Goddard, Paulette (1905–1990) | Encyclopedia.com (2025)

Table of Contents
Filmography: sources: FAQs

American actress . Born Pauline Marion Levee (also seen as Levy), on June 3, 1905, in Whitestone Landing, Long Island, New York; died of heart failure on April 23, 1990, at her villa in Ronco, Switzerland; married Edgar James (a lumber industrialist), around 1927 (divorced 1931); married Charlie Chaplin (an actor, director, producer), in 1936 (divorced 1942); married Burgess Meredith (an actor), in 1944 (divorced 1950); married Erich Maria Remarque (a novelist), in 1958 (died 1970); no children.

Filmography:

(short) Berth Marks (1929); The Locked Door (1929); City Streets (1931); The Girl Habit (1931); The Mouthpiece (1932); (short) Show Business (1932); (short) Young Ironsides (1932); Pack

Up Your Troubles (1932); (short) Girl Grief (1932); The Kid from Spain (1932); Roman Scandals (1933); Kid Millions (1934); Modern Times (1936); The Young in Heart (1938); Dramatic School (1938); The Women (1939); The Cat and the Canary (1939); The Ghost Breakers (1940); The Great Dictator (1940); North West Mounted Police (1940); Second Chorus (1941); Pot o'Gold (1941); Hold Back the Dawn (1941); Nothing but the Truth (1941); The Lady Has Plans (1942); Reap the Wild Wind (1942); The Forest Rangers (1942); (cameo) Star Spangled Rhythm (1942); The Crystal Ball (1943); So Proudly We Hail (1943); Standing Room Only (1944); I Love a Soldier (1944); (cameo) Duffy's Tavern (1945); Kitty (1946); The Diary of a Chambermaid (1946); Suddenly It's Spring (1947); (cameo) Variety Girl (1947); (cameo) Unconquered (1947); An Ideal Husband (UK, 1948); On Our Merry Way (A Miracle Can Happen, 1948); Hazard (1948); Bride of Vengeance (1949); Anna Lucasta (1949); The Torch (1950); Babes in Baghdad (1952); Vice Squad (1953); Paris Model (1953); Sins of Jezebel (1953); The Charge of the Lancers (1954); The Stranger Came Home (The Unholy Four, UK, 1954); Gli Indifferenti (Time of Indifference, It./Fr., 1964).

Paulette Goddard was born Pauline Marion Levee in Whitestone Landing, Long Island, in 1905, and went to work at age 14, shortly after the breakup of her parents' marriage. Reportedly, an uncle used his influence to get her a job with producer Flo Ziegfeld, who billed her as Peaches Browning ( Frances Heenan ) in his 1926 hit No Fooling. The next year, while on the road in Rio Rita, Goddard met and married her first husband Edward James, president of the Southern States Lumber Company, and retired from the stage to become a housewife. However, by 1931, she had obtained a Reno divorce and was headed for Hollywood to break into the movies. Taking her mother's maiden name, Goddard played a series of bit parts in films until signing as a contract player for Hal Roach. She was let go after six months and returned to the stage, appearing in the choruses of a few musicals of the period, such as The Kid from Spain (1932) with Eddie Cantor.

Charlie Chaplin was next in line to impact Goddard's life, but her relationship with him is cloaked in mystery. (Their marriage was not even confirmed until their divorce in 1942.) By some accounts, they met on a yachting excursion, during which he talked her out of investing her alimony in a phony film venture. Captivated by her beauty and her cynical wit, he cast her in the role of the waif in Modern Times, which began shooting in 1932 but did not premiere until 1936 (the year they were supposedly secretly married at sea). Goddard appeared in Chaplin's next film The Great Dictator (1940), but he worked so slowly that while they were in production, she made some other important films, including Second Chorus (1941) in which she briefly danced with Fred Astaire; she also made the acquaintance of Burgess Meredith, whom she married after divorcing Chaplin. Among Goddard's sorrows, at this phase in her career, was the loss of the coveted role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind, a part said to have been hers until it was given to Vivien Leigh at the last minute.

Through the 1940s, Goddard was one of Paramount's top stars, usually cast in vixen roles, though she excelled in comedy. She was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for her performance in So Proudly We Hail (1943), a war drama with Claudette Colbert and Veronica Lake , and she starred in top-notch movies such as Kitty (1946) and Unconquered (1947). By the 1950s, however, like other actresses her age, her star began to fade, and she could only find leads in B pictures with ludicrous titles, movies like Bride of Vengeance (1949) and Babes in Baghdad (1952).

After divorcing Meredith in 1950, Goddard married the novelist Erich Maria Remarque in 1958 and enjoyed a luxurious retirement shuttling back and forth between Paris and New York. She made one come-back attempt in 1964, as Claudia Cardinale 's mother in the Italian film Time of Indifference. Her final appearance was in the television movie "The Snoop Sisters" (1972). Goddard died of heart failure in April of 1990; in her final bequest, she left $20 million to New York University.

sources:

Katz, Ephraim. The Film Encyclopedia. NY: Harper-Collins, 1994.

