Juliette Gréco

Actress and inimitable singer of the chanson, Juliette Gréco became a leading member of philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre’s intellectual Existentialist movement in the mid-'40s. With her slightly raw-edged voice, seductive appearance, and impeccable stage presence, she became immensely popular in the world of cabaret. The winsome Gréco imbued the songs of all the countrymen's leading songwriters -- noblemen of French pop like Hubert Giraud, Jean Drejec, Jacques Brel, Joseph Kosma, and Jacques Prevert -- with a nimble warmth. In the late-'50s Gréco appeared in a number of Hollywood films. While her popularity would wane and her performances became more infrequent, she basked in a grand comeback show in London in 1989.