Renée Simonot

Jeanne Renée Deneuve (born 10 September 1911), known professionally as Renée-Jeanne Simonot, is a retired French actress and voice artist. She is the widow of actor Maurice Dorléac, the mother of actresses Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac and the grandmother of actors Christian Vadim and Chiara Mastroianni.

Early 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.

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, Donna Reed and Esther Williams, among others.

Personal life

She had her first daughter, Danielle, out of wedlock on 15 December 1936 with actor Aimé Clariond. While dubbing for MGM, she met Maurice Dorléac and they married in 1940. The couple had three daughters: Françoise, Catherine, 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 [fr] and Jean-José Frappa [fr], directed by Firmin Gémier [fr], 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