Maurice Chevalier

The French entertainer who charmed the world with song and film.

He is best known for signature songs like "Valentine" and films such as The Love Parade and Gigi.^[1][2] Chevalier died on 1 January 1972 and is buried in Marnes-la-Coquette.^[1][3] Born in Paris on 12 September 1888, Maurice Auguste Chevalier worked as a singer, actor, and entertainer.^[1][4]

Last updated 2026-09-30 from the source article.

Quick Facts

Birth name

Maurice Auguste Chevalier

Born

12 September 1888

Birthplace

Paris, France

Died

1 January 1972

Occupation

Singer
actor
composer
lyricist
writer

Years active

1900–1970

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Chevalier's father Victor, a house painter, deserted the family in 1896, leaving his mother Joséphine to care for the children alone.^[4] During World War I, Chevalier was wounded by shrapnel and taken as a prisoner of war in Germany for two years, where he learned English.^[5] He was released in 1916 through the secret intervention of King Alfonso XIII of Spain.^[5] After the war, Chevalier created the song "Valentine" (1924) and made his Hollywood debut in 1928 with the arrival of sound film.^[1][6]

During World War II, Chevalier refused to perform for Vichy collaborators but agreed to perform for prisoners of war in exchange for the release of ten French prisoners.^[7] In 1958, he appeared in the movie musical Gigi and received an Academy Honorary Award that year.^[2] In 1909 Chevalier became the partner of Fréhel, who was the biggest female star in France at that time; their relationship ended in 1911 because she struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction.^[8]

What the cited sources add

The Musicals101.com account notes that The Big Pond gave Chevalier the chance to introduce "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me"^[9] The same source states that after The Hot Heiress (1931), Rodgers and Hart collaborated with director Rouben Mamoulian on Love Me Tonight (1932), which most buffs consider a masterpiece.^[9] A 2013 Radio France program describes Chevalier's dual image as the "Français moyen" in France and the "French lover" internationally.^[10] The Radio France account also mentions that Chevalier was passionately defended by Elsa and Aragon and corresponded with Cocteau, Gide, and Carco.^[10]

A 2012 article from La Dernière Heure reports that Chevalier encouraged a young Johnny Hallyday backstage and invited him to dinner at his home La Louque.^[11]

References

Wikipedia, "Maurice Chevalier" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music", Virgin Books, 2002, p. 69–70 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Maurice Chevalier" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music", Virgin Books, 2002, p. 69–70; "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music", Virgin Books, 2002, p. 69–70 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Maurice Chevalier" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Maurice Chevalier Dead; Singer and Actor Was 83", The New York Times, 14 February 1972 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Maurice Chevalier" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Solo", 9 February 1963, p. 25; "Généalogie de Maurice Auguste CHEVALIER", Geneanet; "Artiste", Radio France Internationale (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Maurice Chevalier" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music", Virgin Books, 2002, p. 69–70; "Biography: Maurice CHEVALIER", Musique en Ligne (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Maurice Chevalier" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Boyer, "The Romantic Life of Maurice Chevalier", Hutchinson & Co, 1937, p. 177 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Maurice Chevalier" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fancourt, "Maurice Chevalier", The Music and the Holocaust; Chevalier, "With Love, the Autobiography of Maurice Chevalier", Little, Brown, 1960, p. 335 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Maurice Chevalier" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Chevalier, "Les Pensées de Momo", Presses de La Cite, 1970, p. 50; "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music", Virgin Books, 2002, p. 69–70 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
"Film 1930s I: Hip, Hooray & Ballyhoo", Musicals101.com. facts only, no text reused. musicals101.com
"Lucette Chevalier, nièce de Maurice Chevalier "le gavroche de Ménilmontant" aux soixante-dix ans de carrière!", Radio France, 20 April 2013. facts only, no text reused. francemusique.fr
"Pas de fromage après les pâtes", La Dernière Heure, 1 January 2012. facts only, no text reused. dhnet.be

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Maurice Chevalier (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.