Catherine Deneuve's Way

In my book, Catherine Deneuve (October 22, 1943-) is the most stylish actor of either gender in the world. And she has quite a story.

For example, she had a sister (Françoise Dorléac, also an actor) who was killed in a car wreck in 1967.

Their father, Maurice Teynac (Dorléac) was an actor, too, but Catherine assumed her mother's (Renée Deneuve) last name.

Enter Roger Vadim, director of Les Liaisons Dangereuses (1959) and other classics and a true lady's man. In his lucky time on earth, Vadim married, "dated"or lived with Annette Stroyberg (1936-2005), Brigitte Bardot (1934-), Jane “Barbarella” Fonda (1937-) -- and Catherine Deneuve. Several children came of these relationships, resulting in an unconventional and very extended family. Vadim later married Marie-Christine Barrault (1944-) of Cousin, Cousine (1975) and Stardust Memories (1980) fame; she stayed with him until his death.

Deneuve clearly enjoys the complicated life – with panache. After Vadim, she had a four-year love affair with the handsome Marcello Mastroianni (1924-1996); they had a daughter (Chiara, 1972-) – despite his being married to Italian actor Flora Carabella (1926-1999), with whom he had another daughter. Things remained civil enough that both Deneuve and Carabella comforted Mastroianni at his deathbed.

To date, Deneuve has only been married once (to David Bailey, an Englishman), and that overlapped with Mastroianni. The seven year marriage ended in 1972 -- when Chiara was born.

As for Deneuve's highly influential movies, she’s made more than anyone can count, and with incredible charisma. She is still very much at the top of her game.

Just to sample a handful, I’ll mention some that immediately come to mind. There’s the vibrant Les Parapluies de Cherbourg/The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), one of maybe a dozen musicals that – because of Deneuve – I actually enjoy. (Usually, if a musical is hoisted upon me in a social situation, I have to avoid the temptation to reach for an air sickness bag). Her character in this film reminds me of Cybill Shepherd’s in The Last Picture Show (1971). They even resemble each other in their cousinly roles. Geneviève Emery, meet Jacy Farrow!

Deneuve, like Shepherd, has not been afraid to put herself out there. She is incredible in movies as diverse as Roman Polanski’s Repulsion (1965), Luis Bunuel’s Belle de Jour (1967), François Truffaut’s Le Dernier Métro/The Last Metro (1980), The Hunger (1983), and Indochine (1992).

I hope she will continue acting -- and living -- with such grace, beauty, style and strength until the day she dies. Vive La France! And most definitely, vive Catherine Deneuve!

Au revoir for today.