Léonie Cooreman best known by the stage name "Annie Cordy". was a Belgian singer and actress who staged many memorable appearances at Bruno Coquatrix' in Paris and appeared in more than 50 films from 1954. She recorded over 600 songs, played in a dozen musicals, films and TV movies. Her version of "La Ballade de Davy Crockett" topped the charts for five weeks in France in August 1956. She made her movie debut in 1953 in the big-budget production of Si Versailles M'etait Conte, directed by Sacha ... moreLéonie Cooreman best known by the stage name "Annie Cordy". was a Belgian singer and actress who staged many memorable appearances at Bruno Coquatrix' in Paris and appeared in more than 50 films from 1954. She recorded over 600 songs, played in a dozen musicals, films and TV movies. Her version of "La Ballade de Davy Crockett" topped the charts for five weeks in France in August 1956. She made her movie debut in 1953 in the big-budget production of Si Versailles M'etait Conte, directed by Sacha Guitry. Cordy divided her work equally in these different fields, recording extensively, working in the theater, fitting in cabaret revues, and making films, in the process becoming one of the most popular performers of her generation in France. By 1953, she was ready to start working outside the boundaries of France, and toured Canada and North Africa.
Laeken, Belgium, born Cordy was enrolled in a dance class at eight by her mother, where she learnt piano and music theory. While pursuing her studies, she participated in charity galas and sang the day's hits between the dance numbers. The artistic director of Le Lido encouraged her to leave Brussels, her hometown, which she took to and arrived in Paris on 1 May 1950, to be hired as a lead dancer.
King Albert II of Belgium bestowed upon her the title of Baroness to recognize her life's achievements in 2004. On 4 September 2020, Cordy suffered cardiac arrest at her Vallauris, France home at 92.
