- Simone Signoret, Casque d’Or, France, 1951. When first planned by realisateur Julien Duvivier before WWII, Jean Gabin wanted to make it… probably with his drug-addicted lover, Mireille Balin (after their Pépé-le-Moko, 1936, and Gueule d’Amour, 1937). Duvivier preferred Viviane Romance – from Gabin’s La belle équipe classic, 1935 (and, centuries later, Mélodie sous-sol (US: Any Number Can Win), 1962). The project went on to various directors (including, ironically, Yves Allegret, Signoret’s husband) and reached Jacques Becker in 1946. He simply took his time and made one of his two masterpieces.
Birth year: 1909Death year: 1968Other name: Casting Calls: 1