Renée Adorée as ‘Jeanne Marie’ in The Flaming Forest, at the height of her Hollywood fame. c1926. Public domain photo from University of Washington: Special Collections, J. Willis Sayre Collection, via Wikimedia Commons.[Cropped]
The Five Second Version
Born Emilie Louise Victoria Reeves, Renée Adorée was not an Australian actor, but neither was she French, as is usually claimed. She spent 10 months in Australia on a spectacularly successful tour in 1918, in the days before Hollywood. Arguably, this was where her “French” stage persona emerged. Renée was hardly alone in constructing a past that suited her. Hollywood’s “Golden Age” saw numerous actors embrace personas that had little to do with their lived experiences. Her marriage certificates and her death certificate contained numerous inaccuracies – that have gone on to become part of her confused narrative. In 2022, almost 90 years after her death, writers Paul Van Yperen and Ivo Blom identified and published her real name. Renée is credited with more than 40 films made in the US, before her very early death from tuberculosis in October 1933.
Amongst her many real accomplishments for someone so young – she was an accomplished dancer and could play the piano, spoke several languages fluently and was extremely well travelled for the era.[1]Photo of Renée on the piano, Picture Play Magazine, December 1929, p74-5 She was in fact, a British subject.
Understanding the pretence
Why would someone with an English father and a Belgian mother, go to extremes to disguise their parentage? This writer contends that what might have started out as just an exotic stage name, grew rapidly and without much planning to become a life story, very much shaped by early experiences in wartime Australia. In that country, an emerging sense of national identity and a high level of jingoism saw Australians seek “the destruction of …[Germany] with ever deepening hate and conviction.”[3]Bill Gammage (2010) p7 In this environment, no one owned up to a German birth and others disregarded any German ancestry. Ivy Schilling(1892-1972) became Ivy Shilling, while the family of Australia’s leading wartime General, John Monash(1885-1931), had long since dropped the spelling Monasch and downplayed the fact they could all speak German as fluently as English.
Like Merle Oberon’s claim to be born in Tasmania, it was a little white lie that grew and grew.
Renée’s [5]the name Renée is used throughout parents were London-born James Reeves (1866-c1913) and Belgian-born Victorine nee Schreiber (1865-1937). James and Victorine married in Paris in April 1891.[6]James Reeves and Victorine Schreiber, Paris Marriages, 4 April 1891. Entry 498 This record indicates both were “artiste au cirque d’hiver” [artists at the winter circus], at Rue Amelot in Paris. The Winter Circus continues today in Paris as a leading venue for circus arts, and is also famous for its history of equestrian acts. It is also very likely that James and Victorine were connected with a large touring circus – like Eduard Wulff’s Continental Circus.[7]Surviving programs for Wulff’s circus indicate a show of spectacular horse acts, clowns and acrobats However, the births for all three Reeves children – Victor [born 1896], Emilie (Renée) [born 1897] and Mira [born 1898] – took place in Hamburg, Germany, not “on the road” as is often claimed.[See record and translation below][8]Note that the family’s official residence at the time of each birth was variously given as London, Amsterdam and Hanover – the first two of which match the known movements of Eduard … Continue reading The irony is, as Yperen and Blom note, their births in Hamburg Germany did not make them citizens of that country. Rather, at that time, they were legally British subjects because their father was. Renée knew this. In December 1918, when she completed an Alien certificate for the US Department of Labor, she acknowledged her German birth, but added “British Subject” – which was true.[9]Emily Reeves, Alien Certificate card #5828, December 1918
What we know of her childhood
We know little of Renée’s childhood beyond her own commentary. However, from later evidence, we know that she was a competent pianist, and like her sister Mira grew up to be genuinely multi-lingual, probably fluent in French, Spanish and German in addition to English. In her first interviews in Australia in 1918, Renée said her father was an expert horse trainer[11]She did not use the term “horse whisperer” but that seems to be what she meant for the circus – and a clown – and she had joined the act as a child as they toured Belgium, France and Germany. But, then aged about twelve, she took to dancing in vaudeville,[12]See The Graphic of Australia (Melbourne) 12 April 1918 p.8 and The Green Room (Aust) 1 March 1918, p.1 State Library of NSW and apparently soon after the death of her father, the family moved to England. This change from circus to stage is also suggested by her brother’s military documents – Victor gave his profession as “music hall artist” when enlisting in the British Army in January 1916.[13]See Victor John James Reeves, British Army service records By the time of Britain’s 1921 census, both Renée’s siblings – Victor and Mira, described themselves as music hall artists, and were looking for work.
