List of vaudeville performers: A-K
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This is a partial list of vaudeville performers. Inclusion on this list indicates that the subject appeared at least once on the American vaudeville stage during its heyday between 1881 and 1932. The source in the citation included with each entry confirms their appearance and cites information in the performance notes section.
Vaudeville (sometimes abbreviated as vaude) a style of variety
entertainment
predominant in America
in the late 19th century and early 20th century. A similar development in Britain
was known as Music Hall
. Developing from many sources, including shows in saloons
, minstrelsy
, freak show
s, dime museum
s, British pantomime
s, and other popular forms of entertainment, vaudeville became one of the most popular types of entertainment in America. Vaudeville took the form of a series of separate, unrelated acts each featuring a different types of performance. These performances could ranges from musicians (both classical and popular), dancers, comedian
s, animal acts, magicians, female and male impersonator
s, to acrobats
, one-act plays or scenes from plays, athletes, lecturing celebrities, minstrels, or even short films.
While the initial origins of vaudeville are obscure, historians acknowledge that the opening of Tony Pastor
's Fourteenth Street Theatre in New York City
on October 24, 1881 marks the beginning of American vaudeville. Pastor had refined the rough variety acts into something wholesome enough for women and children. Other theatre owners quickly picked up on Pastor's new style of vaudeville and theatres began springing up like weeds and would continue in a quick pace until the 1920s. Vaudeville kept the pace up as well reaching its height around 1915. These heights included an industrialization of the business of vaudeville. Following this climax, vaudeville began to struggle with competition from film and in the following decade, radio. These mediums competed not only for audiences, but talent as well. Towards the end of the 1920s, vaudeville theatres began to be converted to cinemas or closed altogether with entire circuits. After the blow dealt the world by the economic downturn of the Great Depression
, vaudeville's pulse quickly weakened. Just as historians mark the date of the "birth" of vaude, the date of its death is marked as well. New York's Palace Theatre
on Broadway
, was the palace of vaudeville; a place where only the greatest of vaude's performers performed. On November 16, 1932, the last vaudeville bill was played there and the Palace became a full-time movie house. Vaudeville did continue to struggle on, but it never again reached the heights attained in 1915.
This is a partial list of vaudeville performers. Inclusion on this list indicates that the subject appeared at least once on the American vaudeville stage during its heyday between 1881 and 1932. The source in the citation included with each entry confirms their appearance and cites information in the performance notes section.
Vaudeville (sometimes abbreviated as vaude) a style of variety
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
predominant in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the late 19th century and early 20th century. A similar development in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
was known as Music Hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
. Developing from many sources, including shows in saloons
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
, minstrelsy
Minstrel show
The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
, freak show
Freak show
A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with both male and female secondary sexual characteristics, people with other extraordinary diseases and...
s, dime museum
Dime museum
Dime museums were institutions that were briefly popular at the end of the 19th century in the United States. Designed as centers for entertainment and moral education for the working class , the museums were distinctly different from upper-middle class' cultural events...
s, British pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
s, and other popular forms of entertainment, vaudeville became one of the most popular types of entertainment in America. Vaudeville took the form of a series of separate, unrelated acts each featuring a different types of performance. These performances could ranges from musicians (both classical and popular), dancers, comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
s, animal acts, magicians, female and male impersonator
Drag king
Drag kings are mostly female performance artists who dress in masculine drag and personify male gender stereotypes as part of their performance. A typical drag king routine may incorporate dancing and singing, live as in the Momma's Boyz of San Francisco's performances or lip-synching...
s, to acrobats
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
, one-act plays or scenes from plays, athletes, lecturing celebrities, minstrels, or even short films.
While the initial origins of vaudeville are obscure, historians acknowledge that the opening of Tony Pastor
Tony Pastor
Tony Pastor was an American impresario, variety performer and theatre owner who became one of the founding forces behind American vaudeville in the mid-to-late nineteenth century...
