Born Marie-Louise Jeanne Nicolle Mourer in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, (France), she studied acting under René Simon (1898–1966), making her stage debut in 1940 and her first motion picture in 1943. One of the most beautiful women in film, she was frequently cast as an elegant blonde seductress. During the late 1940s and early 1950s she was the leading sex symbol and a top box office draw of french cinema. One of her most famous roles was as the title character in Lola Montès (1955), directed by Max Ophüls, in a role which necessitated dark hair.
Despite her fame and fortune, Martine Carol's personal life was filled with turmoil that included a suicide attempt and drug abuse, and four marriages. She was also kidnapped by gangster Pierre Loutrel (aka "Pierrot le Fou" or "Crazy Pete"), albeit briefly and received roses the next day as an apology.
She died unexpectedly of a heart attack in a Monte Carlo hotel room at the age of only forty-six
