La Moreau

by Marianne Gray

Femme fatale, cultural icon, "La Marianne" of world cinema, Jeanne Moreau remains a symbol of an era. The great screen actress has worked with the likes of Francois Truffaut, Louis Malle, Jean-Luc Godard and Luis Bunuel, and counts acclaimed roles in Vincent Ward's Map of the Human Heart and Luc Besson's cult classic La Femme Nikita among her recent appearances. Here, based upon extensive interviews with those closest to her and with Moreau herself, biographer Marianne Gray traces the actress from her beginnings in the hallowed theatrical circles of the Comedie Francaise to acclaimed roles in such American films as Orson Welles' Chimes at Midnight and Elia Kazan's The Last Tycoon opposite Robert DeNiro and Jack Nicholson. Also detailed are Moreau's turbulent marriage to Academy Award-winning director William Friedkin; her affair with Pierre Cardin, among others; her successful singing career; plus revealing and critical insights into the several films she wrote and directed. La Moreau