Born in Paris in 1888, Chevalier started his professional career in 1901 as a singer and comedian. At age 40, he left a popular stage career in Paris to come to Hollywood. He starred in his first Hollywood musical, Innocents of Paris, in 1929, just two years after Al Jolson made history with the first all-talking motion picture. Chevalier was nominated for Academy Awards for The Love Parade (1929/1930) and The Big Pond (1929/1930). Making a dozen movies over the next seven years, Chevalier and his songs, such as "Mimi", "Louise", and "Valentine", became internationally popular. In the late 1950's his appearances in the movies Gigi and Love in the Afternoon started his second film career. In 1959 he received a special Academy Award for his contributions to the world of entertainment.
Throughout his seventies, he brought his one-man show around the world. The author of this website, Rob Hubbard, was privileged to attend one of his last performances. It was fantastic. He sang all of his greatest hits and sparked his show with anecdotes from his six decades in show business.
Maurice Chevalier retired from the stage in 1968, a show business legend. His last work, the title song of the Disney movie The Aristocats, was made in 1970. He died in Paris on January 1, 1972.
We ask anyone who knew Maurice Chevalier to e-mail their stories to us for possible inclusion on this site.