Dishy Facts About Leslie Caron, Hollywood’s Fancy-Footed Ingenue
Unlike many of today’s stars, the legendary Leslie Caron doesn’t seem to have had a publicist telling to keep her lips sealed—and we are so here for it. Keep reading to uncover this humble French ballerina's wild ride: the scandalous affairs, the behind-the-scenes gossip, and the turbulent history that shaped her darkest moments.
1. She Was Rolling In It
At first glance, it seemed like Leslie Caron had won the birth lottery. On July 1, 1931, she entered the world, and what a comfortable one it was.
Her French father, Claude, was a pharmacist from a well-to-do family, while her American mother—a former Broadway dancer—injected some fire into the prim-and-proper French family she'd married into.
For little Leslie, her childhood seemed like every girl's dream—but its shiny veneer hid a darker reality.
2. She Was Spoiled Rotten
Leslie wanted for nothing. Her parents lived on the top floor of her grandparent's mansion just outside of Paris, overlooking the River Seine. They had a team of servants and young Leslie even rode to school in a chauffeur-driven limo. No need went unmet. But despite all of the material wealth, Leslie's home life was not very idyllic.
3. She Craved Attention
You see, Leslie's mother Margaret couldn’t be bothered with her children. To make matters worse, her favorite nanny left when she was only five years old. But although Leslie wasn't always her mother's first priority, the apple didn't fall far from the tree. In her titillating autobiography, Thank Heaven, Caron describes her early passion for dance–and it all came down to one nerve-racking childhood memory.
4. She Had An Eccentric Upbringing
With every opportunity available to her, Leslie proved that she had the grace and style to follow in her mother's footsteps as a dancer. In her autobiography, she remembered standing at the top of her home’s large main staircase while her mother and her Austrian nanny, Greta, stood—two floors below—holding her panties open so that she could jump down into them. Cue the suspenseful drum roll…
