Birthday: 1890-07-18
Deathday: 1964-09-13
Birthplace: Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
Gender: Female
Owned By: Unowned
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.
| Year | Title | Character | |
|---|---|---|---|
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1927-11-20 | Gold from Weepah | Pearl |
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1926-11-15 | His New York Wife | Julia Hewitt |
| 1925-12-01 | Flyin' Thru | Sybil | |
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1925-07-25 | Love on the Rio Grande | |
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1924-11-01 | Trigger Fingers | Wetona |
| 1924-08-01 | The Torrent | Dancing Girl | |
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1924-05-25 | Unseen Hands | Madame Le Quintrec |
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1924-02-02 | Daughters of Today | Mrs. Mantell |
| 1923-05-14 | The Showdown | ||
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1923-02-09 | The Love Letter | |
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1922-12-03 | A Blind Bargain | Mrs. Lamb |
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1922-06-20 | Oh, Mabel Behave | The Barmaid |
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1922-04-03 | The Bear Cat | Mary Lang |
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1922-03-27 | The Dangerous Little Demon | Helene Westley |
| 1922-02-28 | The Secret Code | ||
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1922-02-28 | The Further Adventures of Yorke Norroy | |
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1922-01-01 | The Isle of Love | |
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1921-11-06 | Exit the Vamp | Mrs. Willy Strong |
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1921-10-09 | The Great Impersonation | Princess Eiderstrom |
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1921-09-04 | Beyond | Mrs. Langley |
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1921-05-08 | The Lost Romance | Elizabeth Erskine |
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1921-03-13 | The Faith Healer | Mary Beeler |
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1920-12-31 | Two Kinds of Love | Sita |
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1920-11-07 | The Sins of Rosanne | Rachel Bangat |
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1920-09-13 | A Prohibition Monkey | |
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1920-06-28 | Human Stuff | Boka |
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1920-04-10 | An Adventuress | |
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1919-09-15 | The Woman Under Cover | Yvonne Leclaire |
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1919-07-05 | The Man Beneath | Countess Petite Florence |
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1919-02-16 | Boots | Mme. De Valdee |
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1918-11-04 | Borrowed Clothes | Rita Morris (as Fontine La Rue) |
| 1918-04-14 | Who Killed Walton? | Elsa Armytage | |
| 1918-03-10 | Did She Do Wrong? | ||
| 1918-02-10 | Wronged by Mistake | ||
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1917-06-03 | Cactus Nell | The Gent's Accomplice |
| 1917-05-06 | His Naughty Thought | Babe Delores | |
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1915-11-28 | Stolen Magic | Secondary Supporting Role |
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1915-06-02 | Mabel Lost and Won | Mabel's Rival |
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1915-04-23 | Love, Loot and Crash | Mary, The Banker's Daughter |
| 1915-04-11 | Droppington's Family Tree | Cabaret Dancer | |
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1915-02-01 | The Home Breakers | Mts. Walrus |
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1915-01-23 | Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition | 1st Street Crowd Participant (uncredited) |
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1915-01-12 | Peanuts and Bullets | The Maid They All Love |