's Fourteenth Street Theatre in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on October 24, 1881 marks the beginning of American vaudeville. Pastor had refined the rough variety acts into something wholesome enough for women and children. Other theatre owners quickly picked up on Pastor's new style of vaudeville and theatres began springing up like weeds and would continue in a quick pace until the 1920s. Vaudeville kept the pace up as well reaching its height around 1915. These heights included an industrialization of the business of vaudeville. Following this climax, vaudeville began to struggle with competition from film and in the following decade, radio. These mediums competed not only for audiences, but talent as well. Towards the end of the 1920s, vaudeville theatres began to be converted to cinemas or closed altogether with entire circuits. After the blow dealt the world by the economic downturn of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, vaudeville's pulse quickly weakened. Just as historians mark the date of the "birth" of vaude, the date of its death is marked as well. New York's Palace Theatre
Palace Theatre, New York
The Palace Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1564 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architects Kirchoff & Rose, the theatre was built by Martin Beck a California vaudeville entrepreneur and Broadway impresario. The project experienced a number of business problems before...
on Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
, was the palace of vaudeville; a place where only the greatest of vaude's performers performed. On November 16, 1932, the last vaudeville bill was played there and the Palace became a full-time movie house. Vaudeville did continue to struggle on, but it never again reached the heights attained in 1915.
A
Name | Birth | Death | Nationality | Performance notes | Reference |
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Abbott and Costello Abbott and Costello William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s... |
American | Comic duo consisting of William (Bud) Abbott (October 2, 1897 – April 24, 1974) and Lou Costello Lou Costello Louis Francis "Lou" Costello was an American actor and comedian best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Bud Abbott... (March 6, 1906 – March 3, 1959). Abbott began working in vaudeville in 1918, producing a "tab show" on the Gus Sun circuit with his wife. Later, he began working as a comic "straight man." Abbott and Costello met around 1929 and possibly performed together in vaudeville in the very early 1930s. The duo went on to work in radio and film. |
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Jean Acker Jean Acker Jean Acker was an American film actress with a career dating from the silent film era through the 1950s. She was perhaps best known as the estranged wife of silent film star Rudolph Valentino.-Early life and career:... |
October 23, 1893 | August 16, 1978 | American | Actress known primarily for her work on film and as the first wife of Rudolf Valentino. | |
Jean Adair Jean Adair Jean Adair was a Canadian actress.Born as Violet McNaughton, she worked primarily on stage but also made several film appearances late in her career, most notably as one of Cary Grant's dotty old aunts in Arsenic and Old Lace, a role she originated on Broadway... |
June 13, 1873 | May 11, 1953 | Canadian | Actress of the legitimate stage who appeared in vaudeville in a sketch, Maggie Taylor, Waitress. Adair usually played mothers and elderly aunts onstage following her New York debut in 1922. One of her best known roles was as Aunt Martha in the play, Arsenic and Old Lace Arsenic and Old Lace (play) Arsenic and Old Lace is a play by American playwright Joseph Kesselring, written in 1939. It has become best known through the film adaptation starring Cary Grant and directed by Frank Capra. The play was directed by Bretaigne Windust, and opened on January 10, 1941. On September 25, 1943, the... . |
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Milton Ager Milton Ager Milton Ager was an American composer.Ager was born in Chicago, Illinois, the sixth of nine children. Leaving school with only three years of formal high-school education, he taught himself to play the piano and embarked on a career as a musician. After spending time as an accompanist to silent... |
October 6, 1893 | May 6, 1979 | American | Pianist and songwriter. Ager worked in vaudeville prior to 1910 as an accompanist. He wrote for the stage and Hollywood and composed the song, "Happy Days Are Here Again Happy Days Are Here Again "Happy Days Are Here Again" is a song copyrighted in 1929 by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen and published by EMI Robbins Catalog, Inc./Advanced Music Corp... " with lyrics by Jack Yellen Jack Yellen Jack Selig Yellen was an American lyricist and screenwriter.-Life and career:Born in Poland, Yellen emigrated with his family to the United States when he was five years old. The oldest of seven children, he was raised in Buffalo, New York and began writing songs in high school... . |
