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Françoise Rosay

Françoise Rosay

Actor · Died March 28, 1974, aged 82 · Paris, France

Françoise Rosay born Françoise Bandy de Nalèche, (19 April 1891 – 28 March 1974) was a French opera singer, diseuse, and actress who enjoyed a film career of over sixty years and who became a legendary figure in French cinema. She went on to appear in over 100 movies in her career. Rosay was born Françoise Bandy de Nalèche in Paris, the illegitimate daughter of Marie-Thérèse Chauvin, an actress known as Sylviac. She originally planned to become an opera singer, and in 1917, won a prize at the Paris Conservatoire and made her debut at the Palais Garnier in the title role of Salammbô by Ernest Reyer. She also sang in Castor et Pollux by Rameau and Thaïs by Massenet. Her first recorded film was Falstaff in 1911, and she began to work in Hollywood from 1929 onwards. In 1917, she married the director Jacques Feyder, with whom she remained until his death in 1948, having three sons. She appeared in several films under her husband's direction, including Le Grand Jeu (1933), Pension Mimosas (1934), La Kermesse héroïque (Carnival in Flanders) (1935) and Les Gens du voyage (1937). Rosay spent the duration of World War II in England and Switzerland, where she taught acting classes at the Conservatoire de Genève. She still appeared in films during this time, notably the British Halfway House (1944) as the refugee French wife of a British sea captain. During her career, she appeared with all the great stars of French cinema, including Jean Gabin, Michèle Morgan, Raimu, Jeanne Moreau, Danielle Darrieux, Micheline Presle, Paul Meurisse, Gérard Philipe, Louis Jouvet, Michel Simon, Simone Signoret, Fernandel and Jean-Louis Barrault. In Hollywood, she co-starred with Charles Boyer, Maurice Chevalier and Buster Keaton and worked with directors such as William Dieterle (September Affair, 1949), Martin Ritt (The Sound and the Fury, 1958), Ronald Neame (The Seventh Sin, 1956) and Peter Glenville (Me and the Colonel, 1957) with Danny Kaye. In England she appeared in The Alien Corn, a segment of the W. Somerset Maugham anthology film Quartet. A highly accomplished pianist herself in real life, she played the role of a famous piano virtuoso who gives aspiring pianist Dirk Bogarde a compassionate but honest and devastating critical appraisal of his likelihood of becoming a great musician – which results in his suicide. She performs in the film Schubert's Impromptu in E flat. In 1950 she appeared on stage at London's Winter Garden Theatre, playing the title role in 'Madame Tic Tac' but it had only a short run. It was not until 1938 that her biological father, Count François Louis Bandy de Nalèche, acknowledged her as his daughter. Her final appearance on film was in the Maximilian Schell-directed Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winner for Best Foreign-Language Foreign Film of 1974, Der Fußgänger (English title: The Pedestrian). She died in Montgeron, Île-de-France, near Paris. Her grave is located in Sorel-Moussel, Île-de-France, where she is buried with her husband, movie director Jacques Feyder. They had three sons. There are streets named after Françoise Rosay in Limoges, Montpellier, Chevry-Cossigny, Launaguet and Martigues. Source: Article "Françoise Rosay" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 17, 1891
Died
March 28, 1974 (aged 82)
From
Paris, France
Works as
Actor
Titles
16 on MovieCove · 105 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 20% in 30 days

What are Françoise Rosay's films like?

Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Power.

Genres

Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 33rd percentile
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
36%
Power
23%
Bonds
19%
Society
12%
Survival
5%
Self
4%
Class3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice3 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 7 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 10 · Intense 2

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 7 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 4

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 9 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 14 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

13 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 4 of 13 analyzed roles.

Shadow
4 of 13
Mentor
4 of 13
Threshold guardian
3 of 13
Ally
2 of 13
Show the 13 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
8
Tense
7
Warm
6
Bittersweet
4
Romantic
3
Other
8

How their films linger

Bittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet8
  • Tragic3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Françoise Rosay's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (2).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Françoise Rosay's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

105 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Pedestrian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Frau Dechamps

  • Not Dumb, the Bird (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Mrs. Morelli-Johnson

  • 3000 Million Without an Elevator (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Madame Dubreuil

  • Un merveilleux parfum d'oseille (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Louise de Kerfuntel

  • Don't Take God's Children for Wild Geese(1968)

    as Léontine Palpicart aka 'La Gâteuse'

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The 25th Hour(1967)

    as Mme Nagy (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • L'Âge heureux (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    as Mme Aubry

  • Cloportes(1965)

    as Gertrude, supplies specialist in the mafia

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Up from the Beach (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    as Lili's Grandmother

  • Ruy Blas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    as La duchesse d'Albuquerque

  • Full Hearts and Empty Pockets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Borgia

  • Frau Cheneys Ende (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Mrs. Webley

  • The Counterfeiters of Paris(1961)

    as Madame Pauline

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Full Treatment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Madame Prade

  • Stefanie in Rio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Leonora Guala

  • Lovers Woods (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Madame Parisot

  • Twentieth Century Theatre: Colombe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Madame Alexandra

  • Without Trumpet or Drum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as La grand-mère de Marguerite

  • Eyes of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Mrs. Montcatel mother

