Leslie Caron

French ballet dancer Leslie Caron was discovered by the renowned MGM star Gene Kelly during his search for a co-star in one of the finest musicals ever filmed, the Oscar-winning *An American in Paris* (1951), which was inspired by and based on the music of George Gershwin. Leslie's gamine looks and pixie-like appeal proved ideal for Cinderella-type rags-to-riches stories, and Hollywood made good use of this. Combined with her fluid dancing skills, she became one of the top foreign musical artists of the 1950s, while her triple-threat talents as a singer, dancer, and actress sustained her long after musical film's "Golden Age" had passed.

Leslie Claire Margaret Caron was born in France on July 1, 1931. Her father, Claude Caron, was a French chemist, and her American-born mother, Margaret Petit, had been a ballet dancer back in the United States during the 1920s. Leslie herself began taking dance lessons at age 11. She was on holiday at her grandparents' estate near Grasse when the Allies landed on August 15, 1944. After the German surrender, she and her family moved to Paris to live. There she attended the Convent of the Assumption and began ballet training. While studying at the National Conservatory of Dance, she appeared at age 14 in *The Pearl Diver*, a show for children where she danced and played a little boy. At age 16, she was hired by the renowned Roland Petit to join the Ballet des Champs-Élysées, where she was immediately given solo parts.

Leslie's talent and reputation as a dancer had already been recognized when, on opening night of Petit's 1948 ballet *La Rencontre*, which was based on the theme of Orpheus and featured the widely acclaimed dancer Jean Babilée, she was seen by the then-married Hollywood couple Gene Kelly and Betsy Blair. Leslie did not meet the famed pair at the end of the show that night as the 17-year-old went home dutifully right after her performance, but one year later Kelly remembered Leslie's performance when he returned to Paris in search of a partner for his upcoming movie musical *An American in Paris* (1951). The rest is history.

Kelly and newcomer Caron's touching performances and elegant and exuberant footwork (especially in the "Our Love Is Here to Stay" and "Embraceable You" numbers, as well as the dazzling 17-minute ballet to the title song) had critics and audiences simply enthralled. The film, directed by Vincente Minnelli, won a total of six Oscar awards, including "Best Picture," plus a Golden Globe for "Best Picture in a Musical or Comedy." Leslie was put under a seven-year MGM contract where her luminous skills would also be featured in non-musical showcases.

While Leslie's dramatic mettle was tested as a New Orleans nightclub entertainer opposite Ralph Meeker's boxer in *Glory Alley* (1952) and as a French governess in *The Story of Three Loves* (1953), it was as the child-like urchin who falls for a cruel carnival puppeteer (Mel Ferrer) in *Lili* (1953) that finally lifted Leslie to Academy Award attention. The film, which went on to inspire the Tony-winning Broadway musical *Carnival*, earned Leslie not only an Oscar nomination, but the British Film Award for "Best Actress" as well. At her waif-like best once again in the musical *Daddy Long Legs* (1955), Leslie was paired this time with the "other" MGM male dancing legend Fred Astaire. The story, which unfolded in an appealing *My Fair Lady*-style, was partly choreographed by Roland Petit, who founded the Ballet des Champs-Élysées, Leslie's former dance company.

While the actress gave poignant life to the ugly-duckling-turned-swan tale in *The Glass Slipper* (1955), choreographed by Petit and co-starring Britisher Michael Wilding as Prince Charming, Leslie also played a ballerina in love with WWII soldier John Kerr in *Gaby* (1956), a lukewarm remake of the superior *Waterloo Bridge* (1940). It took another plush musical classic, *Gigi* (1958), to remind audiences once again of Leslie's unique, international appeal. Audrey Hepburn, who had played the title part on Broadway, was keen on doing the film, but producer Arthur Freed wrote the part expressly for Leslie. It was also Freed who called up Fred Astaire to suggest her as his leading lady in *Gigi* (1958). Leslie tried the role out on the London stage prior to doing the film version. The musical wound up receiving nine Academy Awards, including "Best Picture," and Leslie herself was nominated for a Golden Globe as "Best Musical/Comedy Actress."

A few more forgettable film roles came and went until she returned triumphantly in a non-musical adaptation of a highly successful 1954 Broadway musical. The film version of *Fanny* (1961) was more adult in nature for Leslie and was blessed with gorgeous cinematography, a touching script, and the continental flavor of veterans Maurice Chevalier, Charles Boyer, and Horst Buchholz. At the movie's centerpiece is a child-like Leslie (at age 30!) who is mesmerizing as a young girl with a child who is deserted by her sailor/boyfriend. Even more adult in scope was the shattering British drama *The L-Sh