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obits
July 31, 2017

Remembering French Actress Jeanne Moreau, Bohemian Style Icon

By Catie L'Heureux

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Photo: Getty Images

French actress Jeanne Moreau, who died Monday at the age of 89, was a fashion icon with no signature look. Instead, she wore a variety of styles that evoked bohemian elegance: menswear and culottes, Breton stripes, fur coats and boas, and silk eveningwear. She is best known as the face of France’s New Wave cinema movement in the mid-20th century, particularly for her role in François Truffaut’s 1962 film Jules et Jim. Her close ties to the fashion industry included a four-year romantic relationship with designer Pierre Cardin, as well as film collaborations with Gabrielle Chanel and Hubert de Givenchy, who dressed her for roles.

Born in Paris in 1928, Moreau began her career onstage and went on to work with leading filmmakers of the era, including Louis Malle, Roger Vadim, and Orson Welles. In America, her first claim to fame was playing a bored housewife having an affair (and an onscreen orgasm) in Malle’s 1958 film The Lovers, which caused a scandalous obscenity case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court. Later, she almost played Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate, but turned down the role.

Moreau was the first woman inducted into the Académie des Beaux-Arts; her accolades include the Legion of Honor and César for best actress. She directed three films and released several albums as a singer. People often asked if she felt nostalgic for the French New Wave. “Nostalgia for what?” she said. “Nostalgia is when you want things to stay the same. I know so many people staying in the same place. And I think, my God, look at them! They’re dead before they die. That’s a terrible risk. Living is risking.”

See some of her best looks in the slideshow ahead.

Sources

The Guardian The New York Times

Sources

Women's Wear Daily

Sources

Vogue
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Moreau, center, with French footballer Raymond Kopa and his wife Christiane (left) in Paris, 1955. Moreau gave him an award for most elegant sportsman... Moreau, center, with French footballer Raymond Kopa and his wife Christiane (left) in Paris, 1955. Moreau gave him an award for most elegant sportsman. Photo: STRINGER/Getty Images
On a beach, 1958. Photo: Getty Images
From left: Gunnel Lindblom, Moreau, Bibi Andersson, and Swedish director Ingmar Bergman at a Paris press conference in 1959. Photo: STF/Getty Images
Moreau, left, with Brigitte Bardot on the set of Viva Maria!, directed by Louis Malle in Mexico, 1965. Photo: AFP/Getty Images
Moreau, left, sings with Brigitte Bardot on the set of Viva Maria!, directed by Louis Malle in Mexico, 1965. Photo: AFP/Getty Images
From left: Richard Burton, Elizabeth Talyor, and Moreau at a UNICEF gala at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris, 1967. Photo: -/Getty Images
Moreau kisses fashion designer Pierre Cardin, 1972. Photo: Getty Images
Moreau performs with Jacques Dufilho in the play L'Intox, onstage at the Theatre des Varietes in Paris, 1980. Photo: GEORGES GOBET/Getty Images
Moreau, right, with Michele Morgan after receiving from the 'Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres' in Paris, 1985. Photo: GEORGES BENDRIHEM/Getty Image... Moreau, right, with Michele Morgan after receiving from the 'Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres' in Paris, 1985. Photo: GEORGES BENDRIHEM/Getty Images
On a boat used in the film Pirates, at the International Cannes Film Festival in 1987. Photo: PATRICK BILLARD/Getty Images
From left: Valentino, Sharon Stone, Moreau, and Alain Delon at a party hosted by Valentino in Maxim's restaurant, Paris, 1995. Photo: AFP/Getty Im... From left: Valentino, Sharon Stone, Moreau, and Alain Delon at a party hosted by Valentino in Maxim's restaurant, Paris, 1995. Photo: AFP/Getty Images
With Meryl Streep at the César Awards in Paris, 2003. Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
At the San Sebastian Film Festival, 2006. Photo: Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
At the International Cannes Film Festival, 2008. Photo: Kristian Dowling/Getty Images
Moreau at a film tribute hosted by Sharon Stone in her honor, at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California. Photo:... Moreau at a film tribute hosted by Sharon Stone in her honor, at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California. Photo: VINCE BUCCI/Getty Images
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