Gigi - Cast

"Gigi" had a wonderful cast and, fortunately, the producers had the good sense to hire native French stars for the lead roles. Louis Jourdan was charming as Gaston and Leslie Caron was adorable as the younger and naive Gigi. Maurice Chevalier was debonair and thoroughly believable as the suave, sophisticated and romantic Honore.

Louis Jourdan(1919-)

Louis Jourdan was born Louis Gendre but he took his mother's maiden name of Jourdan when he became an actor. He was educated in France, Turkey and England and he studied drama in France at the Ecole Dramatique.

Jourdan made his first film in France in 1939. He appeared in eight French films from 1939-1945. He refused to perform for the Nazis in propaganda films and he temporarily abandoned his film career to join the French underground.

Louis Jourdan's entry into American films came in 1947 when David O. Selznick hired him for the film, "The Paradine Case." He made five films in America prior to being cast as Gaston in "Gigi." After his success in "Gigi," Louis Jourdan appeared in 20 movies, but none of them were as successful as "Gigi." He also appeared occasionally on US television programs from 1968 to 1986.

Louis Jourdan is now retired and he lives in California with his wife.

Maurice Chevalier(1888-1972)

Mauice Chevalier was born in France and he began his career at the age of 13, singing for free at a local cafe. He was encouraged to try out for a local musical and he won the part. By 1917, Chevalier was starring at the Casino de Paris and performing for British and American soldiers. During World War I, he decided to halt his career and join the French army and he was captured and imprisoned by the Germans.

After the war, Chevalier returned to making French films until 1922. He then went to Broadway and starred in a French operatta called "Dede."

Chevalier signed a movie contract with Paramount Pictures in 1928 and he starred in several films. In 1930, he had the honor of being nominated for an Academy Award as best actor for his performance in not one but two films ("The Love Parade" and "The Big Pond"). During the 1930s, he continued to appear in movies, including several movie musicals.

After the outbreak of World War II, Maurice Chevalier returned to his native France and performed in live shows and acted in films in Europe until 1954. He then returned to the United States and achieved success in American films, particularly after the release of "Gigi."

Chevalier continued his career in the 1960s by touring the United States and the world, singing and entertaining thousands of people. He also made eight movies between 1960 and 1963. His last part was singing the title song for the Disney film, "The Aristocrats," in 1970. He died in 1972 from cardiac arrest following surgery.