Renée Saint-Cyr

French actress Renée Saint-Cyr became synonymous with chic comedy and costumed drama, enjoying major success for nearly seven decades before her death after an attack of bronchitis at age 99. Over the years she equipped herself well opposite the established talents of Raymond Rouleau, Jules Berry, Raimu, Noël-Noël, Harry Baur, Pierre Brasseur and Paul Meurisse. Born Marie Louise Eugénie Vittore on November 16, 1904, and the daughter of a hotel owner and opera singer, Renée was a one-time model who married Charles Leopold Lautner (1894-1938), a wealthy man, at age 21 before entering the acting leagues. After studies at a drama school in Marseilles, she made her film bow starring as one of The Two Orphans (1933) co-starring Rosine Deréan, based on the Gish sisters' silent classic Orphans of the Storm (1921). She took on Lillian's role and would adopt the moniker of Saint-Cyr, supposedly taken from a beloved canine. Saint-Cyr's alluring beauty, patrician demeanor, and comedic skills gav