Josette Day - Biography

Paris-born Josette Day debuted in films at the age of five, but soon returned to the stage, including a stint as a child dancer in the Paris Opera. She did not return to the screen until she was into her adulthood, and her career took off. She played leads in countless French films, but is probably best known for the role of Beauty in Jean Cocteau's La belle et la bête (1946) (US title: "Beauty and the Beast"). Married and divorced from director Marcel Pagnol, her career lasted until the late 1940s, when she retired to marry a wealthy Belgian businessman.