Lamparski, Richard. Whatever Became of…? 1st and 2nd Series. NY: Crown, 1968.

Shipman, David. The Great Movie Stars: The Golden Years. Boston: Little, Brown, 1995.

Barbara Morgan , Melrose, Massachusetts

Goddard, Paulette (1905–1990) | Encyclopedia.com (2025)

FAQs

What happened to Paulette Goddard? ›

She retired from the film world for good. On 23 April 1990, she died of emphysema and heart failure in Ronco, Switzerland, at the age of 79.

Was Paulette Goddard a natural blonde? ›

Not only did he persuade her to forget this dodgy deal, but also to revert her hair color to its natural brunette - Paulette had become a Hollywood platinum blonde, possibly in a bid to win her more parts from studios.

What is Paulette Goddard famous for? ›

Paulette Goddard (born June 3, 1905, Great Neck, Long Island, N.Y., U.S.—died April 23, 1990, Ronco, Switz.) was an American actress known for her spirited persona and for her association with Charlie Chaplin.

Did Paulette Goddard have children? ›

Goddard never had any children, but she became a stepmother to Charles Chaplin's two sons, Charles Chaplin Jr. and Sydney Chaplin, while she and Charlie were married. In his memoirs, "My Father Charlie Chaplin," from 1960, Charles Jr. describes her as a lovely, caring and intelligent woman throughout the book.

What disability did Paulette have? ›

The housing complex had surveillance, but no evidence of Paulette leaving or being taken was found. Paulette could not go out alone, as she had a motor and language disability.

How long was Paulette missing? ›

On March 22, 2010, the body of 4-year-old Paulette Gebara Farah was found in her bed at her family's apartment in Interlomas, Mexico City. Her disappearance just 10 days earlier had made national headlines and sparked a massive search effort that involved hundreds of people.

Why did Paulette Goddard move to Switzerland? ›

Following her marriage to Remarque, Goddard moved to Switzerland and largely retired from acting. In the 1980s, she became a notable socialite. Goddard died in Switzerland in 1990.

Who was the first blonde human? ›

According to geneticist David Reich, blond hair has ancient roots in Asia. The derived allele responsible for blond hair in Europeans likely evolved first among the Ancient North Eurasians. The earliest known individual with this allele is a Siberian fossil from Afontova Gora, in south-central Siberia.

How old was Paulette in Legally Blonde? ›

Paulette Buonofuonte (35-45): Paulette is a warm-hearted, friendly, and slightly eccentric salon owner who becomes Elle's friend. Her main songs include "Ireland," "Bend and Snap," and "Legally Blonde Remix."

How old was Paulette when she married Charlie Chaplin? ›

Charlie's third marriage was to Paulette Goddard, a former child model and actress who featured The Great Dictator. She was 26 and Charlie was 47. She soon moved into his mansion, and he cast her as his leading lady in Modern Times, a satire on the machine age.

What is Paulette doing now? ›

She has since pivoted to behind-the-scenes efforts championing documentaries like 2013's Citizen Lane and has made appearances in recent years at events celebrating activism for humanitarian and LGBTQ+ rights.

Where did Paulette Goddard live? ›

Is Paulette Goddard still alive? ›

How tall was Charlie Chaplin? ›

The comic actor and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin may only have been 1.65 metres tall, but he was one of the greats. He died on Christmas Day 1977 at the age of 88, having lived an eventful life.

Why was Charlie Chaplin exiled? ›

He was accused of communist sympathies, and some members of the press and public were scandalised by his involvement in a paternity suit and marriages to much younger women. An FBI investigation was opened, and Chaplin was forced to leave the U.S. in 1952 and settle in Switzerland.

What happened to Paulette on NCIS? ›

Keep reading for the lowdown... Pauley's exit at the end of season 15 of NCIS came as something of a shock to fans. On the show, her character resigned after an assassination attempt, but according to multiple reports, the real reason she left was because she had falling out with series lead Mark Harmon.

What happened to Paulette Cooper? ›

In 1970, Paulette Cooper published a book called "The Scandal of Scientology". This resulted in a legal, long-winded battle lasting until 1986, when Cooper settled with the Church of Scientology (for the second time; the first settlement had been in 1976).

Where is Liza Goddard now? ›

As of 2021, she lives near Dereham, Norfolk and also works with the RSPCA, amongst other charities. She recovered from breast cancer in 1997.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Jamar Nader

Last Updated:

Views: 5589

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (55 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Jamar Nader

Birthday: 1995-02-28

Address: Apt. 536 6162 Reichel Greens, Port Zackaryside, CT 22682-9804

Phone: +9958384818317

Job: IT Representative

Hobby: Scrapbooking, Hiking, Hunting, Kite flying, Blacksmithing, Video gaming, Foraging

Introduction: My name is Jamar Nader, I am a fine, shiny, colorful, bright, nice, perfect, curious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.