Simone Silva, born Martha Simone de Bouillard in Cairo, Egypt, to French and Italian parents, embarked on a life-changing journey at the tender age of eighteen when she married Cecil Silver, a wealthy businessman, and relocated to England.
Initially, Simone pursued a career in modeling, specializing in sultry pin-up photos, which led to her film debut in the French movie "Le Tampon du Capiston" in 1950. She subsequently landed bit parts in the British films "Bikini Baby" and "Bachelor In Paris".
As her weight began to fluctuate, Simone started crash dieting, which ultimately led to her being cast in the big-budget adventure "Hajji Baba" before being replaced before filming commenced. Her marriage to Cecil Silver came to an end in 1954, and she went on to co-star with Diana Dors in the drama "The Weak And The Wicked" that same year.
In a desperate bid to gain fame, Simone claimed she would "do anything" to get noticed, and her bold move at the 1954 Cannes film festival, where she was awarded the honorary title of "Miss Festival 1954" and posed for photos with actor Robert Mitchum, shocked the photographers when she removed her top.
The resulting nude publicity stunt sparked a major scandal, and Simone was asked to leave the festival. In an interview, she explained that she had hoped the stunt would boost her career, citing Marilyn Monroe's rise to fame after posing nude for a calendar as inspiration.
Despite the setback, Simone was signed by independent producer Al Petker and relocated to Hollywood, where she faced difficulties obtaining a work visa and eventually feuded with Petker over her salary. Her struggles culminated in a hospitalization due to stress and an eating disorder in November 1954, followed by her forced return to England.
Simone managed to secure a role in the 1956 low-budget crime picture "The Dynamiters" and appeared in two episodes of the television show "The Gay Cavalier". Tragically, on November 30, 1957, Simone was found dead in her London apartment at the age of twenty-nine, having succumbed to a stroke caused by her relentless crash-dieting.
