Renée Gladys Mayer (9 December 1900–14 November 1969) was a British child actress, singer and dancer of stage and film. She was born as Irene Gladys Mayer in

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district in West London, split between the London Borough of Hounslow, London Boroughs of Hounslow and London Borough of Ealing, Ealing. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist Wi ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1900, the youngest of four children of Mary (1854-) and William Mayer (1854-), a picture dealer. She made her stage début in 1910 as the Pearl Fairy in ''The Goldfish''. She played Hop opposite

Barry Lupino George Barry Lupino-Hook (7 January 1884 – 26 September 1962) was an English comedian and film actor, and a notable Pantomime dame. He was the brother of the actor and comedian Stanley Lupino, the father of the actress Antoinette Lupino, and ...

as Smilo in ''

Hop O' My Thumb Hop-o'-My-Thumb (or Hop-on-My-Thumb and similar spellings) also known as Little Thumbling, Little Thumb, or Little Poucet (), is one of the eight fairytales published by Charles Perrault in ''Histoires ou Contes du temps passé'' (1697), now wor ...

'' (1911) and Little Peter in ''Passers By'' (1911) by C. Haddon Chambers at

Wyndham's Theatre Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c. 1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the arch ...

opposite

Gerald du Maurier Sir Gerald Hubert Edward Busson du Maurier (26 March 1873 – 11 April 1934) was an English actor and Actor-manager, manager. He was the son of author George du Maurier and his wife, Emma Wightwick, and the brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies ...

. Today she is most remembered for her performances as Puck in three revivals of ''

Sleeping Beauty "Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...

'' (1912, 1913 and 1914) at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...

. Mayer appeared in

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

s throughout her teenage years,Renée Mayer (1900-1969)

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

website including Puss in ''

Puss in Boots "Puss in Boots" (; ; ; ) is a European fairy tale about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand in marriage of a princess for his penniless and low-born master. The oldest written telling version ...

'' (1916), She appeared in the

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

s '' Masks and Faces'' (1917) as one of Triplet's children, as Jenny Banks in ''

Victory and Peace ''Victory and Peace'' is a 1918 British silent war film directed by Herbert Brenon and starring Matheson Lang, Marie Lohr, and James Carew. The film was produced by the National War Aims Committee that was set up in 1917 to focus on domestic ...

'' (1918) opposite

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry (27 February 184721 July 1928) was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and toured ...

and

Edith Craig Edith Ailsa Geraldine Craig ( Edith Godwin; 9 December 1869 – 27 March 1947), known as Edy Craig, was a prolific theatre director, producer, costume designer and early pioneer of the women's suffrage movement in England. She was the daughte ...

, and as Marie Celeste in ''

A Bachelor Husband ''A Bachelor Husband'' is a 1920 British silent romance film directed by Kenelm Foss and starring Lyn Harding, Renee Mayer and Hayford Hobbs. It was based on a story by Ruby M. Ayres, originally published in the ''Daily Mirror''. Plot Inherit ...

'' (1920) opposite Gordon Craig.Filmography of Renée Mayer

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

(BFI) database She married the actor David Horne (1898-1970) at

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

in London in 1924. After their divorce she married radio announcer Leslie Allan Rose (1903-1973) in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

in London in 1939. The 1939 Register lists her as a housewife.Irene Gladys Rose in the 1939 England and Wales Register Renée Mayer died in

in London in 1969.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayer, Renée 1900 births 1969 deaths Actors from the London Borough of Hounslow English silent film actresses 20th-century English actresses English stage actresses English film actresses People from Chiswick