Colette Marchand

Colette Janine Marchand, born in Paris, France, on 29 April 1925, was a French prima ballerina and actress whose career spanned stage, screen, and television across Europe and the United States. The daughter of Alice (née Lioret) and Roger Marchand, she began her training at the Paris Opera Ballet and went on to become one of the most celebrated dancers in Europe during the 1940s and 1950s. She was among a distinguished group of dancers of that era — including Violetta Elvin, Zizi Jeanmaire, Yvette Chauviré, Janine Charrat, and Margot Fonteyn — collectively referred to as Les jambes, or The Legs. Marchand performed alongside many of the leading ballet dancers of the period during extensive international touring. She married Jacques Bazire, who served as musical director for the Roland Petit Ballet.

Marchand's Broadway career ran from 1949 to 1951. She appeared as a première ballerina in Roland Petit's Les Ballets de Paris in both 1949 and 1950, the production under which her database credit L'Oeuf á la Coque falls. During the 1950 engagement, she performed a ballet piece titled The Boiled Egg to considerable critical acclaim. In 1951, she took a featured role in the Broadway musical Two on the Aisle, which completed a run of 276 performances. During her time in New York, Marchand was profiled in several publications, including Life magazine, and made television appearances on the Ford Star Revue, the Colgate Comedy Hour, and the Ed Sullivan Show.

Her film work brought her significant recognition. In 1952, she received a Golden Globe Award as Most Promising Newcomer — Female for her portrayal of Marie Charlet in Moulin Rouge, directed by John Huston, and was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for the same role. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated her for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for that performance. In 1951, she contributed her voice to Isidore Isou's Venom and Eternity, and in 1953 she appeared in The Lady in the Ice, directed by Orson Welles. Her subsequent film appearances included Hungarian Rhapsody, Par Ordre du Tsar, and the musical short Romantic Youth, in which she also served as choreographer, all released in 1954.

Marchand died on 5 June 2015 at the age of 90, survived by her sister, Yvonne (Marchand) Le Bras.