Gilda Darthy

Gilda Darthy
Gilda Darthy as Marguerite de Bourgogne in La Tour de Nesle (1903).
Born1878
Died1952
OccupationActress

Gilda Darthy (1878 – 1952) was a French actress.

Early life

Darthy was born in 1878.[1]

Career

Darthy was an actress on the Paris stage.[2][3] She wore costumes by Paquin[4] and Redfern,[5] and was a popular subject of fashion reporting,[6] photography and postcards, with her red hair often featured. Jacques-Émile Blanche painted a portrait of Darthy, hand on hip, wearing a hat with multiple large plumes. In 1910, she was announced as a passenger on a flight from Algiers to Timbuktu, to help publicize a new French air service across the Sahara Desert.[7]

During World War I, Darthy was one of the French actresses to pose as "La Patrie", a personification of France.[8] In 1916, she made her American debut in The Ironmaster by Georges Ohnet, in which the New York Times reported that she had "extraordinary emotional powers and a voice whose lovely quality is one of her greatest assets."[9] She was also seen in New York in 1917, starring in Sapho,[10] and in La Rafale by Henri Bernstein.[11] While she was in the United States, she appeared at benefit events for war relief.[12][13]

Personal life and legacy

Beyond her acting and fashion roles, Darthy was often in headlines for personal scandals. In 1917, Darthy was sued by fellow actress Irène Bordoni for alienation of affections, concerning Bordoni's husband and Darthy's co-star, Edgar Becman.[14][15] In 1923, she was in a similar situation with fellow actress Cora Laparcerie and her husband Jacques Richepin, though that dispute escalated to physical violence between the women.[16] Later she was involved in solving a mystery surrounding the death of young industrial heir Marc Bellanger.[17] In 1929, she won damages after a car accident caused her injuries and required her to cut her trademark long hair, because "she refused to deceive the public by wearing a wig."[18]

Darthy died in 1952.[1] An elaborate bed she once owned later belonged to Karl Lagerfeld, and is currently in the collection of the Getty Museum, as an example of an eighteenth-century French lit à la polonaise.[19]

References
  1. "Gilda Darthy (1878-1952)". BNF Data. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  2. Noziere (February 1908). "Mademoiselle Gilda Darthy". Le Theatre: 22.
  3. "A New French Leading Actress". The Anaconda Standard. 1917-02-10. p. 23. Retrieved 2020-08-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Temperament In Paquin Gowns For Gilda Darthy". Women's Wear. December 4, 1916. p. 20 – via ProQuest.
  5. "The French Actress and her Dresses". The Pall Mall Magazine. 41: 2. 1908.
  6. "Gilda Darthy Lovely In XVI Century Costume". Women's Wear. December 13, 1916. p. 6 – via ProQuest.
  7. "Conquering the Sahara on Wings". Knoxville Sentinel. 1910-11-05. p. 17. Retrieved 2020-08-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "The Parisian's Own 'La Patrie'". Cartoons Magazine. 8: 453. September 1915.
  9. "GILDA DARTHY APPEARS.; She Displays Extraordinary Emotional Powers in "The Ironmaster."". The New York Times. 1916-11-29. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  10. "Gilda Darthy As 'Sapho' Reigns In Simple Frocks". Women's Wear. January 5, 1917. p. 3 – via ProQuest.
  11. "French Players' Farewell Week". New York Times. February 25, 1917. p. 32 – via ProQuest.
  12. "Tea for Overseas Relief". New York Times. December 6, 1916. p. 9 – via ProQuest.
  13. de Valdor, Joseph (April 27, 1917). "Music in New York". Music News. 9: 30.
  14. "ACTRESS ASKS DIVORCE.; Miss Bordoni Also Sues Gilda Darthy for Alienation". The New York Times. 1917-07-11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  15. "Irene Bordoni Wins Suit for Divorce; Tells Thrilling Tale of Raid on Husband's Room". The Sacramento Bee. 1918-06-22. p. 14. Retrieved 2020-08-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Forgave Rival for her Husband's Love After his 'Duel'". The Buffalo Times. 1923-12-16. p. 10. Retrieved 2020-08-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Mlle Dalbane, The 'Death Flower', Whose Lovers All Meet Tragic Ends". The San Francisco Examiner. 1928-02-26. p. 120. Retrieved 2020-08-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "Actress Lost Her Hair and Asks Big Damages". The Evening News. 1929-03-21. p. 23. Retrieved 2020-08-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Bed (Lit à la polonaise) (Getty Museum)". The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
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