Line Renaud
Encyclopedia
Early life
Line Renaud was born in Pont-de-Nieppe on 2 July 1928. Her mother Simone was a shorthand typist; her father was a truck driver during the week, but he played trumpet at the weekends, in a local brass band. Line showed the first signs of her talent in the primary school, when at the age of 7 she won an amateur competition.During the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Jacqueline's father was mobilised, spending five years away from the family. During this time, Jacqueline was brought up by her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Her grandmother had a café in Armentières
Armentières
Armentières is a commune in the Nord department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France. It is part of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole, and lies on the Belgian border, northwest of the city of Lille, on the right bank of the river Lys....
, where she used to sing for the passing soldiers.
Early career and meeting Loulou Gasté
She auditioned at Conservatoire de Lille, singing songs written by Loulou GastéLoulou Gasté
Louis "Loulou" Gasté was a French composer of several successful mélodies.Louis Gasté was born in Paris in 1908. In his fifty year career, he composed approximately 1,200 songs, ten of which have received international success. In 1929, he played in Ray Ventura's orchestra, and composed several...
"Sainte-Madeleine" and "Mon âme au diable". Louis Gasté was at that time a well known French composer. At the end of the audition, she was approached by then director of the Radio Lille who was looking for a singer. She took pseudonym Jacqueline Ray and joined the station singing a repertoire based on the songs by Loulou Gasté. In 1945, she moved to Paris and got her first gig in Folies Belleville, where she was introduced to Gasté. She was 16, Gasté was 37. He become her mentor, changing her image and her name.
Music career
Line Renaud made her national debut on Radio Luxembourg, singing on a Sunday morning program. After signing a contract with Pathe Marconi, she recorded "Ma Cabane au Canada", written by Loulou Gasté, which won le Grand Prix du Disque. She also sang with Yves MontandYves Montand
-Early life:Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, the son of poor peasants Giuseppina and Giovanni Livi, a broommaker. Montand's mother was a devout Catholic, while his father held strong Communist beliefs. Because of the Fascist regime in Italy, Montand's family left for France in...
in the Théâtre de l'Etoile. She did a big tour of Europe and Africa, came back to Paris to star at the ABC and recorded numerous adaptations of the American songs such as "Ma petite folie", "Etoile des neiges" and "Le chien dans la vitrine".
In 1954, whilst performing at Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge is a cabaret built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. Close to Montmartre in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the red windmill on its roof. The closest métro station is Blanche.The Moulin Rouge is...
she met Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
and consequently appeared in 5 episodes of The Bob Hope Show
The Colgate Comedy Hour
The Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show stars many notable comedians and entertainers of the era, including Eddie Cantor, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Fred Allen, Donald O'Connor, Bud Abbott and Lou...
in the US. During this trip, she also sang in Waldorf Astoria
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
The Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury hotel in New York. It has been housed in two historic landmark buildings in New York City. The first, designed by architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, was on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building. The present building at 301 Park Avenue in Manhattan is a...
(New York) and Cocoanut Grove (Los Angeles), appeared on Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
, Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
and Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
shows and recorded with Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
the song ‘Relax ay voo’.
In 1959, she started a four year run of ‘Plaisir de Paris’ for Henri Varna and then went on to perform in a Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
show at Dunes
Dunes (hotel and casino)
The Dunes Hotel was a Paradise, Nevada, hotel and casino that operated from May 23, 1955 to January 26, 1993, and was the tenth resort to open on the Las Vegas Strip. The Bellagio now stands on the former grounds.-History:...
from 1963 to 1965. In 1966 she returned to Paris and the Casino de Paris starring in a new show, Desir de Paris. In 1968, she returned to Las Vegas for a number of performances. In France, in 1973 she created an American show which she toured for two years around the country. She then helped Casino de Paris
Casino de Paris
The Casino de Paris, located at 16, rue de Clichy, in the 9th arrondissement is one of the well known music halls of Paris, with a history dating back to the 18th century. Contrary to what the name might suggest, it is a performance venue, not a gambling house...
