Maurice Chevalier

Also known as Maurice Auguste Chevalier

French singer, actor, and entertainer (1888–1972)

OverviewAI-generated

Maurice Auguste Chevalier was a French actor, singer, stage actor, and film actor. Born in the 20th arrondissement of Paris in 1888, he began his work period in 1901. He spoke and wrote in French and English, with French as his native language. His career included roles in film and stage productions, and he was recognized in the Hollywood Walk Of Fame collection.

Chevalier participated in World War I and was married to Yvonne Vallée and Nita Raya. He recorded for Imperial, RCA Victor, Decca, and EMI, playing the voice and piano. His genres included French chanson and cabaret. Notable works include *Y a tant d'amour*, *Quatre-vingts berges*, *Soixante-quinze berges*, *Tempes grises*, and *Artisan de France*.

He received the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, Academy Honorary Award, Special Tony Award, and Grammy Hall of Fame recognition. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor and Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama. Chevalier died of cardiac arrest due to natural causes in the 15th arrondissement of Paris on January 1, 1972.

Synthesized by Vinony from 39 facts across 6 sources: Wikidata, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Last.fm, TMDb, Vinony collections. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born: 1888
Died: 1972
Works: 34

Top works

Y a tant d'amour
Quatre-vingts berges
Soixante-quinze berges
Tempes grises
Artisan de France

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Paris, France

Maurice Auguste Chevalier (September 12, 1888 – January 1, 1972) was a French actor, cabaret singer and entertainer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including "Livin' In The Sunlight", "Valentine", "Louise", "Mimi", and "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" and for his films, including The Love Parade, The Big Pond, The Smiling Lieutenant, One Hour with You and Love Me Tonight. His…

Known for

L'Âge d'or de la pub — Self (archive footage)2023
Charles Trenet, l'enchanteur — Self (archive footage)2022
The Century of Icons — Self (archive footage)2022
Rendez-vous With Maurice Chevalier — Self - Entertainer (archive footage)2021
Les Trésors de Marcel Pagnol — Self (archive footage)2019
Michel Legrand, sans demi-mesure — Self (archive footage)2018
Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do — Self (archive footage)2015
Complicated Women — Self (archive footage)2003
You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story — Self (archive footage)1990
Going Hollywood: The '30s — (archive footage)1984

via TMDB

Music · MusicBrainz

Type: Person
Gender: Male
Origin: France
Active from: 1888
Active to: 1972

frenchfrench singer

Discography

Discogs Stream

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners: 111,377
Total plays: 500,439

Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Given name: Maurice
Gender: male
Citizenship: France
Place of birth: 20th arrondissement of Paris
Place of death: 15th arrondissement of Paris
Spouse: Nita Raya
Occupation: chansonnier
Languages spoken: English language
Native language: French
Genre: music hall
Instrument: piano
Record label: MGM Records
Conflict: World War I
Image: Maurice Chevalier 1959.JPG

Show 16 more facts

Commons category: Maurice Chevalier
date of birth: 1888-09-12
date of death: 1972-01-01
birth name: Maurice Auguste Chevalier
Commons gallery: Maurice Chevalier
cause of death: cardiac arrest
nominated for: Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
manner of death: natural causes
name in native language: Maurice Chevalier
topic's main category: Category:Maurice Chevalier
start of work period: 1901-00-00
wears: bow tie
copyright representative: SACEM
end of work period: 1971-00-00
nickname: Maurice de Paris
number of viewers/listeners: 2497039

Sources (15)

via Wikidata · CC0

~23 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Maurice Auguste Chevalier ( French: [mɔʁis ʃəvalje]; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including "Livin' In The Sunlight", "Valentine", "Louise", "Mimi", and "Thank Heaven for Little Girls", and for his films, including The Love Parade, The Big Pond, The Smiling Lieutenant, One Hour with You, and Love Me Tonight. His trademark attire was a boater hat and tuxedo.

Chevalier was born in Paris. He made his name as a star of musical comedy, appearing in public as a singer and dancer at an early age before working in menial jobs as a teenager. In 1909, he became the partner of the biggest female star in France at the time, Fréhel. Although their relationship was brief, she secured him his first major engagement, as a mimic and a singer in l'Alcazar in Marseille, for which he received critical acclaim by French theatre critics. In 1917, he discovered jazz and ragtime and went to London, where he found new success at the Palace Theatre.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Maurice Chevalier” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.