CAPUCINE

'Capucine' (6 January, 1928 – 17 March, 1990) was a French actress and fashion model best known for her role as Simone Clouseau in the 1963 comedy, ''The Pink Panther''.
Born 'Germaine Lefebvre' in Saint-Raphaël (Var), she soon exhibited an independent, non-conformist personality. She attended school in France, and received a B.A. in foreign languages. At 17, while riding in a carriage in Paris, a commercial photographer noticed her. She quickly became a successful fashion model, working for fashion houses Givenchy and Christian Dior. She also adopted a new moniker, 'Capucine' (French for nasturtium). During this time, Capucine met future actress, Audrey Hepburn. Both were modeling in Paris, and the two would remain friends for the rest of Capucine's life. A manic depressive, Capucine's life had on several occasions been saved by Audrey (both women lived at the time in Switzerland) after repeated suicide attempts.

At 18, Capucine made her film debut in the French film, ''Rendez-vous de Juillet''. On the set of ''Rendez-vous'', she met Pierre Trabaud. The two would marry the following year. The marriage lasted only six months, and Capucine would never marry again. In 1957, film producer, Charles K. Feldman spotted Caupcine while modeling in New York City. Feldman brought her to Hollywood to learn English, and to study acting under Gregory Ratoff. She was signed to Columbia Pictures and, in 1958, landed her first English speaking role in the film, ''Song Without An End''. For the next few years, Capucine would go on to make 6 more major motion pictures before moving to Switzerland in 1962. She continued making films in Europe until her death.
Capucine met actor William Holden in the mid 1960s. Both starred in the films, ''The Lion'' and ''The 7th Dawn''. Despite the fact that Holden was married to actress Brenda Marshall, the two began a two year affair. Holden and Capucine ended their affair, but would remain friends until Holden's death in 1981. She also had a serious relationship with actor Dirk Bogarde. Rumors dogged her for years that she was homosexual, bisexual, or even transsexual, with some of those rumors started by the press because, at times, she was uncooperative with journalists. There have never been any reports to substantiate those rumors.
Capucine suffered from bipolar disorder throughout her life and had attempted suicide several times. In 1990, at the age of 62, she committed suicide in Lausanne, Switzerland, by jumping from her 8th-floor apartment window. Her obituary in the New York Times stated that her only known survivors were her three cats.

Contents

Filmography

External links

Filmography

★ ''Rendez-vous de Juillet'' (1949)

★ ''My Friend Sainfoin'' (1950)

★ ''Bernard and the Lion'' (1951)

★ ''The Toy Wife'' (1955)

★ ''Song Without End'' (1960)

★ ''North to Alaska'' (1960)

★ ''The Triumph of Michael Strogoff'' (1961)

★ ''Walk on the Wild Side'' (1962)

★ ''The Lion'' (1962)

★ ''Beach Casanova'' (1962)

★ ''The Pink Panther'' (1963)

★ ''The 7th Dawn'' (1964)

★ ''What's New Pussycat?'' (1965)

★ ''The Queens'' (1966)

★ ''The Honey Pot'' (1967)

★ ''Fraulein Doktor'' (1969)

★ ''The Cruel Ones'' (1969)

★ ''Satyricon'' (1969)

★ ''Red Sun'' (1971)

★ ''Ciao, Federico!'' (1971) (documentary)

★ ''Incorrigible'' (1975)

★ ''For Love'' (1976)

★ ''The Con Artists'' (1976)

★ ''Portrait of a Bourgeois in Black'' (1977)

★ ''Ecco noi per esempio'' (1977)

★ ''Neapolitan Mystery'' (1978)

★ ''From Hell to Victory'' (1979)

★ ''Arabian Adventure'' (1979)

★ ''Jaguar Lives!'' (1979)

★ ''Aphrodite'' (1982)

★ ''Trail of the Pink Panther'' (1982)

★ ''Stray Bullets'' (1983)

★ ''Curse of the Pink Panther'' (1983)

★ ''Delirium'' (1987)

★ ''Barrio Negro'' (1989)

External links

★

★ Capucine At Find a Grave

★ Capucine At Swingin' Chicks Of the 60s