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Claudette Colbert

Birth Name:
Emilie Claudette Chauchoin
Birth Place:
Saint-Mandé, France
Profession
Actress, Soundtrack
Claudette Colbert

Fast Facts

  • Ranked No․ 12 on the American Film Institute's "100 Years․․․ 100 Stars" list for Female Legends
  • Sure she would not win the Oscar for her performance in "It Happened One Night", she refused to attend the ceremony and was boarding a train for a cross-country trip when studio executives learned of her win and pulled her off the train to attend
  • In order to pursue new business opportunities, she and her family moved to the United States in 1906
  • Gained widespread recognition after renegotiating her contract with Paramount in 1935 upon being named the highest-paid star in Hollywood of the 1930s
  • Initially got her start on Broadway after signing a five-year contract with producer Al Woods in 1925, but eventually moved on to Hollywood after growing upset for constantly being typecast as French-speaking ingenues
  • Credits her well-known legs to living in a fifth-floor walk-up in New York for more than 15 years
  • Only allowed shots to be taken of her left side, as she thought it was her best, and refused to be filmed on the right or straight on, often causing studio execs to rebuild movie sets to abide by her wishes

Awards

  • 1929Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (December):Winner
  • 1930Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (July):Winner
  • 1930Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (September):Winner
  • 1931Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (July):Winner
  • 1931Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (September):Winner
  • 1933Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (February):Winner
  • 1933Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (March):Winner
  • 1933Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (July):Winner
  • 1934Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (April):Winner
  • 1935Oscar - Best Actress in a Leading Role:Winner
  • 1935Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (February):Winner
  • 1935Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (June):Winner
  • 1936Oscar - Best Actress in a Leading Role:Nominated
  • 1936Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (February):Winner
  • 1937Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (August):Winner
  • 1937Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (March):Winner
  • 1938Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (February):Winner
  • 1938Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (May):Winner
  • 1939Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (July):Winner
  • 1939Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (March):Winner
  • 1939Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (May):Winner
  • 1940Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (January):Winner
  • 1940Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (December):Winner
  • 1942Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (March):Winner
  • 1943Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (September):Winner
  • 1944Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (October):Winner
  • 1945Oscar - Best Actress in a Leading Role:Nominated
  • 1945Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (March):Winner
  • 1946Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (April):Winner
  • 1946Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (July):Winner
  • 1947Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (March):Winner
  • 1949Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (March):Winner
  • 1950Photoplay Award - Best Performances of the Month (March):Winner
  • 1950Gold Medal - Most Popular Female Star:Nominated
  • 1951Golden Laurel - Top Female Dramatic Performance:Winner
  • 1987Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special:Nominated
  • 1988Golden Globe - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television:Winner
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