Michèle Girardon

This stunning, fragile starlet was born Henriette Michèle Leone Girardon in Lyon in August 1938. Having completed her acting studies at the local conservatoire she won a competition as "the most photogenic girl in France" by the age of twenty. Photo shoots followed and a minor career as a model with appearances on the cover of prestige magazines "Vogue" and ""Marie-Claire". She began on screen with prominent supporting roles as a deaf mute in 'Luis Buñuel' (qv)'s _Death in the Garden (1956)_ (qv) and as a secretary in 'Louis Malle' (qv)'s _The Lovers (1958)_ (qv). Her first starring role came courtesy of 'Éric Rohmer' (qv) who cast her in the lead of _Im Zeichen des Löwen (1962)_ (qv) -- one of the first films of the French Nouvelle Vague movement, shot on location in Paris. Though not a commercial success at the time, the acting received general praise throughout and Michèle attracted attention from Hollywood. Paramount approached her with an offer to appear as the owner of a Tanzanian game farm opposite 'John Wayne' (qv) in the African adventure _Hatari! (1962)_ (qv). According to a Life magazine profile of July 1961 Michèle 'taught herself English' on the set. Her role did not lead to a Hollywood contract. Nevertheless, for a while she remained in demand for European productions, the pick of the bunch being leads in the Spanish-made swashbuckler _The Adventures of Scaramouche (1963)_ (qv) and the Italian comedy _The Magnificent Cuckold (1964)_ (qv). Less high profile, but decidedly decorative, was her supporting role in the Franco-Italian "Alfie'-lookalike comedy _Tender Scoundrel (1966)_ (qv).By the early 70's, film offers had dried up and Michèle's career was seriously on the skids. She became increasingly despondent, especially after the end of an unhappy dalliance with a married Spanish aristocrat, 'José Luis de Vilallonga' (qv) (a writer and occasional actor with a well-earned reputation as a cad and spendthrift). 'Michèle Girardon' (qv) decided to end her life by ingesting an overdose of sleeping pills in her home town on March 25, 1975, aged just 36. In a tragic irony, two co-stars in Michèle's penultimate film _Good Little Girls (1971)_ (qv), 'Marie-Georges Pascal' (qv) and 'Bella Darvi' (qv), also committed suicide at the ages of 39 and 42, respectively.::I.S.Mowis