Marie Laforêt

The acting career of French pop singer Marie Laforêt was launched by the 1960 film Plein Soleil, and her singing career was essentially launched by her onscreen performance of the title song from Saint Tropez Blues (1961). In the mode of a folksinger, Laforêt's recording career took flight in 1963; among her more notable early recordings was a cover of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind." In the 1970s Laforêt more or less abandoned acting and focused instead on a series of recordings. She had some major hits during this period, most notably "Viens, Viens" and "Il a Neigé sur Yesterday." She returned to the cinema in the 1980s. ~ Jason Birchmeier