Draft:Yanou Collart
Yanou Collart | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 15, 1938 |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Occupation(s) | Publicist, actor |
| Father | Émile Collart |
| Relatives | Renè Collart, Robert Collart |
Yanou Collart (French pronunciation: [janu kɔlaɾ]; born September 15, 1938)[1] is a Belgian-born French publicist, actor and activist, noted for her connections in French culinary society and work with American celebrities such as Paul McCartney, Jack Nicholson and Harrison Ford. Collart has been noted as one of the top publicists in Europe,[2] and one of the most recognized publicists worldwide.[3]
Early life
[edit]Yanou Collart was born in Brussels in 1938 to Émile Collart and his wife.[a][4][5] Collart had two younger brothers, Renè and Robert.[5] Growing up in Uccle, Collart's father was physically abusive to her and her mother.[3] Collart played the accordion in her childhood until she was molested by her music teacher. When Collart told her parents what had happened, her father refused to believe her and forced her to quit the instrument as punishment, though Collart notes in her autobiography that she had always hated playing the accordion and was happy to stop.[6] Her father's abuse motivated Collart to leave home and seek independence elsewhere, determined to "[never be] dependent on a man."[b][3] Collart's parents separated in 1955,[7] and when her father died by suicide in 1957, she refused to attend the funeral.[8]
Career
[edit]Following her father's death in 1957, Collart worked a variety of jobs in Brussels including for Admiral, a real estate company Caarven, and a boutique store, where her performance motivated her boss to take her to Paris, and she was eventually given a role which required her to travel often between Brussels and Paris, and later a job in Bouches-du-Rhône.[9] Eventually relocating fully to Paris, Collart's multilingualism was highly sought after, and she found work across several French companies including Bic.[3]
French culinary society
[edit]Collart has been noted for her involvement in the French culinary space and has been credited for helping launch the careers of several prominent French chefs, including Paul Bocuse and Roger Vergé.[2]
Government connections
[edit]Collart maintained connections in the French government, which she used at various points to benefit her clientele. In 1989, she helped to organize a summit between US President George H.W. Bush and French president François Mitterrand in St Martin.[10]
Rock Hudson's publicist
[edit]Activism
[edit]In 2021, Collart was honored for raising more than $2 million for the charity Meals on Wheels.[11] Starting in the 1970s, Collart would fly French chefs she was connected with to New York City and auction their services to benefit Meals on Wheels, and use her celebrity connections to ensure the events were well-attended.[10] Collart has also been honored by PETA for her animal activism.[10]
Personal life
[edit]Collart never married, though in her 2019 autobiography she wrote extensively of her romantic and sexual relationship with Italian actor Lino Ventura. According to Collart, their relationship lasted from 1972 until 1982; Ventura was married the entire time they were together.[4][3]
Works
[edit]Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Je te tiens, tu me tiens par la barbichette | Lucienne Fouché-Blanchot | ||
| 1984 | American Dreamer | Marguerite Lasueur | ||
| 1985 | Liberté, égalité, choucroute |
Writing
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Collart 2019, p. 13,25.
- ^ a b Mikelbank 1988.
- ^ a b c d e Lecocq 2019.
- ^ a b Gala biography.
- ^ a b Collart 2019, p. 13.
- ^ Collart 2019, p. 16-17.
- ^ Collart 2019, p. 17-19.
- ^ Collart 2019, p. 13-14.
- ^ Collart 2019, p. 22-23.
- ^ a b c Adelaide 2017.
- ^ Chicago Tribune 2021.
Works cited
[edit]Books
[edit]- Collart, Yanou (June 19, 2019). Les Étoiles De Ma Vie [The Stars of My Life] (in French). L'Archipel. ISBN 9782809826760.
Web
[edit]- Reichl, Ruth (July 27, 1986). "You've Got a Friend in Yanou". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- Mikelbank, Peter (July 10, 1988). "Europe's 'In'-Crowd Hangout". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- Adelaide, Victoria (October 23, 2017). "Yanou Collart". Beautiful Humans. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- Geidner, Chris (February 2, 2015). "Nancy Reagan Turned Down Rock Hudson's Plea For Help Nine Weeks Before He Died". Buzzfeed News. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- Stadiem, William (August 1999). "No Resistance". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- Lecocq, Jean-Jacques (July 9, 2019). "Yanou Collart, sa grande histoire d'amour avec Lino Ventura" [Yanou Collart, her great love story with Lino Ventura]. sudinfo.be (in French). Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- "Yanou Collart". Gala. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- "If the name Yanou Collart means nothing…". Chicago Tribune. August 9, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2024.