Renee Gertrude Gadd (22 June 1906 – 20 July 2003) was an Argentine-born British

film actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. She acted mostly in British films.

Early life

Gadd was born on a ranch in

Bahía Blanca Bahía Blanca (; English: ''White Bay''), colloquially referred to by its own local inhabitants as simply Bahía, is a city in the Buenos Aires Province, Buenos Aires province of Argentina, centered on the northwestern end of the eponymous Blanc ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

in 1908 to

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

s from

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

. Her father, Talbot Gadd, was a railway executive who abandoned the family, after which they moved to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1913. Gadd lived with her aunt and began to study dancing, working as a

chorus girl A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed. While synchronized dancing indicative of a chorus line was vogue during the first half of th ...

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

by the age of fourteen. In 1924, she was cast in a production of ''Hassan'' by the powerful theatrical agent

Basil Dean Basil Herbert Dean CBE (27 September 1888 – 22 April 1978) was an English actor, writer, producer and director in the theatre and in cinema. He founded the Liverpool Playhouse, Liverpool Repertory Company in 1911 and in the First World War, a ...

, after which she appeared in several musical comedies, then straight plays after becoming a member of a Shakespearian company at

Stratford-on-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-west of ...

. She enjoyed a series of successful West End roles. During this same period she acted, and had an affair, with

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

Film career

In 1931, Gadd signed a contract with

British International Pictures Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), originally British International Pictures (BIP), was a British film production, distribution and exhibition company active from 1927 until 1970 when it was absorbed into EMI. ABPC also owned appro ...

and spent two years making films for them. Finding the various comedy films she was cast in uninspiring she behaved uncooperatively until she was released from her contract. In 1932, while working on the crime film ''

White Face ''White Face'' (also known as ''Edgar Wallace's White Face the Fiend'') is a 1932 British crime film directed by T. Hayes Hunter and starring Hugh Williams, Gordon Harker and Renee Gadd. The film is based on a play by Edgar Wallace. Plot A do ...

'' she began a tempestuous affair with her co-star

Hugh Williams Hugh Anthony Glanmor Williams (6 March 1904 – 7 December 1969) was a British actor and dramatist of Welsh descent. Early life and career Hugh Anthony Glanmor Williams (nicknamed "Tam") was born at Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex to Hugh Dafydd Antho ...

. When her contract with British International expired in 1934 she followed Williams who had gone to Hollywood, but found he had a new lover. She appeared opposite him in the 1935 film ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield''Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work; see is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from infancy to matur ...

'', but returned to Britain the following year. Her career began to tail off and she appeared mostly in

quota quickies Quota may refer to: Economics * Import quota, a restriction on the quantity of goods that can be imported into a country * Market Sharing Quota, an economic system used in Canadian agriculture * Milk quota, a quota on milk production in Europe * ...

and small roles in minor productions for the remainder of her career. Her final appearance was in the 1950

Ealing Studios Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in west London, England. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on th ...

film ''

The Blue Lamp ''The Blue Lamp'' is a 1950 British police procedural film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Jack Warner as PC Dixon, Jimmy Hanley as newcomer PC Mitchell, and Dirk Bogarde as criminal Tom Riley. The title refers to the blue lamps that ...

''.

Personal life and death

Gadd married her first husband Guy Tooth, the youngest son of a family of

Cork Street Cork Street is a street in Mayfair in the West End of London, England, with many contemporary art galleries, and was previously associated with the tailoring industry. Location The street runs approximately north-west from the junction of Burl ...

art dealers, in

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, in 1929. In 1932, Gadd began an affair with the actor

, which lasted until 1934, spelling the end of her marriage. In 1947, she married wealthy septuagenarian Henry "Harry" Hardman, a relationship that would also prove to be short-lived. Her third and final marriage was to insurance manager Joe Wilson in 1950. After his death, she settled in

Hove Hove ( ) is a seaside resort in East Sussex, England. Alongside Brighton, it is one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove. Originally a fishing village surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th century in respon ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

, where she died aged 97.Obituary
independent.co.uk. Accessed 19 May 2024.

