Claudette Colbert
Milestones
- Birthplace: Paris, France
- Birthday: September 13, 1903
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1991
Career celebrated with ceremony and retrospective at New York University
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1987
Returned to TV to star opposite Ann-Margret in two-part film, "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles"
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1984
A building at the old Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York (where she had made her first films for Paramount) was renamed in her honor
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1984
Received tribute for lifetime achievement from the Film Society of Lincoln Center
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1982
Appeared on the American Film Institute's televised salute to Frank Capra
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1981
Acted on Broadway in "A Talent for Murder"
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1978
Returned to Broadway to star opposite Rex Harrison in "The Kingfisher"
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1974
Returned to the stage to appear in "A Community of Two" in Philadelphia
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1972
Made rare public appearance at the "Fabulous Forties" nostalgia night at Manhattan's Roseland
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1969
Announced that she was going to write a book entitled "How to Run a House" for her friend's Bennett Cerf's Random House Press; book did not materialize
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1965
Made last stage appearance for almost a decade, opposite Brian Ahearne in "Diplomatic Relations"
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1963
Appeared in Maxwell House Coffee TV commercials and billboard advertisements
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1961
One-shot return to films: played Troy Donahue's mother in the popular soap opera, "Parrish"
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1959
Last major acting role on TV for 25 years, in "The Bells of St. Mary's"
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1958
Returned to Broadway to originate a role after 27 years to star opposite Charles Boyer in the popular sex farce, "The Marriage Go-Round"
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1956
Replaced Margaret Sullavan in the female lead of the Broadway play, "Janus"
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1955
Last starring role in an American feature film, "Texas Lady"
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1954
Made pact with CBS to star in five teleplays after successful appearance in "The Royal Family of Broadway"
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1952
Traveled to England to star in "Outpost in Malaya"
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1952 to 1957
Worked in Europe in film and theater; made fewer films, but starred in two in France
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1951
Announcments made that she would star in a TV series, "Leave It to Lizabeth"; filmed pilot, but backed out of series commitment
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1951
Made TV debut on "The Jack Benny Show"
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1951
Starred in last screen romantic comedy, "Let's Make It Legal"
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1951
Starred opposite Noel Coward in successful stage presentation of "Island Fling/South Sea Bubble"
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1950
Replaced in leading role in "All About Eve" by Bette Davis after suffering severe back injury
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1948
Replaced by Katharine Hepburn in leading role in "State of the Union" after disagreements with director Frank Capra
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1947
Made motion picture exhibitor's poll of top ten box office stars; placed 9th
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1945
Left Paramount Pictures after having spent most of her starring career there; last film under contract, "Practically Yours"
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1944
Played a mother with teen-aged daughters for the first time in David O. Selznick's acclaimed homefront saga, "Since You Went Away"
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1941
Joined with Ronald Colman, Charles Boyer, Irene Dunne, Lewis Milestone and Anatole Litvak to form producing unit at Twentieth-Century Fox; Colbert starred in Fox film, "Remember the Day"
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1939
Starred in first color film, "Drums Along the Mohawk", directed by John Ford and co-starring Henry Fonda
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1938
Was the sixth top money-making woman in America with an income of $301,944 ($50,000 less than she had made the year before, when she placed fourteenth)
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1936
Negotiated new contract with Paramount which called for seven films at $150,000 per film
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1936
Plans to star as Joan of Arc in a film directed by Anatole Litvak fell through
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1935
Co-starred opposite Fred MacMurray for the first of seven films together (in his first substantial lead) in the popular "The Gilded Lily"
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1935
Was named best-dressed actress in Hollywood
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1934
Enjoyed landmark career success in Frank Capra's popular and acclaimed Oscar-winner, "It Happened One Night" while on loan to Columbia
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1934
Signed new two-year contract with Paramount; earned $5000 per week
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1933
Renegotiated contract with Paramount; allowed to appear in films at other studios
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1932
Appeared in largest film to date: as Poppaea in Cecil B. DeMille's epic, "The Sign of the Cross"
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1932
Briefly went off salary for refusing bland roles
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1931
Position in film industry elevated by success of Ernst Lubitsch's popular "The Smiling Lieutenant"
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1929
Made talking film debut in second film, "The Hole in the Wall"
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1929
Played leading roles in two unsuccessful plays by noted playwrights Eugene O'Neill ("Dynamo") and Elmer Rice ("See Naples and Die", her last stage appearance for over 20 years)
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1928
Film contract with First National aborted after failure of first film
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1928
Journeyed with Foster to Paris to recreate their stage roles in "The Barker"
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1928
Marriage to Norman Foster (in 1927) revealed by New York columnist
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1928
Signed film contract with Paramount which enabled her to continue stage career
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1927
Enjoyed major Broadway success as the female lead in "The Barker"
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1927
Film acting debut in the silent, "For the Love of Mike"
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1926
Traveled to Paris; returned to New York to comply with five-year contract she had recently signed with producer Al Woods
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1925
Replaced in leading role of Frederick Lonsdale's "The Fake"
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1923
Made Broadway stage debut in "The Wild Westcotts"
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1919
Made stage debut at the Provincetown Playhouse in "The Widow's Veil", written by her speech teacher, Alice Rossetter
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1912
Moved from Paris to New York after father suffered financial reverses in the banking business
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Hosted monthly CBS afternoon information series, "The Women"
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Made motion picture exhibitors poll of top ten boxoffice stars: 6th place in 1935 and 8th place in 1936
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Reunited in London and on Broadway with Rex Harrison in revival of Frederick Lonsdale's drawing-room comedy, "Aren't We All?"
Upcoming Appearances
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