Fontaine La Rue

Fontaine La Rue

1897-12-01

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.

Also appears in

A Prohibition Monkey

A Prohibition Monkey

Not yet rated

The Great Impersonation

The Great Impersonation

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The Man Beneath

The Man Beneath

6.0

The Torrent

The Torrent

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Droppington’s Family Tree

Droppington’s Family Tree

5.0

The Isle of Love

The Isle of Love

5.0

Love on the Rio Grande

Love on the Rio Grande

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Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition

Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition

5.9

Beyond

Beyond

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A Blind Bargain

A Blind Bargain

6.0

Peanuts and Bullets

Peanuts and Bullets

5.0

The Faith Healer

The Faith Healer

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Cactus Nell

Cactus Nell

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The Lost Romance

The Lost Romance

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Love, Loot and Crash

Love, Loot and Crash

4.7

The Love Letter

The Love Letter

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Borrowed Clothes

Borrowed Clothes

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The Secret Code

The Secret Code

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The Bear Cat

The Bear Cat

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The Sins of Rosanne

The Sins of Rosanne

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