High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Simone Signoret (French pronunciation: ; 25 March 1921 – 30 September 1985) was a French cinema actress often hailed as one of France`s greatest movie stars. She became the first French person to win an Academy Award, for her role in Room at the Top (1959). In her lifetime she also received a BAFTA, an Emmy, Golden Globe, Cannes Film Festival recognition and the Silver Bear for Best Actress.