Cécile Aubry

Cécile Aubry, born Anne-José Madeleine Henriette Bénard on August 3, 1928, was a multifaceted French talent known for her work as an actress, author, television screenwriter, and director. She initially entered the performing arts as a dancer before making her cinematic debut at the age of 20 when she signed with 20th Century Fox.

Aubry gained prominence with her leading role in Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1949 film *Manon*, which earned the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. This success led her to star alongside notable actors like Tyrone Power and Orson Welles in Henry Hathaway's *The Black Rose* (1950). Her notable performance in Christian-Jacque's *Bluebeard* (1952), one of the first French films in color, solidified her status in the film industry. During her brief Hollywood career, she enjoyed a lucrative contract with Fox, even hiring her parents as her publicists and becoming a symbol of Franco-American beauty in film magazines.

However, her acting career came to an abrupt halt due to a secret six-year marriage to Si Brahim El Glaoui, the son of the pasha of Marrakesh. In 1959, Aubry announced her retirement, revealing that her passion for cinema was primarily driven by the travel it afforded her. She pivoted to children's literature and television, creating beloved series such as *Poly* and *Belle et Sébastien*, featuring her son, Mehdi El Glaoui. Cécile Aubry passed away from lung cancer on July 19, 2010, in Dourdan, France, at the age of 81.