Lilian Augusta Fontaine (née Ruse, formerly de Havilland; 11 June 1886 – 20 February 1975) was an English actress and mother of

Olivia de Havilland Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British-American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her time. ...

and

Joan Fontaine Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the "Golden Age". Fontaine appeared ...

Early years

Fontaine was born in

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, Southeast England, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers River Thames, Thames and River Kennet, Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 mot ...

. She received a scholarship from

Reading College Reading College is a further education college based in Reading, Berkshire, England. It has over 8,500 local learners on over 900 courses. The Kings Road site that is the principal location of Reading College has been used for further educatio ...

at age 13 for her musical talent and studied acting at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

in London.

Personal life

After a stage career Fontaine married the British

patent attorney A patent attorney is an attorney who has the specialized qualifications necessary for representing clients in obtaining patents and acting in all matters and procedures relating to patent law and practice, such as filing patent applications and op ...

Walter de Havilland (1872–1968). Her first daughter,

Olivia Olivia may refer to: People * Olivia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Olivia (singer) (Olivia Longott, born 1981), American singer * Olívia (basketball) (Carlos Henrique Rodrigues do Nascimento, born 19 ...

, was born in 1916, followed by her second daughter,

Joan Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine * Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multip ...

, in 1917. Fontaine decided to end the marriage in 1919 after several years of marital strain and eventual separation; the divorce was not finalised, however, until February 1925. In 1922, the family moved to California, hoping that the climate there would improve the health of the daughters, who suffered "recurring ailments". De Havilland soon returned to Japan, while his wife and daughters stayed in

Saratoga, California Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California. Located in Silicon Valley, in the southern Bay Area, its population was 31,051 at the 2020 census. Saratoga is an affluent residential community, known for its wineries, restaurants, and attra ...

, until 1933. In April 1925, she married the department store manager George M. Fontaine. They were married until his death in 1956. She lived with her two daughters in

, and encouraged them to pursue acting careers.

Career

Fontaine coached drama students when she lived in Saratoga, California, and she produced plays in a garden theatre that later was named for her. After both of her daughters reached film stardom, Fontaine returned to acting with a notable role in

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Hol ...

's drama '' The Lost Weekend'' (1945) as the mother of

Jane Wyman Jane Wyman ( ; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007)"Actress, P ...

's character. She also played supporting roles in two films with her daughter Joan, ''

Ivy ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and ...

'' (1947) and '' The Bigamist'' (1953) and made a few television appearances during the 1950s. From 1948 to 1958, Fontaine taught an acting class that developed into the Los Gatos Theatre workshop.

Death

Fontaine died on 20 February 1975 of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

aged 88.

Legacy

The Lilian Fontaine Garden Theatre in Saratoga, California, was named in honour of the actress, and that city's Fontaine Drive was also named in her honour.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fontaine, Lilian 1886 births 1975 deaths Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art British emigrants to the United States British stage actresses British film actresses British television actresses Deaths from cancer in California De Havilland family People from Reading, Berkshire People from Saratoga, California