- Born
- Died
- Birth nameSuzanne Pierrette Delaire
- Prototype of the sexy cheeky French lady, Suzy Delair was discovered by Henri-Georges Clouzot, who became her companion and gave her two memorable roles : Mila Malou, inspector Wens' unbearable girlfriend in two films, Le Dernier des six (1941), which he wrote, and The Murderer Lives at Number 21 (1942), which he penned and directed; and the mythical one of Jenny Lamour, a frivolous music-hall singer prepared to do anything to become famous who makes her poor husband insanely jealous in Jenny Lamour (1947). The rest of her filmography is rather disappointing, with a few exceptions such as Jean Grémillon's White Paws (1949) , where she is -once again - an unfaithful companion ; Gervaise (1956), René Clément's masterpiece as Gervaise's obnoxious rival or Luchino Visconti's Rocco and His Brothers (1960), another cinema milestone, even if her part in this film is minor. An excellent singer (Who has forgotten "Avec son tra la la"?), delightful in operettas, Suzy Delair could hardly choose between her two careers. This may be the reason why she missed out on more great roles than she finally interpreted. Nevertheless, Mila Malou and Jenny Lamour are now part of the French film heritage. Not everybody can boast having left such an imprint on several generations of movie-goers.
- IMDb mini biography by: Guy Bellinger
- February 28, 1948, she sang the French song "C'est si bon" (composed in 1947 by Henri Betti with the lyrics of André Hornez) with Jean Marion on the piano at the Hotel Negresco during the last evening of the first "Nice Jazz Festival". Louis Armstrong was present and loved the song. June 26, 1950, he recorded the American version of the song (English lyrics by Jerry Seelen) in New York with Sy Oliver and his Orchestra. When it was released, the disc was a worldwide success and the song was then performed by the greatest international singers. Suzy Delair did not record the song on disc but she sang it on television in Les grandes familles de Trente-Six Chandelles : la couture (1957). In 2017, she was the first centenarian performer of this song. The second was Jane Morgan (1924-2025).
- Before Delair began performing in films, she starred in operettas.
- For 12 years, Delair was the companion of French film director, producer and screenwriter Henri-Georges Clouzot.
- Her screen assignments ranged from the sublime (1960's Rocco and His Brothers) to the ridiculous (1966's Is Paris Burning) to the sublimely ridiculous (1956's Fernandel the Dressmaker). Ironically, Suzy is best known to American film goers for what may well be her worst film. In 1950, Suzy Delair was cast as will-of-the-wisp chanteuse Cheri Lamour in Atoll K, the melancholy final film effort of ageing comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
- Growing up in Montmartre, Delair was the daughter of a father who upholstered expensive cars' interiors, and a seamstress mother.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
