Micheline Presle

Elegant, dark-haired Parisian 'Micheline Presle' (qv) (billed in the U.S. as Micheline Prelle) was born on August 22, 1922, the daughter of a businessman whose surname was Chassagne. Taking acting classes as a teen, she was discovered by 'Georg Wilhelm Pabst' (qv) and cast in _Young Girls in Trouble (1939)_ (qv) (portraying Jacqueline Presle, whose last name she chose as her own marquee name). Very early into her film career, she was awarded the Prix Suzanne Bianchetti as the" most promising young actress" in French cinema.While Micheline proceeded to make movies during the Occupation with such offerings as _Four Flights to Love (1940)_ (qv) (dual role), _Comedy of Happiness (1940)_ (qv), _Foolish Husbands (1941)_ (qv), _Fantastic Night (1942)_ (qv), _Twilight (1944)_ (qv), and _Paris Frills (1945)_ (qv), she was regarded as an important young French star in the post -war years when she appeared in the classic films _Angel and Sinner (1945)_ (qv) and, in particular, _Devil in the Flesh (1947)_ (qv), both gaining her world-wide notice.After a brief post-war marriage to Michel Lefort, Micheline's second marriage to American actor-turned-producer 'William Marshall' (qv) in 1949 led her to attempt Hollywood pictures. Receiving a 20th Century-Fox contract, none of the those pictures, which included _Under My Skin (1950)_ (qv), _American Guerrilla in the Philippines (1950)_ (qv) and _Adventures of Captain Fabian (1951)_ (qv), the last one produced and directed by husband Marshall, captured the hearts of American audiences despite co-starring opposite Hollywood's top male superstars stars at the time -- 'John Garfield' (qv), 'Tyrone Power' (qv) and 'Errol Flynn' (qv).Divorced in 1954, Micheline never truly adjusted to the Hollywood way of life and returned quite willingly to Paris with her daughter, the future actress/director 'Tonie Marshall' (qv). She would, however, return briefly to America in the early 1960's to appear in the Dee/Darin comedy fluff _If a Man Answers (1962)_ (qv) and the spy drama _The Prize (1963)_ (qv).The supremely talented Micheline continued to reign supreme back in Europe and appeared frequently on the stage as well. Some of her post-Hollywood films (mid-1950's on) included _House of Ricordi (1954)_ (qv), _Royal Affairs in Versailles (1954)_ (qv) (as Madame de Pompadour), _Her Bridal Night (1956)_ (qv), _Demoniac (1957)_ (qv), _Mistress of the World (1960)_ (qv), _Imperial Venus (1962)_ (qv) (as Napoleon's Josephine), _Dark Purpose (1964)_ (qv), _The Nun (1966)_ (qv), _King of Hearts (1966)_ (qv), _Donkey Skin (1970)_ (qv), _The Legend of Frenchie King (1971)_ (qv), _A Slightly Pregnant Man (1973)_ (qv), _A Young Emmanuelle (1976)_ (qv), _Demons of the South (1979)_ (qv), _Diebe der Nacht (1984)_ (qv), _Good Weather, But Stormy Late This Afternoon (1986)_ (qv), _High Finance Woman (1990)_ (qv), _Fanfan (1993)_ (qv), _Les Misérables (1995)_ (qv) and _Tagebuch des Verführers (1996)_ (qv).Into the millennium, Micheline graced a large number of French films such as _Le coeur à l'ouvrage (2000)_ (qv), _Charming Fellow (2001)_ (qv), _The Devil in the Box (1977)_ (qv), _Transfixed (2001)_ (qv), _France Boutique (2003)_ (qv) (directed by daughter Tonie), _Grabuge! (2005)_ (qv), _Plein Sud - Auf dem Weg nach Süden (2009)_ (qv), _Just Like Brothers (2012)_ (qv) and her last, an unbilled part in _Sex, Love & Therapy (2014)_ (qv).Nominated for a supporting actress Cesar Award for her role as in the Venice Film Festival winner _I Want to Go Home (1989)_ (qv), Micheline received an honorary César Award in 2004.::Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net