---
name: "Maurice Chevalier"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/maurice-chevalier"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "12 September 1888"
died: "1 January 1972"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 77
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-19T21:57:13.186813+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Maurice Chevalier

Actor. Born 12 September 1888 in Paris, France. Died 1 January 1972.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 12 September 1888, Paris, France
- **Died:** 1 January 1972
- **Active:** 1929–1932
- **Also known as:** Maurice Auguste Chevalier
- **Frequently works with:** [Ernst Lubitsch](https://film.one/person/ernst-lubitsch.md), [Charles Ruggles](https://film.one/person/charles-ruggles.md), [Jeanette MacDonald](https://film.one/person/jeanette-macdonald.md), [Samson Raphaelson](https://film.one/person/samson-raphaelson.md)
- **Golden Globes:** 1 Golden Globe (1 won · 3 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 77, as actor, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1920s 76 (1), 1930s 78 (2)
- **Score spread:** 0 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 3 of 3 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Comedy 3, Romance 3
- **Screen time:** 5 hours of reviewed films
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Chevalier, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q106001, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002001/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/112972

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*The Love Parade*](https://film.one/film/the-love-parade.md) (76)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Maurice Chevalier

> Chevalier played half of every scene to the stalls, boater tipped, accent thickened for export, singing as if he were talking. In *The Love Parade* it is the sharpest thing on the screen; over a decade it hardened into a routine.

Early in *The Love Parade* (1929) a husband walks in on Chevalier's Count Alfred Renard and his wife, fires a pistol, and nobody falls, because it is loaded with blanks. Chevalier turns to the camera and shrugs at us. We laughed out loud, and it was the shrug that did it: a man in a 1929 talking picture assuming we are in on the joke, and being right. That is the whole act in one gesture. Part of him is always leaning over the footlights to see whether we are enjoying ourselves, and the surprise is how seldom it grates.

He came out of the Paris cafés and music halls, where he had been singing since 1901, and he never pretended otherwise. The boater, the dinner jacket and the accent, thickened once he was speaking English, came with him to Paramount in 1928 and stayed through six years of musicals, four for Ernst Lubitsch and four opposite Jeanette MacDonald. *The Love Parade* was the first, and he has never been more useful to a director. Lubitsch wanted a leading man who would treat sound as a toy, and Chevalier's half-spoken singing was exactly that: he did not so much sing a song as confide it. *Love Me Tonight* (1932) and *The Merry Widow* (1934) kept the Parisian in the same clothes.

The singing needs explaining, because it is why the rest works. He had almost no voice and knew it. "Thank God, it was my good luck not to have any voice… Since I had no voice, had to find something that would hold the interest of the public." What he found was delivery: the raised eyebrow, the pause before the rude half of a line, the sense that the lyric is a private remark he has decided to share. In *The Love Parade* the songs carry the story rather than halting it, which is rarer than it sounds. That is also where the limit is. The accent was always a little too perfect, a Frenchman doing a Frenchman for people who had never met one, and people were saying so in 1929. He found the part in that film and spent the following decade repeating it.

He went back to France in the mid-1930s, and Hollywood did not see him again for more than twenty years: *Love in the Afternoon* (1957) as Claude Chavasse, then *Gigi* (1958) as Honoré Lachaille, the boulevardier grown old and pleased about it, the part that made him popular all over again. What holds the late work up, so far as we can judge, is what held up the young man: he is glad to be watched and does not hide it.

Start with *The Love Parade*. If the shrug works on you, the rest of him will. If it does not, twenty minutes will tell you, and he will have enjoyed them more than you did.

## Biography

Maurice Chevalier was a French actor, singer and entertainer. Born Maurice Auguste Chevalier in Paris on 12 September 1888, he began performing as a café singer and dancer in the early 1900s. He served in the French army during the First World War, was wounded and captured, and spent time as a prisoner of war where he learned English.