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Will Ahern Will Ahern Will Ahern , was a vaudeville entertainer at the beginning of the 20th century. He is best known for being part of a comedy duo with his wife, Gladys Reese Ahern. Ahern told jokes and performed rope tricks while his wife, using a Mexican accent, sang and danced.-Early life:William James Ahern was... |
October 9, 1896 | May 16, 1983 | American | Cowboy comedian and entertainer who performed in a comic duo with his wife, Gladys Reese. Ahern told jokes and performed rope tricks while his wife, using a Mexican accent, sang and danced. | |
Harry Akst Harry Akst Harry Akst was an American songwriter, who started out his career as a pianist in vaudeville accompanying singers such as Nora Bayes, Frank Fay and Al Jolson.-Life and career:Akst was born in New York, United States.... |
August 15, 1894 | March 31, 1963 | American | Pianist and songwriter, Akst accompanied singers including Al Jolson Al Jolson Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer".... , Nora Bayes Nora Bayes Nora Bayes was a popular American singer, comedienne and actress of the early 20th century.-Early life and career:... and Frank Fay Frank Fay (American actor) Frank Fay was an American film and stage actor, emcee, comedian, best known as an actor for having played "Elwood P. Dowd" in the play Harvey by the American playwright Mary Coyle Chase on Broadway... . Perhaps his most notable song is "Dinah," which has been covered by such artists as Bing Crosby Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation.... , the Mills Brothers Mills Brothers The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed as The Four Mills Brothers, were an American jazz and pop vocal quartet of the 20th century who made more than 2,000 recordings that combined sold more than 50 million copies, and garnered at least three dozen gold records... and Fats Waller Fats Waller Fats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer... . |
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Jack Albertson Jack Albertson Jack Albertson was an American character actor dating to vaudeville. A comedian, dancer, singer, and musician, Albertson is perhaps best known for his roles as Manny Rosen in The Poseidon Adventure , Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Amos Slade in the 1981 animated film The Fox... |
June 16, 1907 | November 25, 1981 | American | Actor, comedian, dancer and singer. After vaudeville, Albertson worked in burlesque Burlesque Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects... , on Broadway and in Hollywood, winning a Tony Award Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway... , an Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... and an Academy Award. |
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Robert Alda Robert Alda Robert Alda was an American actor. He was the father of actors Alan Alda and Antony Alda.-Life and career:... |
February 26, 1914 | May 3, 1986 | American | Actor, singer and dancer whose vaudeville career began in earnest after winning a talent contest. After working in vaudeville and burlesque Burlesque Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects... , Alda appeared on Broadway Broadway theatre Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City... , winning a Tony Award Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway... for the role of Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls. He later appeared in film, as well. He is the father of TV and film actor Alan Alda Alan Alda Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H... . |
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Russell Alexander Russell Alexander Russell Alexander was an entertainer and composer, active primarily with vaudeville shows and musical comedy organizations. He was a euphonium virtuoso who joined the circus band of Belford's Carnival at the age of 18... |
February 26, 1877 | October 2, 1915 | American | Euphonium virtuoso and musician who performed in a novelty musical act with his brothers, Newton and Woodruff. It was Newton who first formed the act, called "The Exposition Four," which consisted of Newton, Woodruff, James Brady and Willie Patten. Russell replaced Patten later. The group performed a comedy act with some blackface but also performed virtuosic feats on their instruments. Russell would become one of the greatest of circus music composers. | |
