Françoise Rosay was born in Paris in 1891. She was the illegitimate daughter of a theatre actress, known under the nickname of Sylviac. Her mother didn't love her and left her with a nurse or servant. She studied music from a young age to become an opera singer. She made her debut at the Paris opera in her 20s. Here is a picture of her in her costume for the opera Salammbô by Ernest Reyer.
But quickly, she got the bug for theatre acting rather than opera. In 1917, she met a young Belgian actor called Jacques Feyder. They married and they got three sons.
When she met Feyder, he was already thinking of becoming a director. She seemed to have been very much involved in a lot of his projects as assistant director, helping with scripts and casting. It's difficult to assess her actual contribution but it's probably quite important. As you know Feyder became quickly an important director with such pictures as L'Atlantide (1922) and Visages d'Enfants (1923). At this point, Françoise wasn't yet working with her husband as an actress. It's only in 1926 that they made together Gribiche where she plays the main part. In 1929, Feyder was offered a contract by MGM and the whole family moved to Hollywood where he directed Garbo in The Kiss and the German version of Anna Christie.
(from l. to r.) F. Rosay, Marcel André, Yves Mirande, Garbo & J. Feyder
At first, Françoise only helped her husband with scripts as she was fluent in English. A producer noticed her skills and asked her to play in some films. It was just the start of talkies and multi-lingual versions where produced in all studios. Françoise made an impact in Le Procès de Mary Dugan, Le Petit Café and Soyons Gai!. Feyder became restless in Hollywood. He missed France and the way films where produced over there, so in 1932, they went back to France.
Feyder's first film back in France was Le Grand Jeu (1933). Françoise gets in it a very good part as the manager of a seedy hotel in North Africa. She befriends a young man who joined the legion after squandering his fortune for his mistress. She is absolutely remarkable in the film.
In their following feature, Pension Mimosas (1935) she has another amazing part playing the mother of an adopted son. She goes to any length to help the young man who turns out to be a complete rascal.
In La Kermesse Héroïque (1935), she is the burgomaster's wife in XVIth century Flanders, managing the household, her huge brood as well as the visiting Spanish grandees.
This film as well as the following feature, Les Gens du Voyage (1938) were shot in German and French versions. Rosay being fluent in German made both versions.
In the late 30s, Rosay was very much in demand by many directors, she worked with Julien Duvivier (Un Carnel de Bal, 1937), Marcel Carné's first film, Jenny (1936).
The war is going to be quite an adventure for her as she went to London where she played during the blitz before joining the allies in North Africa and living some pretty hair-raising situation not unlike Ice Cold in Alex!
After the war, she was reunited with her husband who had gone to Switzerland. Alas, Feyder was already suffering from the cancer that would eventually kill him in 1948. Françoise managed to get the best care for him and to hide from him that his disease was lethal. Her book of memoirs ends with the death of Feyder in 1948.
But she went on making movies until the 70s. She worked again in Hollywood (September Affair), in London (Saraband For Dead Lovers), in Italy and of course in France. She died in 1974.
Among her films, those made with her husband La Kermesse Héroïque (Carnival in Flanders), Les Gens du Voyage and Le Grand Jeu are absolutely fantastic pictures. I haven't seen yet Gribiche, but I will do tomorrow!
