Marcel Machu; Owner of Beverly Hills Beauty Salon

Marcel Machu, 92, owner of Marcel’s Beauty Center, which catered to film stars. He was also one of the oldest people in California to get a pilot’s license. A native of St. Quentin, France, Machu had always wanted to fly, but realized the dream only at the age of 78. He immigrated to the United States in 1920 and worked as a dishwasher and mechanic before taking up hairstyling. After working several years for shops in Texas and Southern California, he opened his own salon in Beverly Hills in 1940. He counted among his clients Ingrid Bergman, Rita Hayworth, Hedy Lamarr and Jean Harlow. As a retiree, Machu traveled all over the world, including the South Pole, and took up flying lessons at Santa Monica Airport. On April 1 in Beverly Hills.