Jenny Alpha
Jenny Alpha | |
---|---|
Born | Fort-de-France, Martinique | 22 April 1910
Died | 8 September 2010 | (aged 100)
Other names | Jenny Alpha-Villard |
Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
Years active | 1963–2008 |
Spouse | Noël Villard |
Jenny Alpha (22 April 1910 – 8 September 2010) was a Martinique-born French actress and singer, who appeared in more than a hundred theatre productions and movies.
Born in Fort-de-France, Martinique in 1910, Alpha moved to Paris in 1929 to pursue a career in teaching but became sidetracked due to her passion for theatre.[1] As well as appearing in theatre, she displayed a variety of talent and became a successful singer, appearing alongside the likes of Duke Ellington and Josephine Baker.
During the war she played an active role in the French Resistance before meeting her husband Noël Villard, a prominent French poet. Late in life, in 2005, she appeared in the film Monsieur Étienne,[2] and in 2008 recorded a final album, La sérénade du muguet.[1]
On 1 January 2009 she was granted the title of Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur by the French government, and in 2010 Alpha celebrated her 100th birthday.[3] She died on 8 September 2010 in Paris, France.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Décès de la chanteuse Jenny Alpha". Le Figaro. 8 September 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
- ^ IMDb profile
- ^ Notice of death (French) Archived 30 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- Use dmy dates from May 2011
- 1910 births
- 2010 deaths
- People from Fort-de-France
- French female singers
- French stage actresses
- Martinican music
- 20th-century French actresses
- 21st-century French actresses
- French centenarians
- Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur
- Knights of the National Order of Merit (France)
- 20th-century French singers
- 20th-century women singers
- French actor stubs
- Martiniquais people stubs