Line Renaud

Line Renaud (born Jacqueline Ente on 2 July 1928) is a French singer, actress and AIDS activist.

In her 80 year career, she has appeared in 86 films and TV films, released 25 albums and 114 singles. She has also appeared in 12 plays and written or co-written approximately 20 books. In 2022, she played the titular character in the film Driving Madeleine.

Early life

Line Renaud was born in Pont-de-Nieppe on 2 July 1928. Her mother Simone was a shorthand typist; her father was a truck driver during the week but he played the trumpet, on weekends, in a local brass band. Line showed the first signs of her talent in primary school, when at the age of seven she won an amateur competition.

During the Second World War, Jacqueline's father was mobilised, spending five years away from the family. During this time, Jacqueline was brought up by her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Her grandmother had a café in Armentières, where Jacqueline used to sing for passing soldiers.

Career

She auditioned at Conservatoire de Lille, singing songs written by Louis "Loulou" Gasté "Sainte-Madeleine" and "Mon âme au diable", a well-known French composer. At the end of the audition, she was approached by the director of Radio Lille who was looking for a singer. She took the pseudonym of Jacqueline Ray and joined the station singing a repertoire based on the songs by Loulou Gasté.