Renée Adorée

Renée Adorée (September 30, 1898–October 5, 1933) was born Jeanne de La Fonte in Lille, France. A child of circus performers, by age five she was performing with her parents. In her teen years she began acting in minor stage productions and toured Europe with her troupe. Renée was performing in Russia when World War I broke out and she fled to London.

From London she went on to New York City where she continued theater work until the opportunity came to break into film.

In 1920, given the exotic French name Renée Adorée by her studio, she appeared in her first Hollywood motion picture, The Strongest, directed by Raoul Walsh. Despite her petite stature (5'2", 105 lbs.), Renée's exotic beauty and enticing eyes made for a compelling screen presence. She is most known for her role as "Melisande" in the The Big Parade. It became one of MGM's biggest hits of all time and is ranked as one of the best films of the silent film era.

Renée made 41 silent films before her successful transition films, but tradegy lay just four films into the sound era. In 1930 she was diagnosed with tuberculosis and was forced to retire from the pictures. After a long battle, she died shortly after her 35th birthday. Renée has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1601 Vine Street.

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