All All. Sign In. List activity. Maurice Chevalier. Maurice Chevalier's first working job was as an acrobat, until a serious accident ended that career. He turned his talents to singing and acting, and made several short films in France. During World War I he enlisted in the French army. He was wounded in battle, captured and placed in a POW camp by the Germans. During his captivity he learned English from fellow prisoners.
After the war he returned to the film business, and when "talkies" came into existence, Chevalier traveled to the US to break into Hollywood. Although Chevalier was attracted to the beautiful MacDonald and made several passes at her, she rejected him firmly, as she had designs on actor Gene Raymond , who she eventually married.
He did not take rejection lightly, being a somewhat vain man who considered himself quite a catch, and derided MacDonald as a "prude". They made three more pictures together, the most successful being Love Me Tonight In the late s he returned to Europe, making several films in France and England. World War II interrupted his career and he was dogged by accusations of collaboration with the Nazi authorities occupying France, but he was later vindicated.
In the s he returned to Hollywood, older and gray-headed. He also received a special Oscar that year. In the s he made a few more films, and in he sang the title song for Walt Disney 's The Aristocats This marked his last contribution to the film industry. He would score another nomination the following year for The Big Pond Charles Boyer.
Actor Producer Additional Crew Gaslight Charles Boyer studied philosophy before he went to the theater where he gave his debut in Although he had at first no intentions to pursue a career at the movies his first movie was Man of the Sea by Marcel L'Herbier he used his chance in Hollywood after several filming stations all over Europe.
