Anne Chevalier

Anne Chevalier (also known as Reri; 1912–1977) was a French-Tahitanian actress, singer and dancer.

Early life Anna Irma Ruahrei Chevalier, born in 1912, was the seventh child to a Frenchman Laurence Chevalier and his Polynesian wife. She received education from a Catholic girls' school at Papeete. At age 16, Chevalier was spotted by German director F.W. Murnau who was looking for a Polynesian girl to play the lead role in his silent film Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (1931), whose story revolved around the fate of a couple when the young girl Reri is to be offered as a sacred maiden to Gods. Tabu has been lauded as "one of the last of the great silent films". From there, she went to Europe for Tabu premiere in Berlin and also performed at dance shows in Paris and Warsaw. Three years later, she made a brief appearance in John Ford's The Hurricane, another film set in the South Seas.

Personal life During her stay in Europe, Chevalier was romantically involved with her Black Pearl co-star Eugeniusz Bodo. Polish media even referred to her as his wife, but the couple soon separated and Chevalier returned to Tahiti. She died there in 1977.

Filmography Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (1931) Black Pearl (1934) The Hurricane (1937)