Mathilda Marie Berthilde Paruta, better known as Darling Légitimus, was a renowned French actress, born on November 21, 1907, in Le Carbet, Martinique. She spent her early years in Caracas, Venezuela, before moving to Paris, France, at the age of 16 to pursue a career as a dancer.
Mathilda met Victor-Etienne Légitimus, son of government deputy Hegesippe Jean Légitimus, and went on to become his lifelong companion, bearing him five children. She was known for a long time as Miss Darling and later chose to go by the name Darling Legitimus.
Darling performed as a dancer in La Revue Nègre (1925) alongside Josephine Baker and posed for renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso and sculptor Paul Belmondo, father of actor Jean-Paul Belmondo. During the 1930s, she wrote, composed, and sang numerous Caribbean songs, including Biguine and Mazurka, often performing alongside notable musicians of the era.
She also appeared in plays by Jean Genet and Aimé Césaire, and was directed by prominent filmmakers such as Raymond Rouleau and Henri Georges Clouzot. In 1983, at the age of 76, she won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for her role in La Rue Cases-Nègres (Sugar Cane Alley),directed by Euzhan Palcy.
Throughout her long life, Darling was acquainted with many famous actors, including Arletty, Fernandel, Marlon Brando, and Pierre Brasseur. She also took part in numerous ORTF productions, including a telefilm by Jean-Christophe Averty.
Darling passed away on December 7, 1999, at Kremlin-Bicetre in the Val de Marne, near Paris, without any further acting roles after Sugar Cane Alley. Despite hopes of her nomination and rewards, she was remembered as a prominent figure in French cinema, with a public tribute paid to her at the César ceremony in 2000.