He achieved success on the French stage before moving to Hollywood in 1928. His first American film was *Innocents of Paris* (1929). He played Count Alfred Renard in Ernst Lubitsch’s *The Love Parade* (1929) opposite Jeanette MacDonald, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for that film and *The Big Pond* (1930). He appeared in further musicals including *The Smiling Lieutenant* (1931), *Love Me Tonight* (1932) and *The Merry Widow* (1934). Later credits include *Love in the Afternoon* (1957) and *Gigi* (1958). Chevalier died in Paris on 1 January 1972.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *One Hour with You* (1932), Fi1m 77, as Dr. Andre Bertier — [page](https://film.one/film/one-hour-with-you.md)
- *The Smiling Lieutenant* (1931), Fi1m 78, as Lt. Nikolaus 'Niki' von Preyn — [page](https://film.one/film/the-smiling-lieutenant.md)
- *The Love Parade* (1929), Fi1m 76, as Count Alfred Renard — [page](https://film.one/film/the-love-parade.md)

## Complete filmography (57)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Going Hollywood: The '30s* (1984), as (archive footage)
- *That's Entertainment, Part II* (1976), as (archive footage)
- *That's Entertainment!* (1974), as (archive footage) (uncredited)
- *The Aristocats* (1970), as Theme Song Performance
- *The Sorrow and the Pity* (1969), series, as Songs
- *Monkeys, Go Home!* (1967), as Father Sylvain
- *I'd Rather Be Rich* (1964), as Philip Dulaine
- *Panic Button* (1964), as Fontaine
- *In Search of the Castaways* (1962), as Jacques Paganel
- *Jessica* (1962), as Father Antonio
- *Fanny* (1961), as Panisse
- *Pepe* (1960), as Maurice Chevalier
- *A Breath of Scandal* (1960), as Prince Philip
- *Can-Can* (1960), as Paul Barriere
- *Count Your Blessings* (1959), as Duc de St. Cloud
- *Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse* (1958), series, Actor
- *Gigi* (1958), as Honoré Lachaille
- *The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour* (1957), series, as Maurice Chevalier
- *Love in the Afternoon* (1957), as Claude Chavasse
- *My Seven Little Sins* (1954), as Comte André de Courvallon
- *Max Liebman Presents* (1954), series, as Special Guest
- *100 Years of Love* (1954), as Massimo (segment "Amore 1954")
- *Just Me* (1950), as Maurice Vallier aka 'Ma Pomme'
- *Riviera Dream* (1950), as Maurice Chevalier
- *A Royal Affair* (1949), as The King
- *Silence Is Golden* (1947), as Émile Clément
- *Personal Column* (1939), as Robert Fleury
- *Break the News* (1938), as François Verrier
- *The Man of the Day* (1937), as Alfred Boulard
- *With a Smile* (1936), as Victor Larnois
- *The Beloved Vagabond* (1936), as Gaston de Nerac 'Paragot'
- *The Beloved Vagabond* (1936), as Gaston de Nerac
- *Folies Bergère* (1935), as Eugene Charlier / Baron Cassini
- *Folies Bergère de Paris* (1935), as Eugene Charlier / Baron Fernand Cassini
- *The Merry Widow* (1934), as Count Danilo
- *The Way to Love* (1933), as François
- *A Bedtime Story* (1933), as Monsieur Rene
- *Love Me Tonight* (1932), as Maurice 'Baron' Courtelin
- *Make Me a Star* (1932), as Maurice Chevalier (uncredited)
- *One Hour with You* (1932), as Dr. Andre Bertier — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/one-hour-with-you.md)
- *The Smiling Lieutenant* (1931), as Lt. Nikolaus 'Niki' von Preyn — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/the-smiling-lieutenant.md)
- *The House That Shadows Built* (1931), as (archive footage)
- *The Stolen Jools* (1931), as Maurice Chevalier
- *The Little Cafe* (1931), as Albert Lorifian
- *Playboy of Paris* (1930), as Albert Loriflan
- *The Big Pond* (1930), as Pierre Mirande
- *Paramount on Parade* (1930), as Apache
- *The Love Parade* (1929), as Count Alfred Renard — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/the-love-parade.md)
- *Innocents of Paris* (1929), as Maurice Marney
- *L'Affaire de la rue de Lourcine* (1923), as Maurice
- *Par habitude* (1923), as Maurice
- *Jim Bougne, boxeur* (1923), as Maurice
- *Bad Boy* (1923), as Louis-Philippe Massoubre
- *Gonzague* (1923), as Gonzague / Maurice
- *Une soirée mondaine* (1917), as Momo
- *The Dwarf Kingdom of Lilliput Versus Gigas the Tall, Prince of the Giants* (1914), Actor
- *The Merry Widow Waltz* (1908), Actor

