Renée Adorée, the enchanting French actress of both stage and silver screen, is elegantly captured in this photograph by Alfred Cheney Johnston. Throughout the 1920s, she shone as one of Hollywood's brightest stars, reaching the zenith of her career in the iconic role of Melisande alongside John Gilbert in the 1925 war romance 'The Big Parade'. This cinematic masterpiece garnered worldwide acclaim, accruing between $18 and $22 million - a prodigious feat equivalent to $319 to $390 million in 2024 money. In fact, 'The Big Parade' held the distinction of MGM's highest-grossing film until the release of 'Gone With the Wind' in 1939. Adorée graced numerous other MGM productions, some of which are now deemed 'lost'. With the onset of the sound era, she seemed poised for even greater stardom, unveiling her vocal talents. Alas, her promising career was curtailed by the scourge of tuberculosis in 1930, and would eventually claim her life at the tender age of 35. Her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is at 1601 Vine Street.
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