[1][7]
Jeanmaire is mentioned in the lyrics of the song byPeter Sarstedt, "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?": "You talk likeMarlene Dietrich, and you dance like Zizi Jeanmaire".[8] She is also mentioned in theSteve Harley song "Nothing Is Sacred" which contains the lyrics, "Zizi Jeanmaire wouldn't take this and neither will we".[9]