During 1917, Renée and US dancer Guy Magley worked up a dance act for British variety, called Guy Magley and Mlle Adore, which gained some favourable reviews.[14]See for example, The Referee (London) 7 Oct, 1917, p5 However, their big break was being contracted by impresario Hugh D. McIntosh to appear in an Australian run of the revue Samples on the Tivoli circuit. According to Frank Van Straten, it was the first big revue McIntosh’s Tivoli circuit put on,[15]Van Straten (2003) p137-8 responding as he was to ongoing changes in tastes and the availability (or lack) of imported big name performers in Australia.[16]Kumm,(2016) p14
In Australia in 1918
In late 1917 Renée and Guy Magley travelled to Australia. The surviving December 1917 manifest of SS Justicia lists the 20 year old artiste, Emily Reeves (a German-born, English subject), bound for the US and onward travel to Australia.[17]Manifest SS Justicia, arriving New York 19 Dec 1917 But her name was only ever going to be Renée once in Australia.
Interviewed in early 1918 by Australian newspapers – always keen for upbeat stories to balance war coverage – Renée and Guy Magley spun a series of wild tales. Renée explained she had escaped when the Germans took Brussels, dressed as “an old hag.”[19]The World’s News (Sydney) 9 Feb 1918, p5 She said she had been born in Lille, France, while Guy was from Joplin Missouri, USA. They said they had married in England in 1916, but Guy had also found time to serve in the Lafayette Escadrille (squadron) of the French Air Force for two years before his “nerves got all run down after a nasty fall of 1000 feet… [and] he was discharged as unfit.”[20]The Graphic of Australia(Melbourne) 12 April 1918, p8
It must have been exhausting creating these stories, but Renée and Guy, responding as they were to Press interest, probably fell easily into telling stories about themselves. Guy really was from Joplin, Missouri, but they were not married – he had only recently attempted to divorce his first wife Irene nee Bingham, unsuccessfully.[21]UK Divorce Court File: 7690. Magley v Magley, 1916 He had indeed, briefly volunteered in the Lafayette squadron, but was apparently discharged before seeing action.
As 1918 progressed, Guy and Renée appeared as specialist dancers in other Tivoli revues – Million Dollar Girl and Bits and Pieces, each time to considerable acclaim. What had started out as a three month contract for McIntosh’s Tivoli circuit continued on. And over the course of the year, it was Renée who became a firm favourite with Australian audiences. Melbourne Punch reported:
It is easy to say that such-and such-a pair are the most graceful dancers that have ever been in Australia, but usually difficult to prove. Guy Magley and Renee Adoree however, may fairly lay claim to this distinction… Renee Adoree is small and petite, with beautiful feet and the most wonderful hip movements it is possible to imagine. She has, too, beauty of face as well as form and her native talent for dress also assists this sterling act.[22]Punch (Melbourne) 14 March, 1918, p38
In addition to her dancing, Renée took the part of the heroine Irene in Claude Flemming’s (1884-1952) Australian film £500 Reward.[23]This film is apparently now lost, although a copy had reportedly been found by Flemming in the late 1930s. See The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 June 1938, p18 Advertising for the film assured audiences that Renée’s “debut as a film star is truly a brilliant one.”[24]The Sun (Sydney) 17 Nov 1918, p21 The film is now considered lost, but it was a kidnap-adventure melodrama.
