Georges Renavent
Encyclopedia
Georges Renavent was an actor in American classic films, Broadway
plays and operator of American Grand Guignol
. He was born in Paris
, France
.
He was married to Selena Royle
, an actress and daughter of Edwin Milton Royle, author of The Squaw Man
, which was adapted for film and starred Cecil B. DeMille
.
They left the United States to live in Mexico after Selena was unfairly entangled in the McCarthy
era Communism investigations and Hollywood blacklist
. While in Mexico, both Selena and Georges continued to be active in the arts and put out various cookbooks, including Pheasants for Peasants, A Gringa's Guide to Mexican Cooking, and Guadalajara As I Know, Live It, Love It.
(1915). Fourteen years later, Renavent played an impressive starring role as the Kinkajou in the musical spectacular, Rio Rita
(1929).
Rio Rita was based on a 1927 stage musical by Florenz Ziegfeld
, which originally united Wheeler and Woolsey as a team and made them famous. In 1929, Radio Pictures, later known as RKO Radio Pictures, purchased the film rights to this musical. The last portion of the film was photographed in Technicolor
.
Renavent also starred in East of Borneo
(1931), which was one of the most frequently telecast films of the 1950s and 1960s. East of Borneo starred Rose Hobart
as Linda, the wife of African missionary Dr. Clark (Charles Bickford
). whom she finds he's been living in luxury as court physician of the Prince of Marudu (Renavent).
East of Borneo went on to achieve latter-day fame when avant-garde filmmaker Joseph Cornell
spliced together all of the leading lady's close-ups, and came up with a surrealistic exercise titled Rose Hobart (1936). When Cornell screened the film, Salvador Dalí
was in attendance. Dalí was incensed that Cornell had created such a masterpiece before he could.
In 1936, Renavent played opposite Boris Karloff
and Bela Lugosi
in The Invisible Ray (1936). He appeared in Hal Roach's Turnabout
(1940). His final film was made in 1952, when he played Ortega in Mara Maru, with Errol Flynn
.
and was involved in many Broadway plays in New York http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?id=9720.
, Mexico in 1969. He is survived by his granddaughter, Lynne Paretti Smaldone and her two sons,
Matthew Aaron Smaldone and Gregory Andrew Smaldone and his grandson, Michael Paretti and his daughter Lisa Paretti. His daughter, Francette Paretti died in 2010.
Theatre
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
plays and operator of American Grand Guignol
Grand Guignol
Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol — known as the Grand Guignol — was a theatre in the Pigalle area of Paris . From its opening in 1897 until its closing in 1962 it specialized in naturalistic horror shows...
. He was born in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
He was married to Selena Royle
Selena Royle
Selena Royle was an American stage, television and film actress.-Early life and career:Born in New York City, Royle's parents were playwright Edwin Milton Royle and actress Selena Fetter . She had an older sister Josephine Fetter Royle . She turned to acting despite the objections of her parents...
, an actress and daughter of Edwin Milton Royle, author of The Squaw Man
The Squaw Man (play)
The Squaw Man is a 1905 western/drama stage play in four acts written by Edwin Milton Royle.It debuted on October 23, 1905, at the Wallack's Theatre, Broadway, starring William Faversham in the title role, as Captain James Wynnegate also known as Jim Carson. The doomed bad man, Cash Hawkins, was...
, which was adapted for film and starred Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
.
They left the United States to live in Mexico after Selena was unfairly entangled in the McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...
era Communism investigations and Hollywood blacklist
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
. While in Mexico, both Selena and Georges continued to be active in the arts and put out various cookbooks, including Pheasants for Peasants, A Gringa's Guide to Mexican Cooking, and Guadalajara As I Know, Live It, Love It.
Acting career
His first American film appearance was in The Seven SistersThe Seven Sisters (1915 film)
The Seven Sisters was a silent romantic comedy produced by Adolph Zukor and Daniel Frohman, and was directed by Sidney Olcott. The film is based on the ensemble play Seven Sisters by Edith Ellis Furness and Ferenc Herczeg....
(1915). Fourteen years later, Renavent played an impressive starring role as the Kinkajou in the musical spectacular, Rio Rita
Rio Rita (1929 film)
Rio Rita is a 1929 RKO Pictures musical comedy starring Bebe Daniels and John Boles along with the comedy team of Wheeler & Woolsey. The film is based on the 1927 stage musical produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, which originally united Wheeler and Woolsey as a team and made them famous...
(1929).
Rio Rita was based on a 1927 stage musical by Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. , , was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the Ziegfeld Follies , inspired by the Folies Bergère of Paris. He also produced the musical Show Boat...
