Cécile Aubry
A French starlet who traded the glamour of cinema for a pastoral studio, creating beloved children's television series that defined generations of European childhoods.
1928–2010 (age 82)·French actress, television director, writer and screenwriter·Birthday: August 3·The Silent Generation
Biography
Cécile Aubry's life unfolded in two distinct, brilliant acts. First, as a radiant film actress discovered by Henri-Georges Clouzot, she became an international sensation with her debut in 'Manon' (1949). Her beauty made her a star, but her spirit sought more. In the 1960s, she radically reinvented herself, retreating to the French countryside. There, she conceived, wrote, and directed a series of whimsical, pastoral television shows for children. The most enduring was 'Belle et Sébastien,' the tale of a boy and his Pyrenean Mountain Dog in the Alps, which she adapted from her own novels. This show, and others like 'Poly,' captured a timeless, gentle vision of adventure and friendship. Aubry didn't just act; she built entire worlds from her imagination, becoming a foundational storyteller for European public television and leaving a deeper legacy than her film posters ever could.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Cécile was born in 1928, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cécile Was Born
The biggest hits of 1928
#1 Movie
The Singing Fool
Best Picture
Wings
Cécile's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1928Born
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1933Started school
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1941Became a teenager
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1944Could drive
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1946Could vote
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Turned 21
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1958Turned 30
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 40
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 50
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 60
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 70
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 80
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2010Died at 82
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
Key Achievements
- Created and wrote the immensely popular French children's television series 'Belle et Sébastien,' which aired from 1965 to 1970.
- Authored the novel series 'Belle et Sébastien,' which served as the basis for the TV show and subsequent film adaptations.
- Starred in the acclaimed film 'Manon,' winning the hearts of international audiences and launching her film career.
Did You Know?
She owned and lived on a farm in the French Alps, which provided the setting and inspiration for 'Belle et Sébastien.'
Her son, Mehdi El Glaoui, played the lead role of Sébastien in the television series.
Before her television work, she was married to a Moroccan prince, Si Brahim El Glaoui.
“I traded the studio's lights for the sun on my son's hair.”