Hadji Ali | 1892 | November 5, 1937 | Egyptian | Regurgitator, billed as "The Egyptian Enigma," who performed an act where he swallowed kerosene followed by water. After regurgitating the kerosene and setting it ablaze, he would put out the flames with the regurgitated water. He also swallowed and regurgitated nuts and live goldfish. | |
Maud Allan Maud Allan Maud Allan was a pianist-turned-actor, dancer and choreographer remembered for her "famously impressionistic mood settings".- Early life :... |
August 27, 1873 | October 7, 1956 | Canadian | A dancer, Allan created the famous "Salome Dance," a dance of her own creation. After performing it firsat at London's Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, London The Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster in London. It is an imposing red-brick building that dominates the west side of Cambridge Circus and is located near the intersection of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road... , in March 1908, she appeared at New York's Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, New York The Palace Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1564 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architects Kirchoff & Rose, the theatre was built by Martin Beck a California vaudeville entrepreneur and Broadway impresario. The project experienced a number of business problems before... January 20, 1910. She toured in American vaudeville from 1916 to 1917 and 1919 to 1920. |
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Fred Allen Fred Allen Fred Allen was an American comedian whose absurdist, topically pointed radio show made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the so-called classic era of American radio.His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but it... |
May 31, 1894 | March 17, 1956 | American | Juggler and comedian who also performed in a comic duo with his wife, Portland Hoffa Portland Hoffa Portland Hoffa was an American comedienne, actor, and dancer... (January 25, 1905 – December 25, 1990). His original act featured Allen as a ventriloquist, the comedy coming from his lack of talent (at one point the dummy would fall apart). Later his act featured Allen as a clumsy juggler and once his wife joined, she would act as the "straight man" to his bad juggling routine. Later, the couple would gain prominence on the radio. |
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Lester Allen Lester Allen Lester Allen was a screen, stage, vaudeville, circus actor, and film director. In vaudeville, he appeared in a double act with Nellie Breen and also emceed at the Palace Theatre.-Selected filmography:... |
November 17, 1891 | November 6, 1949 | American | Comedian who appeared in a double act with Nellie Breen. He also emceed at the Palace Palace Theatre, New York The Palace Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1564 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architects Kirchoff & Rose, the theatre was built by Martin Beck a California vaudeville entrepreneur and Broadway impresario. The project experienced a number of business problems before... . |
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Louis Alter Louis Alter Louis Alter was an American pianist, songwriter and composer. Alter was 13 when he began playing piano in theaters showing silent films... |
June 18, 1902 | November 5, 1980 | American | Pianist and songwriter who accompanied Nora Bayes Nora Bayes Nora Bayes was a popular American singer, comedienne and actress of the early 20th century.-Early life and career:... for a number of years and wrote songs for Irène Bordoni Irène Bordoni Irène Bordoni was a French singer and a Broadway and film actress.-Early years:Born in Ajaccio, France, from an Italian family, she had been a child actor, performing in Paris on stage and in silent films for a few years, having signed with theatrical agent André Charlot... , Beatrice Lillie Beatrice Lillie Beatrice Gladys "Bea" Lillie was an actress and comedic performer. Following her 1920 marriage to Sir Robert Peel in England, she was known in private life as Lady Peel.-Early career:... and Helen Morgan Helen Morgan Helen Morgan was an American singer and actress who worked in films and on the stage. A quintessential torch singer, she made a big splash in the Chicago club scene in the 1920s... . Among his most popular songs are "Manhattan Serenade Manhattan Serenade "Manhattan Serenade" was composed by Louis Alter in 1928, with lyrics added years later by Harold Adamson. It was a hit record for swing era bandleaders Harry James and Tommy Dorsey .-Films:... " and "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans" is a song written by Eddie DeLange and Louis Alter, which was first heard in the movie New Orleans in 1947, where it was performed by Louis Armstrong and sung by Billie Holiday.... ." |
