Born Jeanne de La Fonte on September 30, 1898 in Lille, Nord, France, she was the daughter of circus artists who, by age 5, was performing in the circus with her parents. In her teen years she began acting in minor stage productions and toured Europe with her troupe. She was performing in Russia when World War I broke out and fled to London, England. From there, she went on to New York City where she continued to work in the theatre until the opportunity came to work in the motion picture business.
Despite her petite stature, Renée Adorée’s sensuous beauty and penetrating eyes made for a compelling presence on the black and white screen. She is most famous for her role as "Melisande" in the melodramatic romance movie "The Big Parade," that became one of MGM's biggest hits of all time and a film historians rank as one of the best films made in the silent film era. Co-starring John Gilbert, "The Big Parade" is still shown on television today and is available on Video.
With the advent of sound in film, Renée Adorée was one of the fortunate ones whose voice came over well enough to continue acting. She would star opposite Lon Chaney and her former brother-in-law Owen Moore, make three more films with John Gilbert, and star in four films with another leading Hollywood actor, the Latin star, Ramon Novarro. By the end of 1930, she had appeared in forty-five films. That year she was diagnosed with tuberculosis and was forced to retire from the film industry.
Renée Adorée lived only a few years longer, passing away a few days after her 35th birthday on October 5, 1933 in Tujunga, California. She was interred in the Hollywood Forever Memorial Park Cemetery in Hollywood, California.
She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1601 Vine Street.
Some of Renée Adorée’s films: