Renée Simonot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Renée Simonot
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Simonot in 1965
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| Born |
Jeanne Renée Deneuve
10 September 1911 |
| Died | 11 July 2021 (aged 109) Paris, France
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1918–2001 |
| Spouse(s) |
Maurice Dorléac
(m. 1940; died 1979) |
| Children | 4, including Françoise Dorléac and Catherine Deneuve |
| Relatives | Christian Vadim (grandson) Chiara Mastroianni (granddaughter) |
Renée Simonot (born Jeanne Renée Deneuve; September 10, 1911 – July 11, 2021) was a French actress. She was also a voice artist, meaning she lent her voice to characters in films.
Renée Simonot was married to actor Maurice Dorléac. She was the mother of famous actresses Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac. She was also the grandmother of actor Christian Vadim and actress Chiara Mastroianni.
Early Life and Career
Renée Simonot was born in Le Havre, France. Her parents were Joseph-Sévère Deneuve and Antoinette-Jeanne Deneuve.
She started acting at the Odéon Theatre in 1918. She was only seven years old then. Renée mostly acted on stage, staying at the Odéon Theatre for 28 years. She became a "leading lady," which means she played the main female roles.
Her daughter Catherine chose to use her mother's original family name, Deneuve, as her stage name. Renée's stage name, Simonot, came from an opera singer who was a family friend.
Renée Simonot was one of the first French actresses to do dubbing for American films. Dubbing means replacing the original actors' voices with new voices in a different language. She started this work in 1929 when "talkies" (films with sound) became popular. She voiced many famous actresses like Olivia de Havilland, Judy Garland, and Esther Williams.
Family Life
Renée Simonot had her first daughter, Danielle, in 1936. Danielle's father was actor Aimé Clariond. Renée later shared that he was not her husband. She said he was a charming person, but not someone she could rely on.
While working on voice-overs for MGM, she met Maurice Dorléac. They got married in 1940. Renée and Maurice had three daughters together. Their daughters were Françoise (born 1942), Catherine (born 1943), and Sylvie (born 1946).
Renée Simonot became a widow in 1979 when Maurice passed away. She lived in Paris. In 2013, when she was almost 102, she said she was lucky to have her family around her. She received calls or visits from her children and grandchildren every day.
In 2019, before her 108th birthday, her daughter Catherine talked about her mother's long life. Catherine said it was amazing and came from her genes. She mentioned that her mother had been living in a care home for a few years.
Renée Simonot passed away in Paris in July 2021. She was 109 years old.
Stage Performances
Here are some of the plays Renée Simonot performed in:
- 1921: Les Misérables (playing Cosette) by Paul Meurice and Charles Hugo. This play was based on the famous novel by Victor Hugo. She performed this at the Odéon Theatre.
- 1922: Molière by Henry Dupuy-Mazuel and Jean-José Frappa. This play was directed by Firmin Gémier at the Odéon Theatre.
- 1928: La Belle Aventure by Gaston Arman de Caillavet, Robert de Flers and Étienne Rey, at the Odéon Theatre.
- 1932: Le Favori by Martial Piéchaud, at the Odéon Theatre.
- 1934: Jeanne d'Arc by Saint-Georges de Bouhélier, at the Odéon Theatre.
See also
In Spanish: Renée Simonot para niños