, threatened by closing, by putting on a show called ‘Paris – Line’ with Loulou Gasté, which ran for four years.
In the 1980s, she starred in a TV show Telle est Line for Antenne 2
France 2
France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô...
and recorded songs in English and French. At Casino de Paris, she put on a one off show which retraced her forty year career. In 1989, she toured around Japan as part of a festival which marked the bicentennial of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
Film (selected)
- 1951 - Lis sont dans les vignes (Robert Vernay)
- 1952 - Paris chante toujours (Pierre Montazel; music by Loulou Gasté)
- 1953 - La route du bonheur (Maurice Labro)
- 1955 - La Madelon (she won Prix du Prestige de la France)
- 1956 - Mademoiselle et son gang (Jean Boyer; music written by Loulou Gasté)
- 1958 - L'Increvable and Mademoiselle et son flirt (Jean Boyer)
- 1988 - Marriage of Figaro (Roger Coggio)
- 1990 - Ripoux contre Ripoux (Claude Zidi)
- 1994 - J’ai pas sommeilI Can't Sleep (film)I Can't Sleep is a 1994 French drama film written and directed by Claire Denis. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Yekaterina Golubeva as Daiga* Richard Courcet as Camille...
(Claire DenisClaire DenisClaire Denis is a French film director and Professor of Film at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland.-Early life:...
) - 1995 - Sixieme classique (Bernard Stora)
- 1995 - Ma femme me quitte (Didier Kaminka)
- 1998 - Louise et les marchés (Marc Rivière)
- 1999 - Belle Maman (Gabriel Aghion)
- 2001 - Chaos (Coline Serreau)
- 2003 - 18 ans après (Coline Serreau)
- 2004 - Le Miroir de l'eauLe Miroir de l'eauLe Miroir de l'eau was a French television series consisting of four episodes of one-hundred minutes each. It was first broadcast between 9 and 30 August, 2007, on France 2.-Synopsis:...
(Edwin Baily) - 2004 - Menteur ! Menteuse ! (Henry Helman)
- 2005 - Le Courage d'aimer (Claude Lelouch)
- 2005 - Les Sœurs Robin
- 2005 - Les Rois maudits (Josée Dayan)
- 2006 - La Maison du Bonheur (Dany BoonDany BoonDany Boon is a French comedian who has acted both on the stage and the screen. He takes his stage name from the television show Daniel Boone.-Life and career:...
) - 2008 - Bienvenue chez les Ch'tisBienvenue chez les Ch'tisBienvenue chez les Ch'tis is a 2008 French comedy film starring Kad Merad, Dany Boon and Zoé Félix.The film has broken nearly every box office record in France: it debuted as the top film with US$31.67 million at 793 sites. As of 28 February 2010, the film had been seen by 20.5 million people in...
(Dany Boon) - 2008 - Le Silence de l'Epervier (Dominique Ladoge)
Theatre
- 1981 - Folle Amanda (Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Grédy)
- 1986 - The Incomparable Loulou (Charles Nelson-Reilly) English version of Folle Amanda, played in the US
- 1991 - Pleins Feux (Didier Kaminka)
- 1995 - La visite de la vieille dame (Friedrich Dürrenmatt)
- 2002 - Poste restante (Noël Coward)
- 2007 - Fugueuses (Pierre Palmade, Christophe Duthuron)
AIDS activism
In 1985, she created l'Association des Artistes Contre le Sida and organised televised art events which enabled her to raise funds for helping AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
scientific research in France.
In 2009, as Vice-President of Sidaction
Sidaction
Sidaction is a major French public event that started in 1994 in France for raising awareness and collecting charitable funds for AIDS. It donates important sums to various AIDS charities, AIDS research, institutions specializing in medical care and social aid for those suffering of HIV/AIDS in...
, she condemned the statements of Pope Benedict XVI, who claimed that condoms promote AIDS.