Andrée Debar(1920-1999)
- Actress
- Production Manager
- Producer
Born in Maisons-Laffitte on 5-5-1920, Andrée Debar grew up in the Grand
Duchy of Luxembourg where she graduated from high school. Living in
this tiny but bilingual country and having an English grandmother gave
Andrée a definite advantage : being able to speak fluent French,
German and English, to which she later added Italian by dint of working
for Roman studios. Still in Luxembourg, feeling the urge to become an
actress, she attended the Conservatory of Music and Comedy. Once in
Paris, where she settled down after completing her studies, she
continued on the same track, studying drama with
Marcelle Géniat until 1949 when, thanks
to Jean Cocteau, she was given the
opportunity to be part a prestigious tour in Egypt. Cinema noticed her
even before, and she made her debut as of 1940 in a short and as of
1946 in the feature film in two parts
Le bataillon du ciel (1947).
Her figure, willowy and elegant, was an asset but might not have been
enough to make her stand out in the crowd of all those starlets wishing
to make a plash in the movies. What attracted the producers, directors
and talent scouts was her unusual - almost masculine - look. As a
matter of fact she was at her best when the strange mix of femininity
and masculinity in her were exploited to their full potential. She is
fascinating in two films by the director who best captured her physical
ambiguity, 'Jacqueline Audry' in
La Garçonne (1957) and
Le secret du Chevalier d'Éon (1959).
What a pity André Debar decided to quit acting after the latter film.
She could have done more troubling things during the bolder 1960s and
1970s. But Andrée Debar turned to film production instead - until 1977.
And after this date, she gave a final farewell to cinema, preferring to
open an antique shop with her old friend
Sophie Desmarets as her partner. When
she died of Alzheimer's disease in 1999, Andrée Debar and her
androgynous beauty were totally forgotten. She deserved better.
