Born Pauline Ronacher Ortmanns in Roubaix, France, Romance began her career as a dancer at the Moulin Rouge in Paris and was also elected Miss Paris of 1930 before she made her film debut in 1931 with a cameo role in La Chienne. Viviane endured a small scandal winning Miss Paris due to the fact that she had a child. She appeared in several films over the next few years before making a strong impression in La belle équipe (1936). From this time to the late fifties she was regarded as one of France's leading cinematic actresses and throughout the 1940s and 1950s she played dozens of femme fatales, fallen women (with hearts of gold) and vamps. Her acting roles after 1956 were few, and she retired in 1974.

Romance was offered, and rejected, a Hollywood film contract in the 1930s. She preferred to make films in her native France. However, she also resided for many years in Italy where she made several Italian language films.

She died in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France.