, which originally united Wheeler and Woolsey as a team and made them famous. In 1929, Radio Pictures, later known as RKO Radio Pictures, purchased the film rights to this musical. The last portion of the film was photographed in Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
.
Renavent also starred in East of Borneo
East of Borneo
East of Borneo is an adventure film directed by George Melford, co-written by Edwin H. Knopf and Dale Van Every, starring Rose Hobart, Charles Bickford, Georges Renavent, Lupita Tovar, and Noble Johnson, and released by Universal Studios....
(1931), which was one of the most frequently telecast films of the 1950s and 1960s. East of Borneo starred Rose Hobart
Rose Hobart
Rose Hobart was an American actress.-Career:Born in New York City, her father was a cellist in the New York Symphony...
as Linda, the wife of African missionary Dr. Clark (Charles Bickford
Charles Bickford
Charles Bickford was an American actor best known for his supporting roles. He was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for The Song of Bernadette , The Farmer's Daughter , and Johnny Belinda...
). whom she finds he's been living in luxury as court physician of the Prince of Marudu (Renavent).
East of Borneo went on to achieve latter-day fame when avant-garde filmmaker Joseph Cornell
Joseph Cornell
Joseph Cornell was an American artist and sculptor, one of the pioneers and most celebrated exponents of assemblage...
spliced together all of the leading lady's close-ups, and came up with a surrealistic exercise titled Rose Hobart (1936). When Cornell screened the film, Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
was in attendance. Dalí was incensed that Cornell had created such a masterpiece before he could.
In 1936, Renavent played opposite Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
and Bela Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
in The Invisible Ray (1936). He appeared in Hal Roach's Turnabout
Turnabout (film)
Turnabout is a 1940 comedy film directed by Hal Roach and starring Adolphe Menjou, Carole Landis and John Hubbard. Based on the 1931 novel of the same name by Thorne Smith, the screenplay was written by Mickell Novack, Bernie Giler and John McClain with additional dialogue by Rian James.-Plot:Tim...
(1940). His final film was made in 1952, when he played Ortega in Mara Maru, with Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
.
Broadway career
Renavent also ran his own American Grand GuignolGrand Guignol
Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol — known as the Grand Guignol — was a theatre in the Pigalle area of Paris . From its opening in 1897 until its closing in 1962 it specialized in naturalistic horror shows...
and was involved in many Broadway plays in New York http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?id=9720.
Death
Renavent died in GuadalajaraGuadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
, Mexico in 1969. He is survived by his granddaughter, Lynne Paretti Smaldone and her two sons,
Matthew Aaron Smaldone and Gregory Andrew Smaldone and his grandson, Michael Paretti and his daughter Lisa Paretti. His daughter, Francette Paretti died in 2010.
Selected work
Filmography- Mara Maru (1952)
- Strangers on a TrainStrangers on a Train (film)Strangers on a Train is an American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and based on the 1950 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. It was shot in the autumn of 1950 and released by Warner Bros. on June 30, 1951. The film stars Farley Granger, Ruth Roman,...
(1951) - CasablancaCasablanca (film)Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
(1942) - Sullivan's TravelsSullivan's TravelsSullivan's Travels is a 1941 American comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges. It is a satire about a movie director, played by Joel McCrea, who longs to make a socially relevant drama, but eventually learns that comedies are his more valuable contribution to society. The film features...
(1941) - The Invisible Ray (1936)
- Moulin RougeMoulin Rouge (1934 film)Moulin Rouge is a 1934 film starring actress Constance Bennett. It contained the songs Coffee in the Morning and Kisses in the Night and Boulevard of Broken Dreams with music by Harry Warren and lyrics by Al Dubin. Lucille Ball is an uncredited show girl in the film...
(1934) - Whistlin' Dan (1932)
- East of BorneoEast of BorneoEast of Borneo is an adventure film directed by George Melford, co-written by Edwin H. Knopf and Dale Van Every, starring Rose Hobart, Charles Bickford, Georges Renavent, Lupita Tovar, and Noble Johnson, and released by Universal Studios....
(1931) - Rio RitaRio Rita (1929 film)Rio Rita is a 1929 RKO Pictures musical comedy starring Bebe Daniels and John Boles along with the comedy team of Wheeler & Woolsey. The film is based on the 1927 stage musical produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, which originally united Wheeler and Woolsey as a team and made them famous...
(1929) - Seven Sisters (1915)
Theatre
- Goin' Home
- Diplomacy
- The Last Torture
- Antonia
- Grounds for Divorce
- The Crooked Square
- The Texas Nightingale
- The Pigeon
- Genius and the Crowd
- Mis' Nelly of N'Orleans
- Flo-Flo
- Somebody's Luggage