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Nick Altrock Nick Altrock Nicholas Altrock was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball.Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Altrock was one of the better pitchers in baseball for a brief period from to with the Chicago White Sox... |
September 15, 1876 | January 20, 1965 | American | Former basbeball player who appeared in a comedy routine with Al Schacht, The Clown Prince of Baseball. | |
Kirk Alyn Kirk Alyn -External links:... |
May 31, 1908 | December 6, 1993 | American | Singer and dancer. Later notable as the first actor to play Superman Superman Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective... on film. |
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Don Ameche Don Ameche Don Ameche was an Academy Award winning American actor with a career spanning almost sixty years.-Personal life:... |
May 31, 1906 | March 14, 1999 | American | Comedian with Texas Guinan Texas Guinan Mary Louise Cecilia "Texas" Guinan was an American saloon keeper, actress, and entrepreneur.-Early life:... 's troupe. After vaude, Ameche worked in film, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the... in 1985 for his work on the film, Cocoon Cocoon (film) The score for Cocoon was composed and conducted by James Horner. The soundtrack was released twice, through Polydor Records in 1985 and a reprint through P.E.G. in 1997 and features eleven tracks of score and a vocal track performed by Michael Sembello... . |
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Morey Amsterdam Morey Amsterdam Morey Amsterdam was an American television actor and comedian, best known for the role of Buddy Sorrell on The Dick Van Dyke Show in the early 1960s.-Early life:... |
December 14, 1908 | October 27, 1996 | American | Amsterdam debuted in vaudeville as a cellist with his brother, a pianist. Within a short while, the act had become a comedy routine; Amsterdam's cello becoming a mere prop. After working in a nightclub owned by Al Capone Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early... , Amsterdam worked in radio, where he had his own variety show, The Morey Amsterdam Show The Morey Amsterdam Show The Morey Amsterdam Show is an American sitcom which ran from 1948-1949 on CBS Television and 1949-1950 on the DuMont Television Network , for a total of 71 episodes.-Synopsis:... , and in television where he was cast as one of Dick Van Dyke Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke... 's co-workers on The Dick Van Dyke Show The Dick Van Dyke Show The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom that initially aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System from October 3, 1961, until June 1, 1966. The show was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. It was produced by Reiner with Bill Persky and Sam Denoff.... . He also wrote comedy dialogue for motion pictures. |
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"Broncho Billy" Anderson Broncho Billy Anderson Gilbert M. "Broncho Billy" Anderson was an American actor, writer, film director, and film producer, who is best known as the first star of the Western film genre.-Early life:... |
March 21, 1880 | January 20, 1971 | American | Actor who, following vaude, became the first star of the Western film genre Western (genre) The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of... . In addition, with George K. Spoor George K. Spoor George Kirke Spoor was an early film pioneer who, with Broncho Billy Anderson, founded Essanay Studios in Chicago in 1907.-Biography:... , he founded Essanay Studios Essanay Studios The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company was an American motion picture studio. It is best known today for its series of Charlie Chaplin comedies of 1915.-Founding:... ("S" for Spoor and "A" for Anderson) in Chicago Chicago Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles... . |
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Eddie Anderson Eddie Anderson (comedian) Edmund Lincoln Anderson , also known as Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, was an American comedian and actor. His most famous role was that of Rochester van Jones, valet of Jack Benny, on his radio and television shows.-Early life:Anderson was born in Oakland, California... |
September 18, 1905 | February 28, 1977 | American | Born into a vaudevillian family, Anderson began performing in a song and dance act with his brother, Cornelius and another young man, at the age of 14. The act was billed as the "Three Black Aces." Following vaude, Anderson appeared with fellow vaudevillian, Jack Benny Jack Benny Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film... , as "Rochester" on The Jack Benny Show on radio and later TV. |
