Lucie Dolène (17 June 1931 – 9 April 2020) was a French actress and singer.^[1] She notably dubbed the voices of Snow White and Mrs. Potts.^[2] Her autobiography, cowritten by Grégoire Philibert, was published in 2021.^[3]

Biography

Dolène was born in Damascus during the French Mandate. Discovered by Joseph Canteloube, Dolène recorded Chants d'Auvergne under the pseudonym Lucie Daullène.^[4] She played in musicals with Luis Mariano and Les Frères Jacques.

Her skills in acting helped her find roles in theatrical productions, including Le noir te va si bien in 1975. She began dubbing in the 1950s, including her voice-over of Debbie Reynolds in the French film edition of Singin' in the Rain. Her soprano voice helped her voice-over in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was released in 1962. She voiced over Madame Samovar in Beauty and the Beast. When the movie was released on VHS, Dolène sued the Walt Disney Company over the rights to the use of her voice. She won the lawsuit, and Disney paid her for all the rights to her songs.^[5] Shortly thereafter, Disney opted for a different voice-over actress for all of its films and replaced Dolène's voice in Snow White.^[6] In 1997, Pierre Huyghe made a documentary on the suit, titled Blanche-Neige Lucie.

Dolène withdrew from studios in the 2010s. She died on 9 April 2020 in Noisy-le-Grand at the age of 88.^[7]

Theatre

• Schnock (1952)
• Chevalier du Ciel (1955)
• La Belle Arabelle (1956)
• L'amour masqué (1970)
• Le noir te va si bien (1973–1974)
• Paris by Night (1982)
• Mother Courage and Her Children (1983)

Filmography

Dubbing

Discography

• Chants d'Auverge (1950)^[8]
• The Land of Smiles (1957)

Distinctions

• Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2017)^[9]

References