Irène De Trebert

Nicknamed "Mademoiselle Swing", Irène de Trébert was born on board the Russian liner Pierre le Grand on February 6, 1921. A little opera rat from the age of five and a member of the chorus, the young dancer and singer joined Joë Bridge's troupe Le Bon Petit Diable, and soon began singing. After a stay in the United States, where she discovered jazz, Irène de Trébert accompanied Johnny Hess on piano and sang at Radio-Cité (1938) and the Casino de Paris (1939). In 1940, she met conductor Raymond Legrand, with whom she recorded her greatest hits, when director Richard Pottier was looking for an actress, singer and dancer for his film Mademoiselle Swing (1941). Irène de Trébert starred alongside Jean Murat and Elvire Popesco in this musical comedy, where she sang the song that gave the film its title. While her lover Raymond Legrand had to go into exile at the Liberation, the singer was banned for ten months for being too visible during the Occupation. In 1946, she recorded the duet "La Belle, ouvrez-moi donc" with Tino Rossi. She sang on the radio and appeared in other films, including Musique en tête with Jacques Hélian and Monsieur Octave (1951), La Garçonnière (short film, 1951) and Duel à Dakar (1952). In 1955, she founded a dance school before retiring twenty years later. At the age of 75, Irène de Trébert died in Saint-Jean-de-Luz on May 13, 1996.