Anne Vernon, born Edith Antoinette Alexandrine Vignaud in Saint-Denis, France, in January 1924, is a Gallic actress who, despite her impressive career, remains relatively unknown outside of Europe.
After graduating from the Paris Ecole des Beaux Arts, Vernon began her career as a model and apprenticed with an advertising designer. As she developed an interest in acting, she joined a French theatre group and toured before transitioning to film.
Vernon's early film career saw her take on glamorous leading lady roles, particularly in light post-war romantic comedies and farcical souffles. She played ingénues in both English-speaking and non-English speaking films, including Warning to Wantons (1949) and Edward and Caroline (1951).
In addition to her romantic comedy roles, Vernon also demonstrated her range by taking on tense dramatic roles. She made only one Hollywood film during her career, playing the second femme lead in the film noir Shakedown (1950) alongside Howard Duff and Peggy Dow.
Audiences may recognize Vernon from her roles in the British films Terror on a Train (1953) and The Love Lottery (1954). In the latter, she played part of a love triangle with David Niven and Peggy Cummins.
For the most part, however, Vernon stayed in France and Italy, appearing opposite leading men such as Daniel Gélin, Vittorio Gassman, and Jean Marais. In the 1960s, she matured into chic, maternal roles, most notably as Catherine Deneuve's mother in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964).
Vernon also appeared in the notorious soft-core lesbian film Therese and Isabelle (1968). Following some TV work in the early 1970s, she gradually phased out her career.
Throughout her career, Vernon worked alongside a range of talented actors and directors, leaving a lasting legacy in the world of French cinema.
