Josette Andriot_

Josette Andriot (23 August 1886 – 13 May 1942) was a French film actress of the silent film era, best known for playing the role of Protéa in the series of espionage films made between 1913 and 1919. She was born Camille-Élisa Andriot on 23 August 1886, in Paris (20e), the fifth of six children whose father was a dyer and their mother a florist. (Her youngest brother Lucien Andriot [1892-1979] became a noted cinematographer.) She joined the Éclair studios as an actress first in 1909, and then from 1911 she made around 60 films exclusively for that studio. She had no theatrical training, and the skills that she brought to the film studio were those of an accomplished sportswoman in riding, cycling, and swimming. She proved to be a natural actress.