Emily Reeves in the US after December 1918
Historians should be grateful that the US began keeping detailed records of migration from the late nineteenth century – it was a time when most countries kept only perfunctory records. The manifest for alien[26]non-US citizen passengers on the SS Niagara, departing Sydney and bound for Vancouver, in November 1918, shows Renée again travelling as Emily Reeves, a 21 year old Hamburg-born theatrical artist, heading for Joplin, Missouri.[27]Manifest SS Niagara, arriving Vancouver, 4 Dec 1918. Renée gave her mother in London as a contact On the same ship was Guy Magley, also headed for Joplin Missouri. However, if Renée went to Missouri with Guy Magley, it wasn’t for very long. By February 1919 she was in New York, in the cast of the musical comedy Come Along, followed by Oh Uncle (soon retitled as Oh What a Girl) and The Dancer.
And then, another breakthrough. At the end of 1919 Renée was announced as one of the leads in a Fox studio film version of George Clemenceau’s novel The Strongest.(1920) Studio publicity machines were already hard at work, with claims that the great French statesman had personally selected Renée for the part. This is highly unlikely, even though she was soon reported to be “the most beautiful woman on the screen.“[28]Fresno Herald(California) 26 Jan 1920, p5
In early 1921 Renée moved to Los Angeles, and soon after, she married actor-director Thomas Moore (1883-1955), having met him at a New Year’s party at Delmonico’s restaurant in New York.[30]Los Angeles Evening Post-Record, 12 Feb 1921, p1&10 The witnesses on her marriage certificate reveal she was already mixing with some of the film colony’s leading figures – Jack Pickford(1896-1933) was best man, while Mabel Normand(1892-1930) was her maid of honour. However, Renée was also well and truly committed to obscuring her past. She listed “Joe Reeves” as her French-born father, while her mother was “Marie De La Floente” from Spain.[See document below] [31]California Certificate of Marriage 1921, register number 1276
Renée and Thomas Moore enjoyed a lengthy honeymoon in Hawaii. On returning to the US in mid March, Renée, now Renée Moore, still had to admit to British nationality.
Renée was soon busy, appearing in a mix of film genres – melodramas, comedies and Westerns. Although these were silent films, it is notable how often she was cast as a foreign “type.” These include Moira in Honor First (1922), Eugenie in Monte Cristo (1922), Lucia in Defying the Law (1924), Marie in Parisian Nights (1925), Fifi Lorraine in The Blackbird (1926), Nan Ping in Mr Wu (1927) and Musette in On Ze Boulevard (1927). It is hard to conceive an “Emily Reeves” being cast as Melisande, the French farm girl, in King Vidor’s(1894-1982) The Big Parade(1925). Renee’s relatively short stature (1.41 cm or 5 foot 3 inches) and bobbed dark hair might have meant she was physically suited to such exotic roles, but it was undoubtedly also her public “French” persona that helped in this casting. Even at the time, Renée seems to have become aware of the dangers of type-casting. With the onset of sound films, she was reportedly dismayed by the prospect of a long series of roles as a French maid in bedroom farces.[32]Motion Picture, Feb-July 1929, p106
The Big Parade proved to be an enormous success for MGM. A film set against the fighting on the Western Front in the First World War, it concerns the budding romance of French girl Melisande (Renée) and her American soldier beau, James or “Jimmee”(John Gilbert). The film ran for a record 96 weeks in New York.[33]Eames (1979) p18 A fine copy can be seen here.
In March 1925, Renée’s marriage to Tom Moore ended in divorce. It may have been traumatic, but it seems not to have affected her film output – she appeared in five films released that year. However, in late 1925 another change occurred when Renée’s younger sister Mira appeared in Hollywood, also intent on a film career. Mira called herself Mira Adoree in Hollywood – she seems to have embraced her sister’s narrative completely. Mira was also escaping a failed marriage – in April she had married Henry Lacey in Mexico, but the marriage had lasted only a few months.[34]On Mira’s Mexican marriage certificate of April 4 1925, her mother was listed as “Victoria de la Vincent”, while her father was “Santiago Reeves” Mira spent a year in Hollywood. Although she appeared on stage in a successful run of the play The Green Hat, a film career did not eventuate and by early 1927 Mira had returned to Mexico. Unlike Renée, Mira appears to have been content to admit to her birth in Germany whenever she entered the US.
