Paulette Goddard American actress Date of Birth: 03.06.1910 Country: USA

Biography of Paulette Goddard

Paulette Goddard, born Marion Pauline Levy in 1910 in Whitestone Landing, Queens, Long Island, was an American actress and a nominee for the Academy Award in 1944. She was the only child of Joseph Russell Levy, a Jewish man, and Alta Mae Goddard, an English woman. Her parents divorced when she was a child, and she grew up living with her mother. In the 1930s, her father reappeared in her life when she was at the peak of her acting career. However, they soon had a falling out after an article in which Goddard claimed her father abandoned her as a child. They had little contact afterwards, and he even left her one dollar in his will upon his death. Throughout her life, Goddard remained close with her mother and her brother, Charles Goddard, who provided them with support. Thanks to her brother, she received her education at Washington Irving High School and landed a role in the Broadway series 'Ziegfeld Follies'. She first stepped on stage in 1926 in the musical 'Rio Rita'. A year later, she got a role in the play 'The Unconquerable Male', during which she came up with the idea of using a stage name. She invented the first name herself and took her uncle's surname, Goddard, to show her gratitude towards him. During that time, she also got married to a wealthy businessman named Edgar James and moved with him to North Carolina. However, their marriage ended in divorce after only a couple of years, and Goddard returned to Hollywood. In the early 1930s, she appeared in films such as 'Pack Up Your Troubles', 'The Girl Habit', and 'The Mouthpiece'. In 1932, her life took a dramatic turn when she met Charlie Chaplin. They quickly hit it off and starred together in the film 'Modern Times', with Goddard in the leading role. Over the next few years, she frequently appeared in films for Samuel Goldwyn Productions. Some of the most famous films of that time were 'Roman Scandals' and 'Kid Millions'. It is known that in the 1930s, Goddard lived with Chaplin in Beverly Hills. In 1936, she announced that they were officially married, but Chaplin denied the claim, stating that they were married in China and the marriage was not valid. In the same 1930s, Goddard signed a contract with David O. Selznick, one of the most famous Hollywood producers. She was one of the leading candidates for the role in the highly successful film 'Gone with the Wind', but the role went to a young English actress, Vivien Leigh. Many critics believe that the producer chose Leigh over Goddard to avoid any scandal that could arise from Goddard's unusual relationship with Chaplin. In the 1940s, Goddard appeared in films such as 'Royal Canadian Mounted Police', 'Hold Back the Dawn', and 'Ghost Breakers', becoming quite famous. However, her career soon declined, and even roles in films like 'Time of Indifference' and 'The Snoop Sisters' couldn't revive her career. From 1944 to 1950, Goddard was married to actor Burgess Meredith. In 1958, she married the renowned writer Erich Maria Remarque and moved with him to Switzerland, where they lived until his death in 1970. In her final years, Goddard resided in New York, where she battled breast cancer and actively participated in various public events. On April 23, 1990, shortly after moving to Ronco sopra Ascona, Goddard passed away from emphysema, just a few months shy of her 80th birthday. According to her will, Goddard donated 20 million dollars to the New York University.