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Leslie Caron, actress

Leslie Caron, actress and dancer, shares the eight tracks, book and luxury item she would take with her if cast away to a desert island. With Lauren Laverne.

Leslie Caron is an award-winning actress and dancer who starred in some of the most memorable films of Hollywood鈥檚 golden age including An American in Paris and Gigi. Leslie was first cast away on Desert Island Discs in 1956 when she was 25, and her return, nearly 66 years later, marks the greatest gap between appearances in the programme's 80-year history.

She was born in Paris in 1931 and started ballet lessons at 11 to please her mother, a dancer herself who had performed on Broadway. Her early childhood was marred by the war and growing up in occupied Paris, but when she was 16 she joined Roland Petit鈥檚 Ballets des Champs-Elys茅es which opened up a new world of possibility. A year later she was spotted during a performance by a member of the audience - Gene Kelly. He lobbied MGM to cast her as his leading lady in An American in Paris, which launched her Hollywood career.

Leslie played the tile role in Gigi both on stage in London in a production directed by Peter Hall, who she married, and in the feature film directed by Vincente Minelli. The film won all nine of its nominations at the 1959 Academy Awards 鈥 a record at the time.

Leslie went on to star in the L-Shaped Room and later played roles in the films Chocolat and Damage. In 2006 she won an Emmy Award for her part in the television series Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. More recently she was on our TV screens playing the Countess Mavrodaki in the drama series The Durrells.

She was awarded the Commandeur de la L茅gion d鈥檋onneur in 2013 and the JF Kennedy Gold Medal in the Arts two years later.

Leslie lives in London and describes herself as 鈥渁lmost retired.鈥

DISC ONE: L鈥橝ccordeoniste by 脡dith Piaf
DISC TWO: S矛, Mim矛 chiamano Mimi, composed by Giacomo Puccini, performed by Maria Callas and Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Tullio Serafin
DISC THREE: Ne me quite pas by Jacques Brel
DISC FOUR: Miss Otis Regrets by Ella Fitzgerald
DISC FIVE: One for My Baby (from The Sky鈥檚 The Limit) by Fred Astaire
DISC SIX: Requiem in D minor (Introitus: Requiem) Composed by Mozart, performed by Vienna Philharmonic and Vienna Singverein, conducted by Herbert Von Karajan
DISC SEVEN: Burn On by Randy Newman
DISC EIGHT: Les Feuilles Mortes by Yves Montand

BOOK CHOICE: The Sixth Sense of Animals by Maurice Burton
LUXURY ITEM: A cutlass
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: S矛, Mim矛 chiamano Mimi, composed by Giacomo Puccini, performed by Maria Callas and Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Tullio Serafin

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley

Available now

37 minutes

Last on

Fri 18 Feb 2022 09:00

Music Played

  • 脡dith Piaf

    L'Accordeoniste

    • 20 Chansons D'or.
    • EMI.
    • 8.
  • Maria Callas

    Si, mi chiamano Mimi

    • The New Sound of Maria Callas.
    • Warner Classics.
    • 2.
  • Jacques Brel

    Ne me quite pas

    • 50 Radio Hits of the 50's.
    • Vintage Music.
    • 10.
  • Ella Fitzgerald

    Miss Otis Regrets

    • The Greatest Collection.
    • Pacific.
  • Fred Astaire

    One for My Baby (from The Sky's The Limit)

    • You Keep Coming Back: A Compilation of Classic Movie Themes.
    • Sharp Edge Records.
    • 20.
  • Randy Newman

    Burn On

    • The Randy Newman Songbook.
    • Nonesuch.
    • 4.
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Requiem in D minor (Introitus: Requiem)

    Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic. Choir: Wiener Singverein. Conductor: Herbert von Karajan.
    • Mozart: Requiem in D minor, K626.
    • DG.
    • 1.
  • Yves Montand

    Les Feuilles Mortes

    • Souvenirs from France and Italy.
    • Discos Cada.
    • 29.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 13 Feb 2022 11:00
  • Fri 18 Feb 2022 09:00

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