Edwige Feuillère

During the 1940s, actress Edwige Feuillère was known as the "First Lady" of French films and was known for the ease in which she could switch from playing sophisticated sexy ladies and cruel, self-centered seductresses. Born Caroline Yvette Edwige Cunati, she learned her craft in the Dijon Conservatoire and at the conservatory in Paris. She made her theatrical debut as Cora Lynn, playing small roles in 1930. In 1931, she became part of the Comedie-Francais after marrying actor Pierre Feuillère. She left both her husband and the troupe in 1933. By the time she came to films in the mid-40's Feuillère had become a distinguished, highly respected actress. In 1948 she played the Queen in Cocteau's The Eagle With Two Heads, a role he had written especially for her. Feuillère was equally at home playing in dramas and comedies; later in her career, she also appeared on French television and in London theater.