Guy Rennie

Biography

Guy Rennie graduated from the University of Iowa where he studied acting. His first job was radio broadcaster in Philadelphia. He traveled to Morocco where he gained fame as a singer and comedian. In the 1930's he co-starred with singer Josephine Baker at the Parisian club "Les Ambassadeurs." He eventually opened his own nightclub in Paris. He eventually returned to the US to star at Manhattan's Weylan Hotel. In 1946, he moved to Miami Beach, which became his permanent home. He acted in films and TV shows in Los Angeles, where he maintained a second home. In the 1940's and '50's he starred at "Bill Jordan's Bar of Music" on Miami Beach, where his wife Vivian Rennie, a songstress, also appeared. When the nightclub era faded on Miami Beach he moved on to performing on the hotel and condominium circuit. He died from a heart attack on December 4, 1979 in Miami Beach at age 69. He was survived by his wife, Vivian Rennie of Miami Beach, and two daughters, Gaye Taylor of Burbank, and Edwyna Rennie of North Hollywood, CA. Funeral Services were held on December 5, 1979 at Newman Funeral Home, Miami Beach. According to his wife, in her eulogy, "He never retired. People would always be calling to find out where he was performing." Reference: McCarthy, Kathy (1979, December 5). Comedian-singer Guy Rennie dies, "The Miami News", p. 4A.