Germaine Lefebvre, known by her stage name Capucine, began her career as a model at the age of 17. In 1948, she became a film actress, first in France, then in the United States. Her best-known role was that of Simone Clouseau, the wife of the famous detective played by Peter Sellers in The Pink Panther. Capucine has played two openly lesbian roles, in ‘Walk On the Wild Side’ (1962) where she co-stars with Barbara Stanwyck, and in ‘Fräulein Doktor’ (1969).
In 1985, Capucine spoke openly about her homosexuality in an interview with Boze Hadleigh for his book ‘Hollywood Lesbians‘.
Until her death in 1990, Capucine was a close friend of Audrey Hepburn, whom she met in the early 1950s.
Lilli Palmer, born Lilli Marie Peiser, was a German actress, author, and painter. Born in Poland to a Jewish family, she grew up in Berlin, where she studied drama. She fled Germany shortly after the Nazis came to power and took refuge in England, where she began a career in film and theater. In 1945, she moved to Hollywood and signed a contract with Warner Brothers. She appeared in several films and plays, and hosted her own television show.
In 1954, Lilli Palmer returned to Germany, where she became a post-war film star. She also continued to appear in films in the United States, England, and France. One of her most famous films was "Mädchen in Uniform" (Girls in Uniform), released in 1958, which was a remake of Leontine Sagan's 1931 film. Palmer played Miss Elisabeth von Bernburg, a caring boarding school supervisor with whom a student, Manuela, falls in love.
During filming, Palmer reportedly had an affair with her co-star, Romy Schneider.
Lilli Palmer also likely had an affair with Greta Garbo, with whom she was very close and about whom she discusses at length in her autobiography.
Lilli Palmer was involved in the disturbing and mysterious death of actress Carole Landis, who was found dead at her home in 1948. According to the official version, Carole Landis committed suicide because her lover, Rex Harrison, refused to leave his wife, Lilli Palmer. Rex Harrison reportedly paid $500 to retrieve a suicide note from Carole Landis — a love letter addressed to him, which he considered incriminating.
In 1978, Lilli wrote a book called "The Red Raven," whose story shares many similarities with the tragic death of Carole Landis. The protagonist, "L" (for Lilly), poses for a lesbian painter who had previously had an affair with one of "L's" former friends, Annabelle. Annabelle, like Carole Landis, had an affair with "L"'s husband and committed suicide out of spite, leaving "L" her diary and a farewell letter, written minutes before her suicide. Troubled by this coincidence, "L" decides to delve into this painful past and read Annabelle's diary and farewell letter, something she had previously refused to do.
Lilli Palmer has claimed that the story told in "The Red Raven" is autobiographical and that she changed only the names of the protagonists. The story takes place ten years before she met Carole Landis. Is it possible that she experienced two nearly identical stories in her life? "The Red Raven" casts doubt on the official version of Carole Landis's death. Was it Rex Harrison who was having an affair with Carole Landis, or was it Lilly Palmer (Carole Landis herself had several lesbian love affairs in her life) ? Was the suicide note supposedly addressed to Rex, which he had to pay to have removed, actually addressed to Lilly?
