Paulette Goddard

Paulette Goddard (born Marion Levy; June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) was an American actress, model, and philanthropist known for her roles in classic films during Hollywood's Golden Age. Beginning her career as a child fashion model and Ziegfeld Girl on Broadway, she transitioned to motion pictures in the early 1930s, gaining prominence as the streetwise gamine opposite Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times (1936). Goddard was married to Chaplin from 1936 to 1942, though the legality of their union—allegedly performed during a voyage to China—remains unverified by official records; she later wed actor Burgess Meredith (1944–1950) and author Erich Maria Remarque (1958–1970). Her performance as a feisty army nurse in So Proudly We Hail! (1943) earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. After retiring from acting in the mid-1950s, Goddard focused on art collecting and charitable causes, ultimately bequeathing over $20 million to New York University to support scholarships and facilities.

Her father, Joseph Russell Levy, was a Jewish businessman born in Utah to a family involved in cigar manufacturing. Her mother, Alta Mae Goddard, was an Episcopalian born in South Dakota, with family origins tracing to Utah. The Levys separated when Goddard was four years old, after which she resided primarily with her mother and adopted the Goddard surname professionally. This early family disruption contributed to her limited formal education, as she began supporting her mother financially from a young age.