Renée married for a second time in June 1927. This time, the marriage certificate [See document below] [36]California Certificate of Marriage 1927, Book 736, page 100 contained even more untruths than the first. Renée was not 26 as she claimed, but 30 years old. Her mother was now described as Victorine Lamarr, her father was a Jean De La Fonte. [37]This latter name stuck – newspapers and other publications reported it and Renée ‘s imaginary name Jeanne De La Fonte has gone on to have a life of its own, that continues to this day. … Continue reading
Less than two years later William Gill filed for divorce from Renée – claiming she was temperamental, frequently left home for extended periods and refused to account for her whereabouts.[38]Marysville Journal-Tribune (Ohio) 12 Feb, 1929 p1
Two Sound films
Renée appeared in two early talkies – films made with recorded dialogue – not just musical accompaniment. Both of these survive and are accessible today. They illustrate Renée’s clarity of English and her vibrant expression. A slight accent exists but is barely distinguishable. Redemption (1930) was directed by Fred Niblo(1874-1948), and based on a play by Leo Tolstoy. The story of the delay in this film’s release and the contemporary criticism of it as “cinematic gloom” is quite well known. Reviewers also found fault with John Gilbert’s voice. Once a leading man in silent films, Gilbert’s voice was described as “nervous and high strung.”[39]New Movie Magazine. July-Dec 1930, p85 Renée’s supporting role as the Romani girl Masha was well received, with her “piquant beauty and rich voice.” Screenland magazine predicted she had a big future in talkie roles.[40]Screenland July 1930, p87
Call of the Flesh was made by MGM in early 1930, and it featured Ramon Novarro (1899-1968) as Juan de Dios and Dorothy Jordan (1906-1988). Renée’s supporting role was as Lola – de Dios’s dance partner. Novarro’s biographer André Soares suggests she became ill during filming, but insisted on completing her scenes.[41]Soares (2002) p154
A death from Tuberculosis
Although improvements in public health saw Tuberculosis (TB) deaths decline after the First World War, it was still present, even in Hollywood. Mabel Normand, Renée’s former maid of honour, had died of the disease in February 1930. The only treatment that sometimes worked in 1930 was “rest cure.” Renée Adoree was publicly reported as ill in March.[42]The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa CA) 4 April, 1930, p15 She went on to lengthy stays at sanitoriums, the last of which she described as “a long imprisonment.” By August 1932 she appeared to have made a recovery,[43]The Fresno Bee (Fresno, CA) 31 Aug, 1932. p4 but she suffered a sudden relapse and died on 5 October 1933. Perhaps, before this, she already knew how dire her condition was. She took the extraordinary step of selling off all her belongings [44]The Los Angeles Times 4 June, 1933 p11 and her home at 851 Burnside Avenue.[45]The Los Angeles Times, 11 June, 1933 p41
A sad legacy was that almost every entry on Renée’s death certificate was wrong or left as “unknown.” It was comedienne/socialite Marion Davies (1897-1961) who acted as informant, but it is interesting to speculate what Renée’s sister Mira, rushing from her home in Mexico, would have advised, had she been there.[47]Sadly, Davies makes no mention of the death of her friend in her autobiography The Times We Had
It is extraordinary that the French persona of Emilie Reeves lasted so long, particularly in the absence of any evidence that she was who she claimed to be.
What happened to everyone else
- Victorine Reeves inherited Renée Adorée’s estate.[48]She was called Victorine Adorée by the press when this happened Several sources state that Renée had always kept a treasured photo of her mother and they had regularly corresponded. Victorine died in London in November 1937.
- Mira Lacey moved back to England, four months before her mother’s death in 1937. She died there in 1979. She gained some notoriety in 1932, when the manager of the Mexico Country Club suicided, leaving a note and his worldly belongings to her.
- Victor John James Reeves married, raised a family and died in England in 1967. I can find no evidence he ever adopted the name Adoree or associated himself with her.
