Fontaine La Rue
Known For
Acting
Born
1890-07-18 in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
Died
1964-09-13
Biography
Matilda Fernández, stage name Fontaine La Rue (July 18, 1890 in Hermosillo, Mexico – September 13, 1964) was an American silent film actress appearing in films from 1918 to 1929. Her career ended with the advent of talkies. She was one of seven children born to Diego and Carlotta Monreal Fernandez. After immigrating to the United States in 1907, Matilda married Victor Garcia Rojas. The couple had three children, Victor Paul, Matilda Garcia, and Victoria Grace. After the couple divorced, Matilda entered show business. She got her start on stage as a toe dancer and in musical comedy. She toured with the Trimble Musical Comedy Company in 1914 before breaking into films the following year in comedy shorts for Keystone. She first used the name Dora Rodgers, but reinvented herself with the name Fontaine La Rue, tiring of playing vamps. On occasions she would switch between the names. Notably she appeared in the lost film, A Blind Bargain with Lon Chaney. After a lengthy love affair with actor Nelson McDowell, Fontaine married real estate broker Wayne Hancock and retired from the screen. The Keystone Vamp died of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia on September 13, 1964, at UCLA Medical Center.
Most Known For
Boots
as Mme. De Valdee
His Naughty Thought
as Babe Delores
Flyin' Thru
as Sybil
A Blind Bargain
as Mrs. Lamb
The Great Impersonation
as Princess Eiderstrom
Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition
as 1st Street Crowd Participant (uncredited)
Love, Loot and Crash
as Mary, The Banker's Daughter
His New York Wife
as Julia Hewitt
An Adventuress
The Bear Cat
as Mary Lang
Peanuts and Bullets
as The Maid They All Love
The Secret Code
The Sins of Rosanne
as Rachel Bangat
Trigger Fingers
as Wetona
The Faith Healer
as Mary Beeler
Borrowed Clothes
as Rita Morris (as Fontine La Rue)
The Man Beneath
as Countess Petite Florence
Stolen Magic
as Secondary Supporting Role
The Showdown
Unseen Hands
as Madame Le Quintrec