Pola Illéry
Pola Illéry | |
---|---|
Pola Illéry | |
Born |
Paula Iliescu October 18, 1908[1][2] or Dicember 18, 1909[3][4] Corabia, Romania |
Died |
October 19, 1993 (age 83)[3][4] Palos Verdes, California, U.S. |
Occupation | Actress, singer |
Years active | 1928–1938 |
Spouse(s) |
Charles Grenier (his death) Jim Gibson |
Paula Iliescu Gibson (18 December, 1909 – October 19, 1993[3][4]) professionally known as Pola Illery, was a Romanian-born French actress and singer. She appeared in silent film and talkie films, and was best known of her portrayal of vamps.
Career
Born in Corabia, Romania as Paula Iliescu, she changed her name to "Pola" in tribute to the Polish-born actress Pola Negri.[1] Illéry appeared in a few French films in the 1920s and 1930s. She made her movie debut as the lead in René Clair's musical comedy Under the Roofs of Paris (1930). She also played the lead in Parada Paramount, the Romanian-language version of Paramount on Parade (1930), which was made in Paris by Paramount Pictures. She is believed to have made her last film appearance's in 1938.
Illéry married American Air Corps Major Charles Grenier during World War II and moved to the United States with him. The marriage only lasted a few months before he was killed in an accident. She worked for the Red Cross as a nurse during the war and became an American citizen in 1946. She later married Jim Gibson and the couple moved to Palos Verdes, California, where Illéry lived for the rest of her life.[5]
Death and fictitious reports
Illéry died on October 19, 1993 in Los Angeles, California, aged 83, and was possibly one of the last actresses to have appeared in silent films as an adult[6]
In 2012, a false obituary was published in numerous newspapers, including the The Daily Telegraph in London[7] and therefore subsequently appeared on numerous websites; the reports were later found to be a hoax, as Illery had in fact died in 1993, almost two decades earlier.
Selected filmography
- Captain Fracasse (1929)
- Illusions (1930)
- Under the Roofs of Paris (1930)
- The Man in Evening Clothes (1931)
- Bastille Day (1933)
- Street Without a Name (1934)
References
- 1 2 "Pola Illéry, who has died at Scranton, Pennsylvania, aged 103, was the last known leading lady of the silent film era.". telegraph.co.uk. The Telegraph UK. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- ↑ "Frumoasele actrite romance din epoca de aur a cinematografiei. Pola Illéry.". Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- 1 2 3 "Pola Illery profile". webcultura.ro. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Pola Illéry (1909–1993)". Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- ↑ "Spotlight on nostalgia". The Independent. October 8, 1973. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ↑ "Paula I. Gibson, "United States Social Security Death Index"". Familysearch. October 19, 1993. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ↑ "Pola Illéry". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-05-13.
External links
- Pola Illéry on IMDb