Paulette Goddard (1910-1990) - Find a Grave... (2024)

Actress. A child model, she made her show business debut at age thirteen in the Ziegfeld Follies. She quickly became famous for her work in the show, and by age fifteen had married for the first time. However, the marriage didn't last long, and in 1931 she headed for Hollywood. Although noticed for her good looks, at first she appeared only in minor roles, the most important from this period being the 1932 Eddie Cantor film 'The Kid from Spain.' In that same year, she met Charlie Chaplin, twenty-one years her senior. She appeared in his 1936 classic 'Modern Times' as the Gamine, which proved to be her breakthrough role. She also appeared as his leading lady in his 1940 film 'The Great Dictator.' Though they were said to have married in 1936, and were known around Hollywood as Mr. and Mrs. Chaplin, they were never able to produce a marriage certificate. This cost Paulette the role of Scarlett O'Hara in 'Gone with the Wind,' a role for which she had been the leading contender. They separated in 1942. She signed a contract with Paramount on the basis of her role as Miriam Aarons in the 1939 film 'The Women.' Through most of the Forties she was at her peak of fame, appearing in such films as 'Reap the Wild Wind' (1942), 'The Lady Has Plans' (1942), 'Kitty' (1945), 'Second Chorus' (1940), 'Pot o' Gold' (1941), and 'Unconquered' (1947). She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the 1943 film 'So Proudly We Hail!', though she didn't win. In 1944 she married again, to Burgess Meredith. This marriage lasted until 1950. During the Fifties she appeared in only six films, the last in 1954. For the remainder of the Fifties and the early Sixties she found sporadic acting work on television. In the late Fifties she moved to Europe and married Erich Maria Remarque, the author of 'All Quiet on the Western Front, and they remained married until his death in 1970. She wasn't to return to the screen again until 1964. Her final acting role was in 'The Snoop Sisters,' a 1972 made-for-tv movie. She then permanently retired from acting and was living in Switzerland when she died of heart failure at the age of seventy-nine. Goddard left more than twenty million dollars to New York University upon her death. The school named one of its residence halls after her. In addition, NYU's Tisch School of the Arts renamed its main staircase after her and created a number of scholarships in her honor.

Actress. A child model, she made her show business debut at age thirteen in the Ziegfeld Follies. She quickly became famous for her work in the show, and by age fifteen had married for the first time. However, the marriage didn't last long, and in 1931 she headed for Hollywood. Although noticed for her good looks, at first she appeared only in minor roles, the most important from this period being the 1932 Eddie Cantor film 'The Kid from Spain.' In that same year, she met Charlie Chaplin, twenty-one years her senior. She appeared in his 1936 classic 'Modern Times' as the Gamine, which proved to be her breakthrough role. She also appeared as his leading lady in his 1940 film 'The Great Dictator.' Though they were said to have married in 1936, and were known around Hollywood as Mr. and Mrs. Chaplin, they were never able to produce a marriage certificate. This cost Paulette the role of Scarlett O'Hara in 'Gone with the Wind,' a role for which she had been the leading contender. They separated in 1942. She signed a contract with Paramount on the basis of her role as Miriam Aarons in the 1939 film 'The Women.' Through most of the Forties she was at her peak of fame, appearing in such films as 'Reap the Wild Wind' (1942), 'The Lady Has Plans' (1942), 'Kitty' (1945), 'Second Chorus' (1940), 'Pot o' Gold' (1941), and 'Unconquered' (1947). She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the 1943 film 'So Proudly We Hail!', though she didn't win. In 1944 she married again, to Burgess Meredith. This marriage lasted until 1950. During the Fifties she appeared in only six films, the last in 1954. For the remainder of the Fifties and the early Sixties she found sporadic acting work on television. In the late Fifties she moved to Europe and married Erich Maria Remarque, the author of 'All Quiet on the Western Front, and they remained married until his death in 1970. She wasn't to return to the screen again until 1964. Her final acting role was in 'The Snoop Sisters,' a 1972 made-for-tv movie. She then permanently retired from acting and was living in Switzerland when she died of heart failure at the age of seventy-nine. Goddard left more than twenty million dollars to New York University upon her death. The school named one of its residence halls after her. In addition, NYU's Tisch School of the Arts renamed its main staircase after her and created a number of scholarships in her honor.

Bio by: Carrie-Anne

Parents

• Joseph Russell Le Vee 1880–1954
• Alta Mae Goddard Levy 1888–1983

Spouses

• Edgar William James 1892–1948 (m. 1927)
• Charlie Chaplin 1889–1977 (m. 1936)
• Burgess Meredith 1907–1997 (m. 1944)
• Erich Maria Remarque 1898–1970 (m. 1958)

Children

• Baby Boy Meredith 1944–1944

See more Goddard memorials in:

• Cimitero di Ronco sopra Ascona
• Ronco sopra Ascona
• Distretto di Locarno
• Ticino
• Switzerland
• Find a Grave

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