- Guy Magley finally got a divorce from his first wife Irene and found a new personal and professional partner – Pearl. He continued to dance with her until the late 1930s, then turned to real estate.
- Thomas Moore, Renée’s first husband, continued acting on and off, until his death in 1955. He had remarried.
- William S Gill, Renée’s second husband, turned his hand to many things – journalism, running a theatrical agency and a citrus farm. He remarried and died in California in 1965.
Nick Murphy
November 2025
Thanks
- To Ute and Eva Martin for assistance in translating German documents
- To Julie Mostyn for assistance in translating French documents
References
- Max Binheim & Charles A Elvin (1928) Women of the West; a series of biographical sketches of living eminent women in the eleven western states of the United States of America. Publisher’s Press.
- Michel Bracquart (1989) Le vrai nom des Stars.[“The Real Names of the stars”] M.A Editions
- Circopedia – The Free encyclopedia of International Circus.
- Dominique Denis (31 Oct, 2020) Eduard Wulff, popular European director. Circus Parade
- John Douglas Eames (1979) The MGM Story. Crown Publishers Inc.
- Bill Gammage (2010) The Broken Years. Melbourne University Publishing
- Elisabeth Kumm (2016) “Theatre in Melbourne, 1914–18: the best, the brightest and the latest” The La Trobe Journal No. 97 March 2016
- Andrew Pike & Ross Cooper (1980) Australian Film 1900-1977. AFI/Oxford
- Hal Porter (1965) Stars of Australian Stage and Screen. Rigby Ltd
- André Soares (2002) Beyond Paradise: The Life of Ramon Novarro. St. Martin’s Press
- Frank Van Straten (2004) Huge Deal. The fortunes and follies of Hugh D. McIntosh. Lothian Books
- Frank Van Straten (2003) Tivoli. Lothian Books
- Paul Van Yperen and Ivo Blom: (13 June 2021) La Collectionneuse: The Renée Adorée mystery @ European Film Star Postcards.
A selection of archives
[All of these documents are easily accessible through Ancestry & Family Search. Some are included below]
Shipping manifests
- Manifest SS Justicia, arriving New York from England, 19 Dec 1917. [Emily Reeves]
- Manifest SS Niagara, arriving Vancouver from Sydney, 4 Dec 1918. [Emily Reeves] See below
Hamburg Germany, Births 1874-1901 [digitised by Ancestry]
- Victor John James Reeves birth. Born 6 September 1896, Hamburg Germany. Certificate 3083 ref number 332-5 2405 (Note – father listed as resident in [Wohnhaft au] London)
- Emilie Louise Victoria Reeves birth. born 30 September 1897, Hamburg, Germany. Certificate 3021 ref number 332-5 6301. (Note father listed as resident in Amsterdam) See below.
- Mira Eugenie Ruves [Reeves] birth. born 22 December 1898, Hamburg, Germany. Certificate 3706 ref number 332-5 6305. (Note father listed as resident in Hanover)
Paris, France, Births Marriages and Deaths 1555-1929 [digitised by Ancestry]
- James Reeves and Victorine Schreiber Marriage. 4 April 1891. Entry 498
UK. Records of the Supreme Court of Judicature and related courts. [National Archives, Kew]
- Divorce Court File: 7690. Appellant: Guy Bertram Magley. Respondent: Irene Magley. Co-respondent: George Newman. Type: Husband’s petition for divorce, 1916.
UK. British Army World War I Service Records, 1914-1920. [digitised by Ancestry]
- Victor John James Reeves Service record.
