Claudette Colbert, born Émilie Chauchoin in Saint-Mande, France, (September 13, 1903 - July 30, 1996) was a French and American actress who began her career in Broadway productions during the late 1920s and progressed to films with the advent of talking pictures. With her Mid-Atlantic accent, witty dialogues, aristocratic demeanor, and flair for light comedy and emotional drama, Colbert became one of the most popular film stars of the 1930s and 1940s. In 1934, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for It Happened One Night. In addition to two other Academy Award nominations, Colbert earned a Tony Award nomination in 1959, won a Golden Globe in 1987 and was nominated for an Emmy.