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Andrews Sisters | American | Trio of sisters, LaVerne (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), Maxine (January 3, 1916 – October 21, 1995) and Patty (February 16, 1918) who sang in close harmony Close harmony Close harmony is an arrangement of the notes of chords within a narrow range. It is different from open harmony or voicing in that it uses each part on the closest harmonizing note , while the open voicing uses a broader pitch array expanding the harmonic range past the octave... . The trio started touring vaudeville in the early 1930s with the Larry Rich band. |
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Margaret Anglin Margaret Anglin Mary Margaret Anglin was a Canadian-born Broadway actress, director and producer whom Encyclopædia Britannica calls "one of the most brilliant actresses of her day."... |
April 3, 1876 | January 7, 1958 | Canadian | Actress from the legitimate stage who appeared in a sketch of the play The Wager, The Playhouse Theatre, New York, December 1917. Anglin was one of the most noted actresses on the American stage in her time, having gained the admiration of Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas... , the greatest actress of the age. |
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A. E. Anson | September 14, 1879 | June 25, 1936 | British | Shakespearian actor who appeared in a vaudeville sketch entitled 1690 which he wrote himself. | |
Capt. Adrian C. "Cap" Anson Cap Anson Adrian Constantine Anson , nicknamed "Cap" and "Pop", was a National Association and Major League Baseball first baseman... |
April 17, 1852 | April 14, 1922 | American | Former baseball player who appeared in a sketch in 1913 with a monologue and short dance. He reappeared with his daughters in 1921. | |
Dave Apollon Dave Apollon Dave Apollon was a Russian mandolin player.Today Dave Apollon is regarded as one of the most innovative and influential mandolinists of the Twentieth Century, whose more notable recordings/performances include Two Guitars, Hora staccato by Grigoraş Dinicu and Zigeunerweisen aka "Gypsy Airs" by... |
1898 | May 30, 1972 | Russian-American | Mandolinist. Apollon arrived in the US from Russia in 1921. Finding success in vaude, Apollon appeared as an emcee at the Palace and also appeared with his Filipino Orchestra on the last two-a-day program there, May 7, 1932. He also appeared in the final vaudeville presentation at the Loew's State Theatre, New York City, December 23, 1947. | |
Macklyn Arbuckle Macklyn Arbuckle Macklyn Arbuckle was an American screen and stage actor. He was the brother of actor Andrew Arbuckle and cousin of comedian Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle.-Early life and career:... |
July 9, 1866 | March 31, 1931 | American | Character actor who toured vaudeville in the sketch, The Welcher in 1910. Arbuckle made his stage debut in Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States.... in 1888 and his New York debut in 1900. He found success playing "homespun" type characters and eventually he moved into film, creating the San Antonio Pictures Corporation. |
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Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle | March 24, 1887 | June 29, 1933 | American | Arbuckle was a portly comic actor who was mentored by vaudeville veteran, Leon Errol Leon Errol Leon Errol , was an Australian-born American comedian and actor, popular in the first half of the 20th century.-Biography:... . After leaving the stage, Arbuckle became a well-known comedian in silent films, eventually partnering with Buster Keaton Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the... . His career was destroyed by accusations that he murdered a young actress. Following two trials ending in hung juries and a final trial that acquitted him, Arbuckle's career was ruined. He would not return to motion pictures until 1932. |
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Harold Arlen Harold Arlen Harold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the... |
February 15, 1905 | April 23, 1986 | American | Pianist, musician and composer. Among his more well-known songs are "Stormy Weather," "Get Happy Get Happy (song) "Get Happy" is a song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler.It was the first song they wrote together, and was introduced by Ruth Etting in The Nine-Fifteen Revue in 1930.... " and songs for the movie-musical, The Wizard of Oz The Wizard of Oz (1939 film) The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs... . |
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Armida Armida Vendrell Armida, born Armida Vendrell, was an American actress, singer, dancer, and vaudevillian born in Aguascalientes, Mexico.-Early life:... |
