Jenny Alpha

Jenny Alpha (born April 22, 1910 in Fort-de-France , Martinique , † September 8, 2010 in Paris ) was a French actress and singer .

Life

Jenny Alpha was born in Martinique, but went to Paris in 1929 . She originally wanted to be a teacher , but then decided to pursue an artistic career. At the end of the 1930s she made her first artistic attempts as a singer and dancer. She also organized an exhibition on the culture of the West Indies during this period . During the Second World War , she was in the Resistance before meeting her husband, Noël Villard , a well-known French writer. After the Second World War, Alpha initially aimed for a career as a classical actress. As she was not given any serious role offers in the classical subject as a colored woman, she resumed her career as a singer. She interpreted jazz and bossa nova . She met Duke Ellington and Joséphine Baker , who influenced her artistically. Alpha appeared in various revues and music hall theaters from the late 1940s to the mid 1950s . From Paris she gave guest appearances in Italy , Belgium , Holland , Luxembourg , Greece and Morocco, among others . She performed at the Teatro Arena Cavour in Milan (1949, 1951), the Papaoianou Theater in Athens (1952, 1953) and the Teatro Reposi of Turin (1952, 1953).

From 1947 Alpha also appeared on the theater stage, but was initially only cast in small roles, mostly when exotic characters were required (1947 prostitute in Le train de 8:47 , 1952 as Cuban Anita in Une Femme Par Jour ). Her artistic breakthrough as a serious actress came in 1958 with the role of Neige in the play The Negroes by Jean Genet . In 2004 she played at the Théâtre de Bobigny in Chekhov's play The Cherry Orchard in a production by Jean-René Lemoine . In 2005 she appeared in the film Monsieur Étienne . In 2008 her last album La sérénade du muguet was released .

Alpha has received several awards in recognition of her artistic merits. In 2005 she was appointed Officier des Arts et des Lettres . On January 1, 2009, she received the title of Knight of the Legion of Honor from the French government. In 2010 she celebrated her 100th birthday. She died on September 8, 2010.

Filmography

• 1976: Le journal de Getuglio (mini series)
• 1976: The Falls of Monsieur Cabrol ( Les Cinq Dernières Minutes )
• 1978: En l'autre bord
• 1979: Bolivar et le congrès de Panama (TV movie)
• 1980: Le fils puni
• 1981: Le voleur d'enfants (TV movie)
• 1983: Médecins de nuit (TV series, episode: Le bizutage )
• 1984: Péchés originaux (TV series, episode: J'ai comme une musique dans la tête )
• 1984: Réveillon chez Bob
• 1986: The ordinary madness of a daughter of Hams ( Folie ordinaire d'une fille de Cham )
• 1987: La vieille quimboiseuse et le majordome
• 1988: Karukera au bout de la nuit
• 1991: Glowing Sky ( La montagne de diamants )
• 1991: Le secret de Sarah Tombelaine
• 1993: The Absence ( L'absence )
• 1995: Noir comme le souvenir
• 1999: Le bleu des villes
• 2005: Monsieur Étienne

Web links

• Jenny Alpha in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Jenny Alpha Biography (French)
• Mort de Jenny Alpha, grande dame de la culture créole obituary Le Monde

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Décès de la chanteuse Jenny Alpha . In: Le Figaro , September 8, 2010. 
2. ↑ Der Kirschgarten  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ARTE.de  
3. ^ Internet Movie Database
4. ↑ Allocution de Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres à l'occasion de la remise des insignes d'officier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres à Jenny Alpha Discours et Comminiqués; February 9, 2005
5. ↑ Jenny Alpha, 100 ans et doyenne des artistes français ( Memento of the original dated August 30, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Mondomix.com