Denise Grey

Denise Grey, born Édouardine Verthuy, was a prominent French actress with a remarkable career spanning several decades. She entered the world on April 28, 1896, in Châtillon, located in the picturesque Aosta Valley of north-west Italy, an area predominantly French-speaking at the time. Denise became a naturalized French citizen on July 13, 1922.

Her journey in the entertainment industry began in 1915 with her role in the silent film "En famille," based on Hector Malot's novel. After a brief stint in film, she focused on theater before returning to the silver screen in the 1930s as talkies gained popularity. The 1940s marked a high point in her career, with notable performances in films like "Monsieur Hector" (1940), "Boléro" (1942), and "Devil in the Flesh" (1947). Even in her later years, Grey remained active, starring in the 1972 French television series "Les Rois maudits."

Her role as "Poupette," the great-grandmother of Sophie Marceau in the 1980 film "La Boum," introduced her to a new generation of fans. Grey was affiliated with the prestigious Comédie-Française during two periods, from 1944 to 1946 and again from 1957 to 1958. She had a daughter, Suzanne Grey, who also pursued acting and lived from June 28, 1917, to December 13, 2005. In 1986, Denise recorded the song "Devenir vieux" (Becoming Old). She passed away in 1996, just shy of her 100th birthday, and was laid to rest alongside her husband in Arradon, Morbihan.