Elsie Ferguson

Elsie Ferguson was interred in the Duck River Cemetery in Old Lyme, Connecticut. She was nominated for a 2002 Cesar Award for her performance in the surprise European hit, L'Auberge espagnole. A very wealthy woman with no heirs, and a lover of animals, on her passing in 1961 she left a large part of her considerable estate to a variety of charities including several for animal welfare. Her fans consider her a beauty and an example of "innocent sensuality". Ferguson made her final appearance on Broadway in 1943 at the age of 60 that met with critical acclaim. In 1997 she starred with Leonardo DiCaprio in The Man in the Iron Mask. Married four times, following her final marriage at age 51 she and her husband acquired a farm in Connecticut and divided their time between it and her Cap d'Antibes home on the Mediterranean Sea in the south of France. The film introduced her to Americans in the role of Mathilde de Bellegarde.

Despite her wealth and fame and glamorous lifestyle, Elsie Ferguson's personal life had more than its share of turmoil. Godrèche was not well-known to American audiences until Patrice Leconte's Ridicule was released in 1996. Although her voice came across well enough, at age 47 she was well past her prime for fans who wanted to see her as the great youthful beauty she had once been. In 1994 her novel Point de côté was published in France by Broché Publishers to good reviews. In 1930 she made her first talkie that would also be her final film. The daughter of a psychiatrist, at age 14 she obtained her first screen lead in Benoit Jacquot's Les Mendiants and the following year began to pursue a full-time career film and theater. In 1925 she made one film only before returning to the Broadway stage. Godrèche's first film appearance was as Claudia Cardinale's daughter in L'Ete prochain.

It is considered her best work in film. Judith Godrèche (born March 23, 1972) is a French actress and author, born in Paris, France. One of these was the 1921 film entitled Forever in which she starred opposite the leading heartthrob of the day, Wallace Reid. L'Été prochain (1985). In 1921, she accepted another contract offer from Paramount Pictures to star in four films to be spread over a two-year period. La Saisons du plaisir (1988). She fell in love with Paris and the French Riviera and within a few years bought a permanent home there. Les Mendiants (1988).

In 1920, she traveled to the Middle East and Europe. La meridienne (1988). Elsie Ferguson eventually followed the move west and bought a home in the hills of Hollywood, California. Un ete d'orages (1988). Many of the films she agreed to do were because they were adaptations of stage plays with which she was familiar. Sons (1989). Continuing to play roles of elegant society women, Ferguson was quickly dubbed "The Aristocrat of the Silent Screen." But the aristocratic label was also because she was known as a difficult and sometimes arrogant personality to work with. La Fille de quinze ans (1989).

At the peak of her popularity, several film studios offered her a contract but she declined them all until the widely respected New York based French director Maurice Tourneur proposed she appear in the lead role as a sophisticated patrician in his 1917 silent film, "Barbary Sheep". Following this first film, Elsie Ferguson starred in two more films directed by Tourneur under a lucrative contract from Paramount Pictures that paid her $1,000 per day of filming. La Desenchantee (1990). Ferguson, noted for her great beauty and as one of the "Park Avenue aristocrats," on one occasion is reputed to have sold $85,000.00 worth of bonds in less than an hour. Paris s'éveille (1991). During World War I, a number of Broadway stars organized a campaign to sell Liberty Bonds from the theatre stage prior to the performance as well as at highly publicized appearances at places such as the New York Public Library. Une nouvelle vie (1992). In 1910 she spent time on the stage in London, England. Tango (1992).

By 1909, she was a major Broadway star. Grande petite (1994). Raised and educated in Manhattan, she became interested in the theater at a young age and made her stage debut at seventeen as a chorus girl in a musical comedy. L'Aube à l'envers (1995). Born Elsie Louise Ferguson in New York City, she was the only child of a successful attorney. Ridicule (1996). Elsie Ferguson, born August 19, 1883 - died November 15, 1961, was an American stage and film actress. Beaumarchais, l'insolent (1996).

The Man in the Iron Mask (1997) - (English). Bimboland (1998). Entropy (1999) - (English). South Kensington (2001) - (English).

Quicksand (2001) - (English). Parlez-moi d'amour (2002). L'Auberge espagnole (2002). France boutique (2002).