sophy1996
DIS Veteran
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French entertainer Maurice Chevalier (1888-1972) started his career at age 12 to help support his family, first as an acrobat and then as a singer and dancer. He performed in the Folies Bergere and silent French films. In World War I, he served in the French army, spending two years in a German prisoner-of-war camp, where he learned English from another prisoner. After the war, he returned to French music halls.
Starting in the 1920s, Chevalier starred in Hollywood and French pictures. In World War II, he performed in occupied France and even performed at the same POW camp he had been held in in WWI. He was accused of being a collaborator but was acquitted by a French court. Nevertheless, he still had visa problems and did not perform again in Hollywood pictures until the 1950s. He received a 1958 special Oscar for contributions to entertainment.
For Disney, he appeared in In Seach of the Castaways and Monkeys, Go Home! His last performance, for which he came out of retirement, was to sing the title song of The Aristocats. But for Disney-philes, he is well-known in another capacity. According to the Disney Wiki: "Years after his death, he was the inspiration for Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast. Lumiere's personality reflected the suave ladies' man Chevalier was famous for playing in his early career, and his facial features, voice and singing style were all based on him, including Chevalier's trademark 'Aw-haw-haw' laugh."
In researching Chevalier, I discovered he was a Member of the Grand Order of the Water Rats. Yes, that is real group -- an exclusive entertainment fraternity and charitable group based in London.
