Quiz

Author of 'Adieu Volodia', a novel about a group of Jewish immigrants from Ukraine and Russia and their children, working in the theatre/film industry in Paris during the years 1926-1945.

Signoret, her mother's maiden name, was chosen for films in the early 1940s to raise fewer questions with the Nazi authorities than her real surname Kaminker.

The late American singer and composer Nina Simone took her stage name from Signoret.

Buried in Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris with her husband Yves Montand.

[Actor Philippe Noiret on working with Simone Signoret in a 1983 interview] It was quite an experience because she is a fabulous actress, because she knows absolutely everything about movies, about what an actor can do on the screen. It's a real challenge to have someone like that in front of you. But she is quite hard to work with because she wants to be at the head of everything, and you have to remain very alert because otherwise she can eat you. Alas, it makes things difficult. You have to stay a bit out of her reach because otherwise she might just manage to devour you.

Born to André Kaminker (1888-1961), a Polish linguist, and his French wife Georgette Signoret, she had two younger brothers, Alain and Jean-Pierre.

Was great friends with her look-a-like Romy Schneider and convinced her to do her last film, La signora è di passaggio (1982) after the death of her son. Her daughter, Catherine Allégret, starred opposite Schneider in the film L'enfer (1964).

Was able to speak French, German, and English.

Published her autobiography "La nostalgie n'est plus qu'elle était" ("Nostalgia Isn't What It Used To Be") in 1976.

Is one of 6 French actors to have won an Academy Award. The others in chronological order are: Claudette Colbert for Accadde una notte (1934), Lila Kedrova for Zorba il greco (1964), Juliette Binoche for Il paziente inglese (1996), Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose (2007) and Jean Dujardin for The Artist (2011).

Portrayed on a postage stamp issued on 3 October 1998 by the French Post Office.

Was originally cast as Madame Hortense in Zorba il greco (1964) but she quit the production before filming began. Lila Kedrova, who went on to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance, was cast instead.

For her performance in La strada dei quartieri alti (1958), she become the first French actress to win a BAFTA and a Best Actress Oscar for the same performance. Marion Cotillard is the second French actress to win both awards for her performance in La Vie En Rose (2007).

Great friends with Jane Fonda, who credits her with getting Fonda interested in politics.

Always called her second husband "Montand" (both in private and in public) because he had the same first name as her previous husband director Yves Allegret.

Gave birth to her 1st child at age 24, a son in 1945, with her then-married lover Yves Allégret, who would go on to be her 1st husband. However her son died at 9 days old.

The spring and summer of 1960, Signoret and Montand were neighbors in a three-apartment bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel with Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller across the hall and Howard Hughes upstairs. Monroe told her dresser, who wrote a biography, that Miller liked to talk to Signoret because she was so intelligent and that after Signoret went back to France to make a film and Miller went to New York to work on a play that Monroe and Montand did indeed have the affair that was speculated about in the press.

Tutored English and Latin, while working part-time for "Le Nouveau Temps", a newspaper published during the German occupation.

Simone Signoret won an Emmy in 1966 under the category of Single Performance by an actress for the TV movie A Small Rebellion.

In 1966, she played Lady Macbeth in a British stage production of 'Macbeth' at the Royal Court Thatre opposite Alec Guinness as the title character. She accepted the role on Guinness' wishes, as the actor himself had thought that she could 'convey the sexual magnetism that might hold a husband in thrall'. Having promised him that she would take lessons to improve her English, Signoret was however unable to keep the appointments with her coach. The production turned out to be a disaster and Simone's performance in particular was legendarily catastrophic, with the Guardian calling her 'the worst Lady Macbeth ever' and critic Alan Brien getting in the famous joke 'Simone Signoret: A conical bell-tented matron who moves on wheels like a draped Dalek surmounted by a beautiful Medusa head.'.

Gave birth to her 2nd child at age 25, a daughter Catherine Allégret on April 16, 1946. Child's father was her then-married lover [and later 1st husband], Yves Allégret.

Original choice to co-star with Elvis Presley in Paese selvaggio (1961) but turned down the offer and the role went to Hope Lange.

Was the 51st actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Actress Oscar for La strada dei quartieri alti (1958) at The 32nd Annual Academy Awards (1960) on April 4, 1960.

Played by Jordan Mohr in the stage play "Two Simones: de Beauvoir and Signoret in Hollywood.".

Took her middle name 'Simone' as a stage name in reference to French actress Simone Simon.

With 3 wins (out of 6 nominations), she's the French actress most recognized by BAFTA.

Is one of 14 French actresses to have received an Academy Award nomination. The others in chronological order are: Claudette Colbert, Colette Marchand, Leslie Caron, Lila Kedrova, Anouk Aimée, Isabelle Adjani, Marie-Christine Barrault, Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard, Bérénice Bejo, Emmanuelle Riva and Isabelle Huppert.

First woman to win an Oscar for "Best Actress in a Leading Role" for a non-American film, La strada dei quartieri alti (1958). Also the first French actress to win a Best Actress Oscar, the second and last one is Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose (2007). Signoret's daughter, Catherine Allégret, appeared in "La Vie en Rose" playing Édith Piaf's grandmother. Signoret and Cotillard have both played Lady Macbeth.

Was featured on the poster of the 2013 César awards.

Her last name is pronounced "Seen-yor-ay".

Gained international stardom from her role in Room at the Top.

Is one of 3 actresses to have won the Best Actress Oscar for playing a character called Alice. The others are Ellen Burstyn for Alice non abita più qui (1974) and Julianne Moore for Still Alice (2014).

Daughter Catherine was born in 1946.

Good friends with Delphine Seyrig.

Born at 2:30am-CET