Acting
Zizi Jeanmaire
Born 1924-04-29 · Paris, France
Zizi Jeanmaire (born Renée Marcelle Jeanmaire; 29 April 1924 – 17 July 2020) was a French ballet dancer, actress and singer. She was the widow of renowned dancer and choreographer Roland Petit. She became famous in the 1950s after playing the title role in the ballet Carmen, produced in London in 1949, and went on to appear in several Hollywood films. She and Petit had one daughter, Valentine Petit, a dancer and actress. Jeanmaire is mentioned in the lyrics of the song by Peter Sarstedt, "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?", in the first line: "You talk like Marlene Dietrich, and you dance like Zizi Jeanmaire / Your clothes are all made by Balmain and there's diamonds and pearls in your hair". She is also mentioned in the lyrics of the song by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, "Nothing is Sacred", from their album Timeless Flight: "I said: "Zizi Jeanmaire wouldn't take this and neither will we / if they call me Napoleon again I'll be forced to let the lion free".
Acting credits
6.9A documentary film about dancing on the screen, from its origins after the invention of the movie camera, over the movie musical from the late 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s, up to the break dance and music videos from the 80s.
That's Dancing!
1985
6.9This documentary examines the life and work of the late fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent, recounting how a frail prodigy prone to bouts of depression became an icon of the fashion world. Initially appointed head of the House of Dior in 1957 before growing into a globally recognized designer in his own right, Saint-Laurent overcomes his struggles with substance abuse, accumulating a large art collection alongside his lifelong personal and professional partner, Pierre Bergé.
L'Amour Fou
2010
6.2A small-town shoemaker with a knack for spinning yarns, Hans encounters happiness and heartbreak on his road to becoming a full-fledged writer.
Hans Christian Andersen
1952
8.5Mikhail Baryshnikov and Zizi Jeanmaire sizzle in this ballet set to the music and story of Carmen.
Carmen
1980
6.0Bill Benson and Ted Adams are to appear in a Broadway show together and, while in Paris, each 'discovers' the perfect leading lady for the plum female role. Each promises the prize role to the girl they selected without informing the other until they head back across the Atlantic by liner - with each man having brought his choice along! It becomes a stormy crossing as each man has to tell his 'find' that she might not get the role after all.
Anything Goes
1956
6.0The charming Lulu, a cabaret singer and dancer, has no shortage of admirers. When she decides to get married, she sets her heart on Robert, a young industrialist, but he is already married. Disappointed, she sets out in search of the ideal man.
Too Many Lovers
1957
5.7A GI on furlough attends a Folies-Bergères show. He falls in love with a dancer, Claudie, the star of the theater.
An Evening at the Music Hall
1956
6.6Lively scenes of Paris, all narrated by Maurice Chevalier, link together four dramatic ballet choreographies by Roland Petit: La Croqueuse de diamants (The Gold Digger), Cyrano de Bergerac, Deuil en 24 heures (A Merry Mourning), and Carmen.
Black Tights
1961
6.3Former prostitute Renée dite Guinguette has earned enough on the Parisian sidewalk to buy her dream: a waterfront guinguette. Her new lover, Marco, offers the use of an unused adjoining barn to store the secondhand cars he trades in. But the 'used' cars are actually stolen, and charming Marco is a crook. With a few deaths and various vicissitudes, can love triumph in the end?
Guinguette
1959