First Cannes best actress winner dies

Michele Morgan, French actress & glamorous idol dies at 96

Featured in: News & Reviews
Author: Pam Williamson, Cannes Editor
Updated: 28 December 2016

A star of the silver screen during the 40's and 50's and performing alongside Humphrey Bogart and Frank Sinatra, Michele Morgan was a leading lady in both French and Hollywood cinema.

Considered to bo one of the great French actresses of the 20th-century, Morgan passed away on Tuesday 20th December. "In her 97th year, the most beautiful eyes of the cinema closed forever this morning," her family said in a statement.

French President Francois Hollande said in a statement announcing the death of Morgan, whose sea blue eyes captivated French audiences, "Michele Morgan was more than just a gaze. Her legend left its mark on many generations."

Morgan starred in some 70 movies and took home the best actress award at the first-ever Cannes film festival in 1946. She won the prize for her portrayal of a blind woman in La Symphonie Pastorale (Pastoral Symphony), an adaptation of an André Gide novel directed by Jean Delannoy.

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