Inimitably charming, witty and sophisticated star of American films from the start of talkies till the... (Learn more)
Top Projects: It Happened One..., Tomorrow Is Forever, Imitation of Life (View All)
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Claudette Colbert’s Milestones
| Hosted monthly CBS afternoon information series, "The Women" | |
| Made motion picture exhibitors poll of top ten boxoffice stars: 6th place in 1935 and 8th place in 1936 | |
| Reunited in London and on Broadway with Rex Harrison in revival of Frederick Lonsdale's drawing-room comedy, "Aren't We All?" | |
| 1912 | Moved from Paris to New York after father suffered financial reverses in the banking business |
| 1919 | Made stage debut at the Provincetown Playhouse in "The Widow's Veil", written by her speech teacher, Alice Rossetter |
| 1923 | Made Broadway stage debut in "The Wild Westcotts" |
| 1925 | Replaced in leading role of Frederick Lonsdale's "The Fake" |
| 1926 | Traveled to Paris; returned to New York to comply with five-year contract she had recently signed with producer Al Woods |
| 1927 | Enjoyed major Broadway success as the female lead in "The Barker" |
| 1927 | Film acting debut in the silent, "For the Love of Mike" |
| 1928 | Film contract with First National aborted after failure of first film |
| 1928 | Journeyed with Foster to Paris to recreate their stage roles in "The Barker" |
| 1928 | Marriage to Norman Foster (in 1927) revealed by New York columnist |
| 1928 | Signed film contract with Paramount which enabled her to continue stage career |
| 1929 | Made talking film debut in second film, "The Hole in the Wall" |
| 1929 | Played leading roles in two unsuccessful plays by noted playwrights Eugene O'Neill ("Dynamo") and Elmer Rice ("See Naples and Die", her last stage appearance for over 20 years) |
| 1931 | Position in film industry elevated by success of Ernst Lubitsch's popular "The Smiling Lieutenant" |
| 1932 | Appeared in largest film to date: as Poppaea in Cecil B. DeMille's epic, "The Sign of the Cross" |
| 1932 | Briefly went off salary for refusing bland roles |
| 1933 | Renegotiated contract with Paramount; allowed to appear in films at other studios |
| 1934 | Enjoyed landmark career success in Frank Capra's popular and acclaimed Oscar-winner, "It Happened One Night" while on loan to Columbia |
| 1934 | Signed new two-year contract with Paramount; earned $5000 per week |
| 1935 | Co-starred opposite Fred MacMurray for the first of seven films together (in his first substantial lead) in the popular "The Gilded Lily" |
| 1935 | Was named best-dressed actress in Hollywood |
| 1936 | Negotiated new contract with Paramount which called for seven films at $150,000 per film |
| 1936 | Plans to star as Joan of Arc in a film directed by Anatole Litvak fell through |
| 1938 | Was the sixth top money-making woman in America with an income of $301,944 ($50,000 less than she had made the year before, when she placed fourteenth) |
| 1939 | Starred in first color film, "Drums Along the Mohawk", directed by John Ford and co-starring Henry Fonda |
| 1941 | Joined with Ronald Colman, Charles Boyer, Irene Dunne, Lewis Milestone and Anatole Litvak to form producing unit at Twentieth-Century Fox; Colbert starred in Fox film, "Remember the Day" |
| 1944 | Played a mother with teen-aged daughters for the first time in David O. Selznick's acclaimed homefront saga, "Since You Went Away" |
| 1945 | Left Paramount Pictures after having spent most of her starring career there; last film under contract, "Practically Yours" |
| 1947 | Made motion picture exhibitor's poll of top ten box office stars; placed 9th |
| 1948 | Replaced by Katharine Hepburn in leading role in "State of the Union" after disagreements with director Frank Capra |
| 1950 | Replaced in leading role in "All About Eve" by Bette Davis after suffering severe back injury |
| 1951 | Announcments made that she would star in a TV series, "Leave It to Lizabeth"; filmed pilot, but backed out of series commitment |
| 1951 | Made TV debut on "The Jack Benny Show" |
| 1951 | Starred in last screen romantic comedy, "Let's Make It Legal" |
| 1951 | Starred opposite Noel Coward in successful stage presentation of "Island Fling/South Sea Bubble" |
| 1952 | Traveled to England to star in "Outpost in Malaya" |
| 1952 - 1957 | Worked in Europe in film and theater; made fewer films, but starred in two in France |
| 1954 | Made pact with CBS to star in five teleplays after successful appearance in "The Royal Family of Broadway" |
| 1955 | Last starring role in an American feature film, "Texas Lady" |
| 1956 | Replaced Margaret Sullavan in the female lead of the Broadway play, "Janus" |
| 1958 | Returned to Broadway to originate a role after 27 years to star opposite Charles Boyer in the popular sex farce, "The Marriage Go-Round" |
| 1959 | Last major acting role on TV for 25 years, in "The Bells of St. Mary's" |
| 1961 | One-shot return to films: played Troy Donahue's mother in the popular soap opera, "Parrish" |
| 1963 | Appeared in Maxwell House Coffee TV commercials and billboard advertisements |
| 1965 | Made last stage appearance for almost a decade, opposite Brian Ahearne in "Diplomatic Relations" |
| 1969 | Announced that she was going to write a book entitled "How to Run a House" for her friend's Bennett Cerf's Random House Press; book did not materialize |
| 1972 | Made rare public appearance at the "Fabulous Forties" nostalgia night at Manhattan's Roseland |
| 1974 | Returned to the stage to appear in "A Community of Two" in Philadelphia |
| 1978 | Returned to Broadway to star opposite Rex Harrison in "The Kingfisher" |
| 1981 | Acted on Broadway in "A Talent for Murder" |
| 1982 | Appeared on the American Film Institute's televised salute to Frank Capra |
| 1984 | A building at the old Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York (where she had made her first films for Paramount) was renamed in her honor |
| 1984 | Received tribute for lifetime achievement from the Film Society of Lincoln Center |
| 1987 | Returned to TV to star opposite Ann-Margret in two-part film, "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles" |
| 1991 | Career celebrated with ceremony and retrospective at New York University |
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