Renee Dorleac, the mother of movie star Catherine Deneuve and a French actress with a decades-long career in theatre and dubbing, died at the age of 109, her family revealed on Thursday in the Figaro daily.
Dorleac, also known by her stage name Renee Simonot, died on Sunday in Paris and will be buried in the family mausoleum, according to the notice.
Renee Dorleac began her career in the Odeon theatre in Paris, where she worked for three decades, on September 10, 1911, in the northern port of Le Havre.
She was also one of the first French actresses to make a career in dubbing, serving as the French voice for stars such as Olivia de Havilland, Judy Garland, and Esther Williams.
Danielle, the first daughter, was born in her relationship with an actor before the second world war.
Her marriage with actor Maurice Dorleac, deceased in 1979, led her to have three further daughters.
Catherine Deneuve, aged 77, is among the most popular film actresses in France, including “The Cherbourg umbrellas” as well as “Belle de Jour,” for her role in movies.