  • Riff Raff Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Berthe

  • The Sound and the Fury(1959)

    as Caroline Compson

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Gambler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Aunt Antonia

  • Me and the Colonel(1958)

    as Madame Bouffier

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Non sono più guaglione (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Vincenzino's mother

  • Interlude (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Comtesse Reinhart

  • The Seventh Sin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Mother Superior

  • Girls of Today (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as padrona della pensione

  • That Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Bernardine

  • Queen Margot(1954)

    as Catherine de Médicis / Catharine of Medici

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Sul ponte dei sospiri (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Lady of Sant'Agata

  • Chi è senza peccato....(1952)

    as La contessa Lamieri

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Wanda the Sinner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Anna Steiner

  • Smuggler's Ball (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Gabrielle Demeuse

  • The Seven Deadly Sins(1952)

    as Elisabeth de Pallières, the mother (segment "L'Orgueil")

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Nobody's Children(1951)

    as La contessa Canali

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Red Inn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Marie Martin

  • K – Das Haus des Schweigens (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Noemi, die Amme

  • The 13th Letter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Mrs. Gauthier

  • The Naked Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Laura Chapdelaine

  • September Affair(1950)

    as Maria Salvatini

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • One Only Loves Once (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Mme Monnier

  • Women Without Names (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as The Countess

  • The Barton Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Élisabeth

  • The Dream Vagabonds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Mireille Dombreval

  • Quartet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Lea Makart (segment "The Alien Corn")

  • Saraband(1948)

    as The Electress Sophia

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • La Dame de Haut-le-Bois (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Countess Brévannes

  • Back Streets of Paris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Mrs. Rose, hotel landlady

  • Johnny Frenchman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Lanec Florrie

  • The Halfway House(1944)

    as Alice Meadows

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Portrait of a Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Fanny Helder

  • Elles étaient douze femmes(1940)

    as La duchesse de Vimeuse

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Serge Panine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Madame Devarenne

  • Fahrendes Volk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Madame Flora

  • The Chess Player (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Catherine II

  • Peace on the Rhine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Francoise Scheffer

  • Le ruisseau(1938)

    as Régina Berry

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • People Who Travel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Flora

  • Ramuntcho (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Dolorès Detcharry

  • Bizarre, Bizarre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Margaret Molyneux

  • Life Dances On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Marguerite Audié

  • My Son the Minister (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Sylvie - seine Mutter

  • The Robber Symphony (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as The fortune teller

  • Armchair 47 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Gilberte Boulanger

  • Jenny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Jenny Gauthier

  • The Last Four on Santa Cruz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Nadja Danouw

  • The Secret of Polichinelle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Mrs. Jouvenel

  • Carnival in Flanders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Cornelia

  • Carnival in Flanders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Madame Burgomaster

  • Marie des angoisses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Mme de Quersac

  • Gangster malgré lui (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Actor

  • Maternité (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Mrs. Duchemin

  • Whirlpool (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Madame Gardane

  • Pension Mimosas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Louise Noblet

  • Le Billet de mille (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Russian Countess

  • Marchand d'amour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Clara

  • The Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Silvia

  • Vers l'abîme (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Sylvia

  • Coralie and Company (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Actor

  • The Great Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Blanche

  • Tambour battant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as The Princess Mother

  • Abbot Constantine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as La comtesse de Laverdens

  • All for Nothing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Mrs. Bossu

  • La Pouponnière (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Mrs. Delannoy

  • The Woman Dressed As a Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Princess Marie

  • A Father Without Knowing It (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Madame Jacquet

  • He (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Madame Husson

  • Luck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Mme Mougeot

  • The Trial of Mary Dugan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as La veuve

  • Casanova Against His Will (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Blanche Brissac

  • Jenny Lind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Rosatti

  • The Magnificent Lie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Rosa Duchêne

  • Buster se marie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Polly Hathaway

  • Let Us Be Gay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Madame Boucijon

  • The Little Cafe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Mademoiselle Edwige

  • Échec au roi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as The Queen

  • Si l'empereur savait ça (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Princess Plata d'Ettingen

  • Marius à Paris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Actor

  • The One Woman Idea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Zuleide, Alizar's Mother

  • Two Timid Souls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    as The aunt

  • Madame Récamier(1928)

    as Madame de Staël

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Le bateau de verre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    as Madame d'Arcy, his wife

  • Gribiche (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Edith Maranet

  • Faces of Children (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Assistant Director · Writer

  • Crainquebille (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    as Shoe Store Customer

Career shape

Star power in the 93rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 105 titles from 1922 to 1973; peak year 1968.

Highest rated

The Counterfeiters of Paris (1961)

Midcredits 85th

Film career

19221973

Peak 1968 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1935Screen debut· Carnival in Flanders
  • 1935First top-billed film· Carnival in Flanders

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting104 of 105: 104 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score57thWriting1 of 105: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 105: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1920s7 · 6 acting · 1 crew1930s46 · acting1940s10 · acting1950s25 · acting1960s14 · acting1970s3 · acting

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 22% of 9 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Françoise Rosay's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 54th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

43rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser9
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

Madame Récamier (1928)

62nd percentile spread · 58% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The 25th Hour (1967)

Midcredits 90th · 79% liked

Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Françoise Rosay work with?

People who share at least 2 of Françoise Rosay's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michel Audiard shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers