Pola Illéry

Paula Iliescu Gibson (18 December 1909 – 19 October 1993)^[1] professionally known as Pola Illery, was a Romanian-born French actress and singer. She appeared in silent and early talking films, and was best known of her portrayal of vamps.

Career

Born in Barlad, Romania, she changed her name to "Pola" as a tribute to the Polish-born actress Pola Negri. Illéry appeared in a few French films in the 1920s and 1930s. She made her movie debut as the lead in René Clair's musical comedy Under the Roofs of Paris (1930). She also played the lead in Parada Paramount, the Romanian-language version of Paramount on Parade (1930), which was made in Paris by Paramount Pictures. She is believed to have made her last film appearance's in 1938.

Illéry married American Air Corps major Charles Grenier during World War II and moved to the United States with him. The marriage only lasted a few months before he was killed in an accident. She worked for the Red Cross as a nurse during the war and became an American citizen in 1946. She later married Jim Gibson and the couple moved to Palos Verdes, where Illéry lived for the rest of her life.^[2]

Death and fictitious reports

Illéry died on October 19, 1993 in Los Angeles, California aged 83, and was possibly one of the last actresses to have appeared in silent films as an adult^[3] In 2012, a false obituary was published in numerous newspapers, including the The Daily Telegraph in London and therefore subsequently appeared on numerous websites; the reports were later found to be a hoax, as Illery had in fact died in 1993, and furthermore most of the published information was also incorrect.

Selected filmography

• Captain Fracasse (1929)
• Illusions (1930)
• Under the Roofs of Paris (1930)
• The Man in Evening Clothes (1931)
• Bastille Day (1933)
• Street Without a Name (1934)

References

External links

• Pola Illéry at the Internet Movie Database