Biography

Maria Falconetti

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Renée Jeanne or Maria Falconetti, born in Pantin (not in Sermano, Corsica, as many film dictionaries wrongly attest) on July 21, 1892 and died in Buenos Aires on December 12, 1946, is a French actress of theater and cinema. Joining the troupe of the Odeon theater in 1916, she made her debut in "l'Arlésienne", and played the heroines of Saint-Georges de Bouhélier "The Life of a Woman", 1919. She made a short passage at the Comédie Française (1924-1925), where she plays Rosine among others in "La Dame aux camélias" and "Lorenzaccio". His last role before a long stay in South America will be that of Andromache in "The Trojan War will not happen", Jean Giraudoux. She remains world famous for having embodied in the cinema the main role of "The Passion of Joan of Arc" by Carl Theodor Dreyer.
- IMDb mini biography by: Jean-Luc de Soissy

She is most famous for her dramatic work in "The Passion of Joan of Arc" (1928) but ironically, on the stage she made herself famous for her work in light comedies.
Bought her own theatre, L'Avenue, which failed to make a profit and left her financially desolate. During the German occupation of Paris, she moved to Switzerland and from there, to Argentina. She earned a living by singing, acting or teaching. When she attempted to make a theatrical comeback after World War II, she was heavily overweight and eventually died in Buenos Aires as the result of a self-imposed crash diet.
A noted stage actress, she is best known for her second and last feature film The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928). Falconetti was 35 years old when she played the 19-year-old Joan of Arc. It is considered by most critics and historians to be the single greatest performance ever put on film.
Her performance as Joan in "The Passion of Joan of Arc" (1928) is ranked #26 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
Usually referred to as simply "Falconetti".

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