Darling Légitimus

Darling Légitimus, born Mathilda (Marie-Berthilde) Paruta on 21 November 1907 at Le Carbet, who died on 7 December 1999 at the age of 92, at Kremlin-Bicetre, was a French actress originated from Carraibes black artistes. She was the mother of Gesip Légitimus (1930–2000) artiste and television producer, Theo Légitimus, actor and elder of a generation of black French artists of which are Pascal Légitimus initially comedian in the "Inconnus" troup, Samuel Légitimus, actor, David Légitimus, French song singer and Billie Richardson, English singer.

Biography

Born on 21 November 1907 at Le Carbet in Martinique, she spent her early years in Caracas, Venezuela. Mathilda Paruta arrived in Paris, France, at age of 16 with the desire to become a dancer. She met Victor-Etienne Legitimus, the son of the government deputy, Hegesippe Jean Legitimus. She became his life-long companion and bore him 5 children.

Known for a long time as Miss Darling, she later chose to go by the name of Darling Legitimus. She performed as a dancer in the "Revue Nègre" with Josephine Baker, and posed for the famous painter Picasso as well as sculptor Paul Belmondo, father of Jean-Paul Belmondo, the actor.

During the 1930s, Darling wrote, composed and sang numerous Caribbean songs like Biguine and Mazurka. She often performed alongside known musicians of the era, like "Pe En Kin Sosso" and his band.

She also performed in plays by Jean Genet, Les Nègres and Aimé Césaire. She was directed on the big screen by Raymond Rouleau in Les Sorcieres de Salem (The Crucible) alongside Simone Signoret and Yves Montand, and Le Salaire de la Peur (Wages of Fear) by Henri Georges Clouzot, with Sacha Guitry, Jean Claude Brialy and Bernardo Bertolucci.

In 1983, at the age of 76, she won the Volpi Cup for the best female interpretation of "The Mostra of Venise", also for her role in Rue Cases-Nègres (Sugar Cane Alley) directed by her compatriot Euzhan Palcy. During her long life, she was acquainted with a great number of famous actors like Arletty, Fernandel, Marlon Brando and Pierre Brasseur. She also took part in numerous ORTF (Office de Radio-diffusion de la Television Française ) productions of which a telefilm by Jean-Christophe Averty Les verts Paturages (The Green Pastures, written by Marc Connelly), was produced.

Death

She died on 7 December 1999 at Kremlin-Bicetre in the Val de Marne near Paris, in France, without any more acting roles after Sugar Cane Alley in spite of hopes of her nomination and rewards.

Public tribute

The writer, Calixthe Beyala^[1] and Caribbean actor Luc Saint-Eloy,^[2] representatives of "Liberté" collective came up on stage at the César ceremony in 2000, to claim one the largest presence on French Television screens and to pay her a public tribute, since the organizers had "forgotten" to name Darling as one of the previous year great losses.

Filmography

Cinema

• 1933 : Bouboule 1er, roi nègre - Léon Mathot
• 1937 : Les Perles de la couronne - Sacha Guitry and Christian Jaque
• 1946 : Un ami viendra ce soir - Raymond Bernard
• 1947 : Le Bateau à soupe - Maurice Gleize
• 1947 : Les Trois cousines - Jacques Daniel-Norman
• 1950 : Casimir - Richard Pottier
• 1952 : Le Chemin de Damas - Max Glass
• 1953 : Le Salaire de la peur (Wages Of Fear)- Henri-Georges Clouzot
• 1953 : Tourbillon (film) - Alfred Rode
• 1954 : Flesh and the Woman - Robert Siodmak
• 1955 : Napoléon - Sacha Guitry and Eugène Lourié : the nanny
• 1955 : Le Port du désir - Edmond T. Gréville
• 1955 : Un missionnaire - Maurice Cloche
• 1957 : Les Sorcières de Salem (The Crucible)- Raymond Rouleau
• 1960 : Comment qu'elle est - Bernard Borderie
• 1962 : La Poupée - Jacques Baratier
• 1963 : Le Feu follet - Louis Malle
• 1971 : Le Cri du cormoran le soir au-dessus des jonques - Michel Audiard
• 1971 : Églantine - Jean-Claude Brialy : Lolo
• 1971 : Boulevard du rhum - Robert Enrico
• 1972 : Le Dernier Tango à Paris (Last Tango in Paris ) de Bernardo Bertolucci : concierge
• 1973 : La Dernière Bourrée à Paris - Raoul André
• 1976 : Les vécés étaient fermés de l'intérieur - Patrice Leconte
• 1979 : O Madiana - Constant Gros-Dubois : Mme Jonas
• 1980 : La Bande du Rex -108-13 / Jean-Henri Meunier
• 1980 : 5 % de risques - Jean Pourtalé
• 1983 : Rue Cases-Nègres (Sugar Cane Alley) - Euzhan Palcy : M'Man Tine

Television

• La Case de l'oncle Tom (Uncle Tom's Cabin), written by Harriet Beecher Stowe(1963) .... Dinah
• Les Verts Pâturages (The Green Pastures), written by Marc Connelly Christmas 1964*
• La Redevance du fantôme (1966), adapted from a Henry James's novel by Jean Gruault and realised by Robert Enrico.... Belinda
• Noëlle aux quatre vents, (1965 to 1969) realised by Henri Colpi. TV
• Face aux Lancaster (1971) realised by Adonis Kyrou TV
• François Gaillard : La Vie des autres - France, by Jacques Ertaud (1971) TV .... Datifa (segment Pierre)

Theater

• Les Sorcières de Salem d'Arthur Miller, by Raymond Rouleau, in Sarah Bernhardt Theater
• La Tragédie du Roi Christophe : created the 4th August 1964 played in the Salzbourg festival, in France the next year, in Odeon theater, in Paris, by the Dramatic Art Company: Europa Studio. it was a succesa in Berlin, Bruxelles, and the "Biennale of Venise", in the Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres (World Festival of Black Art ) à Dakar, for the international exposition of Montreal, in Yougoslavia and in "Piccolo Teatro" of Milan.
• Une saison au Congo, created on 4 October 1967 in" théâtre de l'Est Parisien" by Serreau-Perinetti company.
• Équateur Funambule, juillet 1975, in municipal theater of Fort-de-France in Martinique.
• À la rencontre du petit matin, March 1976, filmed in Guadeloupe and in Martinique. November 1976, the "Nouveau Carré" Sylvia Montfort. May 1976, "Ciné royal" in Boulogne-Billancourt. February 1977,in Vesinet (near Paris). December 1990, Biennale of Dakar (Senegal) 1st part of "Aventure ambiguë" filmed in Senegal for Memory of South.
• Gouverneur de la rosée written in 1944, by Jacques Roumain, paru en 1944, adaptated for the "Théâtre Noir" (Black Theater), Paris, 1975.
• Vous ne l'emporterez pas avec vous (1978) de Moss Hart et George S. Kaufman, mise en scène et réalisation Jean-Luc Moreau et Pierre Sabbagh (Au théâtre ce soir) ... Rébad
• Le Diable aux collants verts

References

1. ^ DELIRIUM Interview Calixte Beyala
2. ^ Afrocine - Le cinéma dans toutes ses couleurs

Persondata
Name	Legitimus, Darling
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1907
Place of birth
Date of death	1999
Place of death