Micheline Presle

Micheline Presle ( born Micheline Nicole Julia Émilienne Chassagne; 22 August 1922 – 21 February 2024) was a French actress.

She was sometimes billed as Micheline Prelle. Starting her career in 1937, she starred in over 50 films, appearing firstly in productions in her native France and also in Hollywood during the era of Classical Hollywood Cinema. Subsequently she returned to French films from the mid-1960s until 2014.

Spouse William Marshall,​ (m. 1950; div. 1954)​
Child Tonie Marshall
Relatives Sarah Marshall (great-grandniece)

Biography

Early life

Born in Paris, she wanted to be an actress from an early age. She took acting classes in her early teens.

Early French cinema (1937–1950)

She made her film debut at the age of 15 in the 1937 production of La Fessée. In 1938, she was awarded the Prix Suzanne Bianchetti as the most promising young actress in French cinema. Her rise to European stardom, in films such as Devil in the Flesh (1947), led to offers in Hollywood.

Hollywood cinema

In 1950, she was signed by 20th Century Fox.

20th Century Fox executives changed Presle's last name to Prell. It was later changed to Prelle after a soap company brought out Prell shampoo. Her first Hollywood production was a starring role opposite John Garfield in the film Under My Skin directed by Jean Negulesco. That same year, director Fritz Lang cast her opposite Tyrone Power in the war drama American Guerrilla in the Philippines. In 1950, she became the second wife of American actor William Marshall with whom she had a daughter, Tonie. William Marshall had teamed up with actor Errol Flynn and his production company, and in 1951 he directed Flynn and her in the film Adventures of Captain Fabian.

Presle's marriage did not last, and she returned to France, divorcing Marshall in 1954. Her career flourished in French films, and in 1957, she was a guest on the American Ed Sullivan Show. In 1959, she performed in the United Kingdom English-language production of Blind Date directed by Joseph Losey. She returned to Hollywood in 1962 for the role of Sandra Dee's mother in the Universal Studios film If a Man Answers, which also featured Dee's husband, singer Bobby Darin. The following year, Presle acted again in English in The Prize starring Paul Newman.

Return to French cinema

Presle did not make another English film, but after performing in more than 50 films in French, in 1989, she appeared in the French-made bilingual production I Want to Go Home, for which she was nominated for the César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

In 1971, Presle signed the Manifesto of the 343, publicly declaring she had had an illegal abortion.

Death

Presle died in Nogent-sur-Marne on 21 February 2024, at the age of 101.