Florence Marly was a Czech-born actress born on June 2, 1919, who initially aspired to become an opera singer. However, her life took a dramatic turn when she was discovered by renowned French director Pierre Chenal at the age of 18 while studying art and literature at the Sorbonne.
Chenal, who was 33 years old at the time, immediately cast her in his film "The Alibi" (1937),igniting her acting career instead. The two married the following year, and Florence continued to appear in many of Chenal's films, including "The Lafarge Case" (1938),"Sirocco" (1938),and "The Last Turning" (1939).
Prior to the Nazi occupation of Paris, Florence and Chenal managed to flee to Argentina in 1944, where she appeared in a few films, including "La piel de Zapa" (1943),"El fin de la noche" (1944),and "Viaje sin regreso" (1946),which was directed by her husband.
After the war, Florence returned to France and was nominated for a Cannes Film Festival award for her performance in "The Damned" (1947),directed by René Clément and starring Marcel Dalio and Henri Vidal.
In the post-war years, exotic foreign imports were popular in Hollywood, and Florence took a chance on Hollywood when she was signed by Paramount in 1949. She appeared in a range of films, including "Sealed Verdict" (1948),"Tokyo Joe" (1949),"Krakatit" (1948),"Tokyo File 212" (1951),and "Gobs and Gals" (1952).
However, Florence's American career was cut short when she was branded a Communist and blacklisted. She was eventually cleared after it was discovered that her name had been confused with the Russian club singer Anna Marly, who was on the "subversive" list. The damage had already been done, and her film career never recovered.
Florence continued to work in films, appearing in her husband's films "El ídolo" (1952) and "Confesiones al amanecer" (1954),as well as other low-grade films. She also turned to television, working occasionally on popular shows such as "The Millionaire", "Dragnet", "77 Sunset Strip", "The Man from U.N.C.L.E", and "Love, American Style".
Florence married twice, first to Pierre Chenal and then to an Austrian count, but both marriages ended in divorce. She died suddenly in the Los Angeles area at the age of 59 due to a heart attack, bringing an end to her tumultuous and varied career.