California births deaths & Marriages
- Marriage Licence & certificate #1876 Thomas Joseph Moore & Renee Adoree. 13 February 1921. See Below
- Marriage Licence & certificate #8150 William Sherman Gill & Renee Andree Moore. 28 June 1927. See Below
- Certificate of Death. #11389 Renee Gill also known as Renee Adoree. 5 October, 1933
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Footnotes
| ↑1 | Photo of Renée on the piano, Picture Play Magazine, December 1929, p74-5 |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | The Green Room Magazine, 1 May 1918, p9. State Library of NSW |
| ↑3 | Bill Gammage (2010) p7 |
| ↑4 | The Green Room Magazine, 1 March 1918, p1. State Library of NSW |
| ↑5 | the name Renée is used throughout |
| ↑6 | James Reeves and Victorine Schreiber, Paris Marriages, 4 April 1891. Entry 498 |
| ↑7 | Surviving programs for Wulff’s circus indicate a show of spectacular horse acts, clowns and acrobats |
| ↑8 | Note that the family’s official residence at the time of each birth was variously given as London, Amsterdam and Hanover – the first two of which match the known movements of Eduard Wulff’s circus. |
| ↑9 | Emily Reeves, Alien Certificate card #5828, December 1918 |
| ↑10, ↑19 | The World’s News (Sydney) 9 Feb 1918, p5 |
| ↑11 | She did not use the term “horse whisperer” but that seems to be what she meant |
| ↑12 | See The Graphic of Australia (Melbourne) 12 April 1918 p.8 and The Green Room (Aust) 1 March 1918, p.1 State Library of NSW |
| ↑13 | See Victor John James Reeves, British Army service records |
| ↑14 | See for example, The Referee (London) 7 Oct, 1917, p5 |
| ↑15 | Van Straten (2003) p137-8 |
| ↑16 | Kumm,(2016) p14 |
| ↑17 | Manifest SS Justicia, arriving New York 19 Dec 1917 |
| ↑18 | Arrow (Sydney) 8 Feb 1918, p3 |
| ↑20 | The Graphic of Australia(Melbourne) 12 April 1918, p8 |
| ↑21 | UK Divorce Court File: 7690. Magley v Magley, 1916 |
| ↑22 | Punch (Melbourne) 14 March, 1918, p38 |
| ↑23 | This film is apparently now lost, although a copy had reportedly been found by Flemming in the late 1930s. See The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 June 1938, p18 |
| ↑24 | The Sun (Sydney) 17 Nov 1918, p21 |
| ↑25 | Sunday Times (Sydney)17 Nov 1918 ,p22 |
| ↑26 | non-US citizen |
| ↑27 | Manifest SS Niagara, arriving Vancouver, 4 Dec 1918. Renée gave her mother in London as a contact |
| ↑28 | Fresno Herald(California) 26 Jan 1920, p5 |
| ↑29 | Moving Picture World 21 Feb 1920, p1178 |
| ↑30 | Los Angeles Evening Post-Record, 12 Feb 1921, p1&10 |
| ↑31 | California Certificate of Marriage 1921, register number 1276 |
| ↑32 | Motion Picture, Feb-July 1929, p106 |
| ↑33 | Eames (1979) p18 |
| ↑34 | On Mira’s Mexican marriage certificate of April 4 1925, her mother was listed as “Victoria de la Vincent”, while her father was “Santiago Reeves” |
| ↑35 | Left: The Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan 16, 1927 p137. Right: The Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec 1926, p145 |
| ↑36 | California Certificate of Marriage 1927, Book 736, page 100 |
| ↑37 | This latter name stuck – newspapers and other publications reported it and Renée ‘s imaginary name Jeanne De La Fonte has gone on to have a life of its own, that continues to this day. See for example Bracquart (1989) p16 |
| ↑38 | Marysville Journal-Tribune (Ohio) 12 Feb, 1929 p1 |
| ↑39 | New Movie Magazine. July-Dec 1930, p85 |
| ↑40 | Screenland July 1930, p87 |
| ↑41 | Soares (2002) p154 |
| ↑42 | The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa CA) 4 April, 1930, p15 |
| ↑43 | The Fresno Bee (Fresno, CA) 31 Aug, 1932. p4 |
| ↑44 | The Los Angeles Times 4 June, 1933 p11 |
| ↑45 | The Los Angeles Times, 11 June, 1933 p41 |
| ↑46 | The Los Angeles Times 28 May, 1933, p7 |
| ↑47 | Sadly, Davies makes no mention of the death of her friend in her autobiography The Times We Had |
| ↑48 | She was called Victorine Adorée by the press when this happened |