Renée Simonot
| Renée Simonot | |
|---|---|
 Photograph of Simonot, date unknown | |
| Born |
Jeanne Renée Deneuve 10 September 1911 Le Havre, France |
| Occupation | Stage, voice, and film actress |
| Years active | 1918–2001 (retired) |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Partner(s) | Aimé Clariond |
| Children | 4, including Françoise Dorléac and Catherine Deneuve |
| Relatives |
Christian Vadim (grandson) Chiara Mastroianni (granddaughter) |
Renée-Jeanne Simonot (born 10 September 1911) is a retired French centenarian actress. She was married to actor Maurice Dorléac, and is the mother of actresses Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac, and grandmother of actors Christian Vadim and Chiara Mastroianni.
Personal life and career
Born in Le Havre, France, she debuted at the Odeon Theatre in 1918 at the age of 7. Primarily a stage actress, she remained there for 28 years, holding the post of "leading lady". Her daughter Catherine chose to use her maiden name, Deneuve, as her stage name. Simonot is Renée's stage name, which she took from an opera singer and family friend.[1]
Renée Simonot was one of the first French actresses to begin the dubbing of American films in France from the beginning of the talkies in 1929 through the 1930s. She was the voice of Olivia de Havilland (in most of her films), Sylvia Sidney, Judy Garland and Esther Williams, among others.
She had her first daughter, Danielle, out of wedlock on 15 December 1936 with actor Aimé Clariond.[2][3] While dubbing for MGM, she met Maurice Dorléac and they married in 1940. The couple had three daughters: Françoise (21 March 1942 – 26 June 1967; car accident), Catherine (born 22 October 1943) and Sylvie (born 14 December 1946). Simonot has been a widow since 1979 and lives in Paris.
Selected stage work
- 1921: Les Misérables (Cosette) by Paul Meurice and Charles Hugo based on the novel by Victor Hugo, Odeon Theatre
- 1922: Molière by Henry Dupuy-Mazuel and Jean-José Frappa, directed by Firmin Gémier, Odeon Theatre
- 1928: La Belle Aventure by Gaston Arman de Caillavet, Robert de Flers and Étienne Rey, Odeon Theatre
- 1932: Le Favori by Martial Piéchaud, Odeon Theatre
- 1934: Jeanne d'Arc by Saint-Georges de Bouhélier, Odeon Theatre
References
- ↑ Annick Cojean (31 August 2012). "Catherine Deneuve: 'Je n'ai aucune envie de jouer une grand-mère modèle'". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ↑ "Renée Dorléac ou la traversée du siècle" by Jean-Noël Mirande, Le Point, 18 May 2013 (in French)
- ↑ Interview by François Justamand, La Gazette du doublage via Objectif Cinéma, 10 February 2005; accessed 30 August 2017. (in French)