Arletty, Michel Simon

Born Arlette-Leonie Bathiat in Courbevoie, France, this singer and screen star was raised by a mother who worked as a linen maid and a father who drove for a living. In her twenties, she appeared in several music hall reviews, mixing her love of song with her love of theatre. In 1930, Arletty began her film career. In 1935, Arletty was directed by Jacques Feyder in the film Pension Mimosas. Often drawing comparisons to French singers and starlets such as Edith Piaf, Arletty made her mark in such films like Hotel du Nord in 1938, Le Jour Se Leve in 1939, Les Visiteurs du Soir i...