Renée Adorée was a French actress who had appeared in Hollywood
silent movieSilent Movie is a 1976 satirical comedy film co-written, directed by, and starring Mel Brooks, and released by 20th Century Fox on June 17, 1976...
s during the 1920s.
Early life
Born
Jeanne de la Fonte in
LilleLille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
, she was the daughter of circus artists and by age five was performing with her parents. In her teens, she began acting in minor stage productions and toured Europe with her troupe. She was performing in Russia when
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
broke out and fled to London.
Career rise
From London she went to New York City, where she continued to work in the theatre until the opportunity arose to work in the motion picture business.
In 1920, given the exotic name Renée Adorée (French for "reborn" and "adored," both in the feminine form) by the studio, she appeared in her first motion picture. While in New York City on New Year's Eve 1921 she met
Tom MooreThomas J. "Tom" Moore was an Irish-born American actor and director. He appeared in at least 186 motion pictures from 1908 to 1954...
(1883–1955). Fifteen years her senior, Tom Moore and his brothers were very successful Hollywood actors. Six weeks after their meeting, on February 12, 1921, Adorée married Moore at his home in
Beverly Hills, CaliforniaBeverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
. The marriage did not last, and in 1925, Adorée married again, this time to Sherman Gill.
Despite her petite stature, Adorée's sensuous beauty and penetrating eyes made her a compelling presence on the black and white screen. She is most famous for her role as "Melisande" in the melodramatic romance and war epic
The Big ParadeThe Big Parade is a 1925 silent film. It tells the story of an idle rich boy who joins the US Army's Rainbow Division and is sent to France to fight in World War I, becomes friends with two working class men, experiences the horrors of trench warfare, and finds love with a French girl.The film was...
(1925), which became one of MGM's all-time biggest hits and a film that historians rank as one of the best of the
silent filmA silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
era. Co-starring
John GilbertJohn Gilbert was an American actor and a major star of the silent film era.Known as "the great lover," he rivaled even Rudolph Valentino as a box office draw...
,
The Big Parade is still shown on television and is available on video. In
The Mating CallThe Mating Call is a 1928 silent drama film about a WWI vet who takes on the Ku Klux Klan when he loses his wife to a womanizing Klansman. The film was produced by Howard Hughes for his Caddo Corporation, and was originally released by Paramount Pictures...
a 1928 film produced by
Howard HughesHoward Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...
, Adorée had a very brief nude skinny-dipping scene that caused a significant commotion at the time.
Successful 'talkies' transition
With the advent of sound in film, Adorée was one of the fortunate actors whose voices met the film industry's new needs. She would star opposite
Lon ChaneyLon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema...
and her former brother-in-law
Owen MooreOwen Moore was an Irish-born actor in American films, appearing in more than 279 movies spanning from 1908 to 1937.-Life and career:...
, make three more films with John Gilbert, and appear in four films with another leading Hollywood actor
Ramon NovarroRamón Novarro was a Mexican leading man actor in Hollywood in the early 20th century. He was the next male "Sex Symbol" after the death of Rudolph Valentino...
.
Tuberculosis and untimely death
By the end of 1930, she had appeared in forty-five films, the last four of them talkies. That year she was diagnosed with
tuberculosisTuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, Adorée lived only a few years longer. Adorée went against her physician's advice by finishing her final film,
Call of the FleshCall of the Flesh is an American musical film directed by Charles Brabin. The film stars Ramon Novarro, Dorothy Jordan, and Renée Adorée...
, with
Ramon NovarroRamón Novarro was a Mexican leading man actor in Hollywood in the early 20th century. He was the next male "Sex Symbol" after the death of Rudolph Valentino...
. At its completion, she was rushed to a
sanitariumA sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
in
Prescott, ArizonaPrescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. It was designated "Arizona's Christmas City" by Arizona Governor Rose Mofford in the late 1980s....
, where she lay flat on her back for two years in an effort to regain her physical health. In April of 1933, she left the sanitarium. At this point it was thought she had recovered sufficiently to resume her screen career, but she swiftly weakened and her health declined day by day. She was moved from her modest home in the Tujunga Hills to the Sunland health resort in September 1933.
Death
She died there, a few days after her 35th birthday, on October 5, 1933 in Tujunga, California. She is interred in the
Hollywood Forever CemeteryHollywood Forever Cemetery, originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood...
, Hollywood, California.
Adorée left an estate valued at $2,429. The only heir was her mother, who lived in England. No will was found.
For contributions to the motion picture industry, Adorée was honored with a star on the
Hollywood Walk of FameThe Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 1611
Hollywood Boulevard-Revitalization:In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001...
.
Filmography
- 500 Pounds Reward (1918)
- The Strongest (1920)
- Made in Heaven (1921), co-starring her husband, Tom Moore
Thomas J. "Tom" Moore was an Irish-born American actor and director. He appeared in at least 186 motion pictures from 1908 to 1954...
- Daydreams
Daydreams is a 1922 short comedy film directed by and featuring Buster Keaton.-Cast:* Buster Keaton - The Young Man* Renée Adorée - The Girl* Edward F. Cline - The Theater Director * Joe Keaton - The Girls Father...
(1922)
- Honor First (1922)
- Mixed Faces (1922)
- Monte Cristo (1922)
- A Self-Made Man (1922)
- The Count of Monte Cristo (1922)
- West of Chicago (1922)
- The Six-Fifty (1923)
- The Eternal Struggle
The Eternal Struggle is a silent drama film directed by Reginald Barker. Distributed by Metro Pictures, the film is based on the 1913 novel The Law-Bringers, written by Edith Joan Lyttleton.-Preservation status:...
