Origins & Early Life

Colette Janine Marchand (29 April 1925 – 5 June 2015) was a French prima ballerina and actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1952 for her performance as Marie Charlet in Moulin Rouge, directed by John Huston. During the height of her dance career she was considered one of the great dancers in Europe, known as Les jambes (The Legs), along with Violetta Elvin, Zizi Jeanmaire, Yvette Chauviré, Janine Charrat, and Margot Fonteyn. Marchand traveled around the world as a dancer and danced with many of the great ballet dancers of the 1940s and 1950s.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Marchand was born in Paris, the daughter of Alice (née Lioret) and Roger Marchand. She began her career at the Paris Opera Ballet She married Jacques Bazire, the musical director for the Roland Petit Ballet. She died on 5 June 2015, aged 90. She performed as a première ballerina on Broadway in Roland Petit's Les Ballets de Paris (1949 & 1950). In the 1950 show, Marchand performed a ballet piece titled The Boiled Egg, for which she received positive reviews.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In 1951, she had a featured role in the Broadway musical Two on the Aisle, which ran for 276 performances. In the...

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