| Elvira Popescu | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elvira Popescu May 10, 1894 Bucharest, Romania |
| Died | December 11, 1993 (aged 99) Paris, France |
| Other names | Elvire Popesco |
| Years active | 1910–1978 |
| Spouse | Aurel Athanasescu Ion Manolescu-Strunga Maximilien Sébastien Foy |
Elvira Popescu (Romanian pronunciation: [elˈvira poˈpesku]; in French, Elvire Popesco; May 10, 1894 – December 11, 1993) was a Romanian-born French stage and movie actress and theatre director.
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Born in Bucharest, Popescu studied drama at the Conservatorul de Artă Dramatică, under the guidance of Constantin Nottara and Aristizza Romanescu. She made her debut at the National Theatre Bucharest at age 16.[1] In 1912, she played herself in the movie Independenţa României, directed by Aristide Demetriade. In 1919 she became artistic director of the Excelsior Theatre.[2] In 1921, Popescu started Teatrul Mic, which she managed in parallel with the Excelsior.[3] In 1923, she starred in the movie Ţigăncuşa de la iatac, directed by Alfred Halm.
At the urging of Louis Verneuil, the French playwright, Popescu moved in 1924 to Paris. Under Verneuil's direction, she played the leading role in Ma Cousine de Varsovie, at the Théâtre de la Michodière. She also played in Tovaritch (1933), La Machine infernale (1954), Nina (1949), and La Mamma (1957). Later on, she was director of Théâtre de Paris (1956–1965), and Théâtre Marigny (1965–1978).[4] At age 84, she played again in La Mamma.
Elvira Popescu also played in movies, such as La Présidente (Fernand Rivers, 1938), Tricoche et Cacolet (Pierre Colombier, 1938), Ils étaient neuf célibataires (Sacha Guitry, 1939), Paradis perdu (Abel Gance, 1940), Austerlitz (Abel Gance, 1960), and Plein soleil (René Clément, 1960).
Shortly after her debut in 1910, Popescu married comedian Aurel Athanasescu; they had a daughter, Tatiana.[5] After a few years, she divorced, and married Ion Manolescu-Strunga, Minister of Industry and Commerce[2] (who was to die in Sighet prison in the 1950s). Her third husband was Count Maximilien Sébastien Foy (born in Paris on April 17, 1900, died in Neuilly sur Seine on November 11, 1967).[6]
She died in Paris at age 99, and was interred at Père Lachaise Cemetery.