Danielle Darrieux was born in 1917 in Bordeaux, France, to Marie-Louise Witkowski and Germain Jean Darrieux, a physician. Her early life was spent in Paris, where she was raised. At the tender age of fourteen, she boldly auditioned for a secondary role in Le bal (1931) and, much to her delight, landed the part. The producer was so impressed with her performance that he offered her a five-year contract. She went on to have her first romantic lead in La crise est finie (1934) and gained international recognition with her portrayal of Marie Vetsera opposite Charles Boyer in the historical drama Mayerling (1936). In 1938, she ventured to Hollywood to appear in the comedy The Rage of Paris (1938) but soon returned to Paris.
Throughout the Occupation, Darrieux remained in France and emerged as one of the leading actresses of the period. She starred in several major hits, including Premier Rendez-Vous (1941). In 1945, she made her mark on both the stage and screen, appearing in the play "Tristan et Isolde" and the film Au petit bonheur (1946). Over the next three decades, she secured several significant roles in films such as La Ronde (1950),The Earrings of Madame De... (1953),and The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967). Her performance in The Earrings of Madame De... is widely regarded as her best, as she brought to life the character of a society lady torn between her husband and her lover.
In 1970, Darrieux replaced Katharine Hepburn on Broadway in the play "Coco." She continued to make sporadic screen and stage appearances but made a triumphant comeback in 2002, playing Catherine Deneuve's mother in the international hit 8 Women (2002). Darrieux passed away on October 17, 2017, in Bois-le-Roi, Eure, France, at the age of 100.
