Madeleine Ozeray (13 September 1908, Bouillon – 28 March 1989 ), was a French stage and film actress. She appeared in many films between 1932 and 1980. She is the godmother of theater actor, dancer and singer Frédéric Norbert.

Biography

Madeleine Ozeray was born in Bouillon Belgium to Camille Ozeray (1855–1938), a lawyer and Liberal member of the province of Luxembourg, and Marie Deymann.

She studied at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels where she won first prize for comedy.

At twenty-seven she joined the theater company of Louis Jouvet where she played the role of Helen in The Trojan War Will Not Take Place by Jean Giraudoux at the Théâtre de l'Athénée. In 1939 she appeared opposite Jouvet in the film The End of the day produced by Julien Duvivier, in the role of young Jeannette. She plays with such delicate grace characteristic, both fragile and fierce, she had already filled the role of Rosalie in the film Victor Trivas 1933, in the streets.

In April 1939 Jean Giraudoux's play Ondine opened in Paris with Ozeray in the title role.

In 2008, in celebration of the centenary of Ms. Ozeray's birth, Belgian journalist Dominique Zachary devoted an entire book, now the standard reference work, tracing the life and career of this celebrated actress.

Ms. Ozeray died in Paris at the age of 81 after a long battle with cancer. She is buried in the cemetery of her hometown of Bouillon.