Paulette Goddard (1910 - 1990)

      Paulette Goddard

Paulette Goddard was a former child model who became a stunningly beautiful singer, dancer and leading lady. She was part of the Ziegfeld Follies by the age of thirteen and she gained fame in the show as the girl on the prop crescent moon. She several times married famous men including Charlie Chaplin, Burgess Meredith and Erich Maria Remarque.

She was born Marion Pauline Levy in Queens, Long Island, in June, 1910. She was an only child. Her parents divorced while she was still young, and she was raised by her mother to whom she remained very close all through her life.

She was a beautiful child and easily found work as a fashion model for local department stores. She then made her show business debut with Florenz Ziegfeld's "Follies" at the age of 13. Her first marriage was at 16 to wealthy businessman, Edgar James but the marriage foundered and they got divorced in 1930 with Goddard receiving a large settlement.

The following year she went to Hollywood and signed a contract with the Hal Roach Studios. She became one of the anonymous Goldwyn Girls in movies such as 'The Kid from Spain' in 1932 and 'Roman Scandals' in 1933, had small parts in 'Laurel and Hardy short films, and appeared essentially as a beautiful ornament in movies for a variety of studios.

In 1932 she met actor and future second husband Charles Chaplin, who bought her contract from Hal Roach Studios and gave her the female leads in 'Modern times' in 1936 and 'The Great Dictator' in 1940. These roles required her only to look pretty and keep out of the way while he was being funny, but they made her a star in the process.

A solid spot in the all-female cast of 'The Women' in 1939 led to more rewarding leads. She was sweet and glamorous opposite Bob Hope in 'The Cat and the Canary' in 1939 and her performance won her a ten year contract with Paramount Pictures. She teamed up with Hope again in 'The Ghost Breakers' in 1940, and was a fetching Cecil B. DeMille adventure heroine in 'North West Mounted Police' in 1940 and 'Reap the Wild Wind' in 1942. Her role as a war nurse in 'So Proudly We Hail!' in 1943 won her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Goddard was spirited if shaky in 'An Ideal Husband' in 1947, 'Bride of Vengeance' in 1949, and 'Anna Lucasta' also in 1949, but her career was fading and credits such as 'Babes in Bagdad' in 1952 suggested where she was heading. Her last starring roles were 'A Stranger Came Home' produced in England, and 'Charge of the Lancers' in 1954.

She and Burgess Meredith had divorced in 1950 and she now retired to Europe to marry German novelist Erich Maria Remarque in 1958. The marriage lasted until his death in 1970. She reappeared briefly as the murder victim in the extremely forgettable TV pilot 'The Snoop Sisters' in 1972.

Later in life Goddard was treated for breast cancer and she died in Switzerland on 23 April, 1990.