(Sept. 13, 1903 - July 30, 1996) Claudette Colbert was an Academy Award-winning French-born American actress. Colbert was known for a versatility that led to her becoming one of the box-office stars of her time. In 1999, she was ranked as the 12th by the American Film Institute in their list Greatest Female Stars of All Time. As she said to an interviewer, "Audiences always sound like they're glad to see me, and I'm damned glad to see them."