Partial filmography

* ''

Money for Nothing "Money for Nothing" is a song by the British rock band Dire Straits, the second track on their fifth studio album '' Brothers in Arms'' (1985). It was released as the album's second single on 28 June 1985 through Vertigo Records. The song's lyr ...

'' (1932) - Maid * '' Josser Joins the Navy'' (1932) - Polly * '' Aren't We All?'' (1932) - Kitty Lake * '' The Bad Companions'' (1932) - Josie * ''

'' (1932) - Janice Harman * ''

The Maid of the Mountains ''The Maid of the Mountains'', called in its original score a musical play, is an operetta or "Edwardian" musical comedy in three acts. The music was by Harold Fraser-Simson, with additional music by James W. Tate, lyrics by Harry Graham a ...

'' (1932) - Vittoria * '' His Wife's Mother'' (1932) - Tony * ''

Happy Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...

'' (1933) - Pauline * '' Letting in the Sunshine'' (1933) - Jane * '' Uncertain Lady'' (1934) - Myra Spaulding * ''

The Love Captive ''The Love Captive'' is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film directed by Max Marcin and written by Karen DeWolf, adapted from Marcin's play of the same name. The film stars Gloria Stuart, Nils Asther, Paul Kelly, Alan Dinehart, Renee Gadd, and ...

'' (1934) - Valerie Loft * ''

'' (1935) - Janet * '' The Crimson Circle'' (1936) - Millie Macroy * '' Where's Sally?'' (1936) - Sally * '' Tomorrow We Live'' (1936) - Patricia Gordon * '' The Man in the Mirror'' (1936) - Miss Blake * ''

The Man Who Made Diamonds ''The Man Who Made Diamonds'' is a 1937 British crime film directed by Ralph Ince and starring Noel Madison, James Stephenson and Lesley Brook. Plot summary A professor invents a way of manufacturing diamonds. Cast * Noel Madison ... Joseph ...

'' (1937) - Marianne * ''

Clothes and the Woman ''Clothes and the Woman'' is a 1937 British romance film directed by Albert de Courville and starring Rod La Rocque, Tucker McGuire and Constance Collier. It was made at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire.Wood p.89 Synopsis While enjoying a ...

'' (1937) - Schoolmistress * '' Brief Ecstasy'' (1937) - Marjorie * '' Under a Cloud'' (1937) - Judy St. John * '' Meet Mr. Penny'' (1938) - Mrs. Brown * ''

Murder in Soho Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse ...

'' (1939) - Woman in Police Station * '' Unpublished Story'' (1942) - Miss Hartley * '' They Came to a City'' (1944) - Mrs. Stritton * ''

Dead of Night ''Dead of Night'' is a 1945 British supernatural horror anthology film directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, and Robert Hamer. It stars Mervyn Johns, Googie Withers, Sally Ann Howes, and Michael Redgrave. Produ ...

'' (1945) - Mrs. Craig (segment "Linking Story") * '' Frieda'' (1946) - Mrs. Freeman * ''

Good-Time Girl ''Good-Time Girl'' is a 1948 British film noir-crime drama film directed by David MacDonald and starring Jean Kent, Dennis Price and Herbert Lom. A homeless girl is asked to explain her bad behaviour in the juvenile court, and says she's run a ...

'' (1948) - Mrs. Parsons * ''

'' (1950) - Woman Driver (uncredited)

Citations

*''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at thos ...

'', "Obituaries", 7 August 2003, p. 21

References

Bibliography

* Sweet, Matthew. ''Shepperton Babylon: The Lost Worlds of British Cinema''. Faber and Faber, 2005.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gadd, Renee 1906 births 2003 deaths British film actresses Actresses from Buenos Aires British stage actresses Argentine emigrants to the United Kingdom British expatriate actresses in the United States