## Gallery

- ![Maurice Chevalier](https://film.one/media/person/1224873/gallery-a5af87dbf36b.jpg) Maurice Chevalier — William Morris Agency (management)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Maurice_Chevalier_1959.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Aankomst Maurice Chevalier op Schiphol, Maurice Chevalier tijdens pers (1968)](https://film.one/media/person/1224873/gallery-6fcdb36fbdd1.jpg) Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Aankomst Maurice Chevalier op Schiphol, Maurice Chevalier tijdens pers (1968) — Eric Koch for Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Aankomst_Maurice_Chevalier_op_Schiphol%2C_Maurice_Chevalier_tijdens_persconferenti%2C_Bestanddeelnr_921-0562.jpg/1280px-Aankomst_Maurice_Chevalier_op_Schiphol%2C_Maurice_Chevalier_tijdens_persconferenti%2C_Bestanddeelnr_921-0562.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Aankomst Maurice Chevalier op Schiphol, Maurice Chevalier tijdens pers (1968)](https://film.one/media/person/1224873/gallery-72536bd84d26.jpg) Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Aankomst Maurice Chevalier op Schiphol, Maurice Chevalier tijdens pers (1968) — Eric Koch for Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Aankomst_Maurice_Chevalier_op_Schiphol%2C_Maurice_Chevalier_tijdens_persconferenti%2C_Bestanddeelnr_921-0565.jpg/1280px-Aankomst_Maurice_Chevalier_op_Schiphol%2C_Maurice_Chevalier_tijdens_persconferenti%2C_Bestanddeelnr_921-0565.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Afscheidsvoorstelling van Maurice Chevalier in het Concertgebouw, tijd (1968)](https://film.one/media/person/1224873/gallery-2994f86ce302.jpg) Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Afscheidsvoorstelling van Maurice Chevalier in het Concertgebouw, tijd (1968) — Eric Koch for Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Afscheidsvoorstelling_van_Maurice_Chevalier_in_het_Concertgebouw%2C_tijdens_optred%2C_Bestanddeelnr_921-0619.jpg/1280px-Afscheidsvoorstelling_van_Maurice_Chevalier_in_het_Concertgebouw%2C_tijdens_optred%2C_Bestanddeelnr_921-0619.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Afscheidsvoorstelling van Maurice Chevalier in het Concertgebouw, Chev (1968)](https://film.one/media/person/1224873/gallery-a587eb46dbd8.jpg) Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Afscheidsvoorstelling van Maurice Chevalier in het Concertgebouw, Chev (1968) — Eric Koch for Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/Afscheidsvoorstelling_van_Maurice_Chevalier_in_het_Concertgebouw%2C_Chevalier_beda%2C_Bestanddeelnr_921-0618.jpg/1280px-Afscheidsvoorstelling_van_Maurice_Chevalier_in_het_Concertgebouw%2C_Chevalier_beda%2C_Bestanddeelnr_921-0618.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Théâtre du Capitole. Le 2 juin 1965. Vue sur scène du chanteur Maurice Chevalier, à l'occasion d'une soirée "Nuit de la Légion Etrangère" au théâtre du Capitole](https://film.one/media/person/1224873/gallery-98fbe47c1aa4.jpg) Théâtre du Capitole. Le 2 juin 1965. Vue sur scène du chanteur Maurice Chevalier, à l'occasion d'une soirée "Nuit de la Légion Etrangère" au théâtre du Capitole — André Cros, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/02.06.1965._La_nuit_de_L%C3%A9gion_et_Musique._%281965%29_-_53Fi2438.jpg/1280px-02.06.1965._La_nuit_de_L%C3%A9gion_et_Musique._%281965%29_-_53Fi2438.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1930: Best Actor (nominated), for *The Love Parade*

### Golden Globes — 1 won, 3 nominated

- 1961: Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (nominated), for *Fanny*
- 1958: Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award (won)
- 1958: Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (nominated), for *Gigi*
- 1957: Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (nominated), for *Love in the Afternoon*

### Other awards — 4 won

- Disney Legends 2002: Disney Legends (won)
- Grammy Hall of Fame 1997: Grammy Hall of Fame (won)
- Special Tony Award 1968: Special Tony Award (won)
- Academy Honorary Award 1958: Academy Honorary Award (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/maurice-chevalier