(1923)
- The Bandolero
The Bandolero is a 1924 film starring Pedro de Cordoba, Gustav von Seyffertitz, and Renée Adorée, directed by Tom Terriss. Screenplay by Tom Terriss based on a novel by Paul Gwynne.-Plot:...
(1924)
- Defying the Law (1924)
- A Man's Mate (1924)
- Women Who Give (1924)
- Exchange of Wives
Exchange of Wives is a 1925 drama film directed by Hobart Henley, with screenplay by Fanny Hatton based upon a Broadway play by Cosmo Hamilton. The film stars Eleanor Boardman, Renée Adorée, Lew Cody and Creighton Hale.-Cast:...
(1925)
- Excuse Me
Excuse Me is a 1925 film starring Norma Shearer, and Conrad Nagel. It was directed by Alfred J. Goulding. The film was written by best-selling novelist Rupert Hughes on an offday and is based upon his play...
(1925)
- Man and Maid
Man and Maid is a 1925 drama film directed by Victor Schertzinger based upon a novel by Elinor Glyn. The film stars Lew Cody, Renée Adorée and Harriet Hammond.-Plot:...
(1925)
- Parisian Nights
Parisian Nights is a 1925 drama film directed by Alfred Santell and featuring Boris Karloff.-Cast:* Elaine Hammerstein - Adele* Gaston Glass - Jacques* Lou Tellegen - Jean* William J. Kelly - Fontane* Boris Karloff - Pierre* Renée Adorée - Marie...
(1925)
- The Big Parade
The Big Parade is a 1925 silent film. It tells the story of an idle rich boy who joins the US Army's Rainbow Division and is sent to France to fight in World War I, becomes friends with two working class men, experiences the horrors of trench warfare, and finds love with a French girl.The film was...
(1925)
- Blarney
Blarney is a town and townland in County Cork, Ireland. It lies north-west of Cork and is famed as the site of Blarney Castle, home of the legendary Blarney Stone.-Tourism:Blarney town is a major tourist attraction in County Cork...
(1926) |
The Flaming Forest __notoc__The Flaming Forest is a film directed by Reginald Barker, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and starring Antonio Moreno and Renée Adorée....
(1926)
La BohèmeLa Bohème is a 1926 silent drama film directed by King Vidor, based on the opera La bohème by Giacomo Puccini.-Plot:The film takes place in Paris in 1830. Several bohemians try to survive on the streets, living under poor conditions and desiring to one day become famous. One of them is Marcel , a...
(1926)
The BlackbirdThe Blackbird is a 1926 drama film directed by Tod Browning.-Plot:The Blackbird is a thief who uses a second identity when necessary: a rescue mission keeper with contorted legs, known as his bishop brother The Bishop. He lives above a cheap bar in the Limehouse district, where his alter ego The...
(1926)
Exquisite SinnerExquisite Sinner is a silent film directed by Josef von Sternberg and Phil Rosen. Prior to working The Masked Bride, von Sternberg had filmed this picture. The studio disliked the picture and brought in Phil Rosen for extensive retakes in 1926.-Preservation status:The film is indicated as a lost...
(1926)
Tin Gods (1926)
Back to God's Country (1927)
Heaven on Earth (1927)
Mr. WuMr. Wu is a 1927 silent movie about a Chinese patriarch who tries to exact revenge on the Englishman who seduced his daughter.-Cast:*Lon Chaney - Mr. Wu/Grandfather Wu*Louise Dresser - Mrs. Gregory*Renee Adoree - Wu Nang Ping...
(1927)
On Ze Boulevard (1927)
The ShowThe Show is a 1927 silent American drama film directed by Tod Browning, based upon C.T. Jackson's 1910 novel, The Day of Souls.-Plot:A Hungarian carnival troupe follows a young girl who reforms a tearaway after her old suitor tried to kill him with a poisonous lizard.-Cast:* John Gilbert - Cock...
(1927)
A Certain Young ManA Certain Young Man is a 1928 comedy film directed by Hobart Henley. The film stars Ramon Novarro, Marceline Day, Renée Adorée, Carmel Myers and Bert Roach. The film is considered lost.-Production:...
(1928)
The CossacksThe Cossacks is a 1928 silent film produced and distributed by MGM and directed by George Hill and Clarence Brown, with much reshot footage by Brown. The picture starred John Gilbert and Renee Adoree. It is an extant film...
(1928)
Forbidden Hours (1928)
The Mating CallThe Mating Call is a 1928 silent drama film about a WWI vet who takes on the Ku Klux Klan when he loses his wife to a womanizing Klansman. The film was produced by Howard Hughes for his Caddo Corporation, and was originally released by Paramount Pictures...
(1928)
Show PeopleShow People is a 1928 comedy silent film directed by King Vidor. The movie was a starring vehicle for actress Marion Davies and actor William Haines and included notable cameo appearances by many of the film personalities of the day, including stars Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, William S....
(1928)
The Michigan Kid (1928)
His Glorious NightHis Glorious Night is a 1929 American romance film directed by Lionel Barrymore and starring John Gilbert in his first released talkie. It has gained notoriety as the film that reputedly ended the career of John Gilbert by revealing that he had a voice unsuitable for sound...
(1928)
The Pagan (1929)
The Spieler (1928)
Tide of EmpireTide of Empire is an American western film directed by Allan Dwan. The film stars Renee Adoree and Tom Keene. The film was originally slated to star Joan Crawford in the female lead, but the final filming had Renee Adoree instead of Crawford...
(1929) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020502/
Call of the FleshCall of the Flesh is an American musical film directed by Charles Brabin. The film stars Ramon Novarro, Dorothy Jordan, and Renée Adorée...
(1930)
Redemption (1930) |
External links