Danièle Delorme

Gabrielle Danièle Marguerite Andrée Girard (9 October 1926 – 17 October 2015), known by her stage name Danièle Delorme, was a French actress and film producer, famous for her roles in films directed by Marc Allégret, Julien Duvivier or Yves Robert. Delorme was born in Levallois-Perret, Hauts-de-Seine, one of four children to the well-known painter, poster-maker and theater-designer André Girard and his wife Andrée (nee Jouan). Girard maintained a studio in Venice in 1936–37 and in Manhattan in 1938. Back in France he was not called up in 1939.

After the Battle of France, M. Girard removed to Antibes, then a free-zone and set up a network which provided recruiting and spying work for the French resistance. It was during this time that young Delorme began her acting career. In 1940 at the age of 14 Delorme began acting and played a series of minor roles before she began acting in film.

Two years later, owing to her father's contacts, she was able at 16 years old (at the time using the name Danièle Girard) to secure a bit part in The Beautiful Adventure (La Belle aventure (1942)). Two years later director Marc Allégret again used Delorme, this time in a large role. This time she performed on the stage name she would use for the rest of her career, Danièl Delorme. One story developed that she took the name in order to hide from the Gestapo her relationship to her father.