May 29, 1911 | October 23, 1989 | American | Mexican-American singer and actress discovered while performing with her sister, Dolores, in Los Angeles Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... . After becoming a part of Gus Edwards Gus Edwards (songwriter) Gus Edwards was an American songwriter and vaudevillian. He also organised his own theatre companies and was a music publisher.-Early life:... ' vaudeville troupe, she made a number of films, including 1930's On the Border with John Barrymore John Barrymore John Sidney Blyth , better known as John Barrymore, was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III... and Rin-Tin-Tin. |
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Julia Arthur Julia Arthur Julia Arthur Although 1868 is accepted as the year of her birth, both The National Cyclopaedia of National Biography and Who Was Who in America give 1869 as the year. was a Canadian-born stage and film actress.-Early life:... |
May 3, 1868 | March 28, 1950 | Canadian | Actress from the legitimate stage who appeared at the Palace in May 1917 in a sketch called Liberty Aflame . As well as working onstage, Arthur made 10 silent films from 1908 to 1919. | |
Adele Adele Astaire Lady Charles Cavendish , better known as Adele Astaire, was an American dancer and entertainer. She was Fred Astaire's elder sister. Her birthdate was often given as 1897 or 1898, but the 1900 U.S... and Fred Astaire Fred Astaire Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute... |
American | Ballroom dance duo with Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) and his sister, Adele (September 10, 1896 – January 25, 1981). The duo first appeared in vaudeville in 1912, but as Fred was underage, the duo did not return until 1916, when they toured many vaudeville circuits. | |||
Roscoe Ates Roscoe Ates Roscoe Ates was an actor and musician in primarily western films and television.-Early years:Ates was born in the rural hamlet of Grange, Mississippi, northwest of Hattiesburg. Grange is no longer included on road maps... |
January 20, 1896 | March 1, 1962 | American | Comedian known for his portrayals of comic, stuttering characters. Ates later appeared in films. | |
Cholly Atkins Cholly Atkins Charles “Cholly” Atkins was an American dancer and vaudeville performer, who later became noted as the house choreographer for the various artists on the Motown label.-Biography:... |
September 13, 1913 | April 19, 2003 | American | Tap dancer in a noted dance act with Charles "Honi" Coles. Later Atkins became a choreographer for Motown. | |
Lionel Atwill Lionel Atwill Lionel Atwill was an English stage and film actor born in Croydon, London, England.He studied architecture before his stage debut at the Garrick Theatre, London in 1904. He become a star in Broadway theatre by 1918, and made his screen debut in 1919. He acted on the stage in Australia but was most... |
March 1, 1885 | April 22, 1946 | British | An actor, Atwill toured with Lillie Langtry Lillie Langtry Lillie Langtry , usually spelled Lily Langtry when she was in the U.S., born Emilie Charlotte Le Breton, was a British actress born on the island of Jersey... as her leading man in the play, Ashes during 1915. Following his stage career, Atwill worked in Hollywood, appearing in many horror film Horror film Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres... s during the 30s and 40s. His career was cut short by a scandal involving an orgy at his home where a young woman was raped. |
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Gene Austin Gene Austin Gene Austin was an American singer and songwriter, one of the first "crooners". His 1920s compositions "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street" and "The Lonesome Road" became pop and jazz standards.-Career:... |
June 24, 1900 | January 24, 1972 | American | Singer and songwriter who first appeared in vaudeville in the early 1920s. He performed as one of the first "crooners." Austin appeared on radio in 1923 and began recording as "The Voice of the Southland." | |
Lovie Austin Lovie Austin Lovie Austin was an American Chicago bandleader, session musician, composer, and arranger during the 1920s classic blues era. She and Lil Hardin Armstrong are often ranked as two of the best female jazz blues piano players of the period... |
September 19, 1887 | July 10, 1972 | American | Jazz pianist who toured extensively in vaude, often with her own band, the "Blues Serenaders." |
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Lloyd Bacon Lloyd Bacon Lloyd Francis Bacon was a screen, stage, and vaudeville actor and film director.-Life:Bacon was born in San Jose California, the son of actor Frank Bacon, later the co-author and star of the long running Broadway show 'Lightnin' , and Jennie Bacon. He was not related to actor Irving Bacon whom he... |
December 4, 1889 | November 15, 1955 | American | Broadway actor who, following a season in vaudeville went to Hollywood where he became a director with Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,... after appearing as an actor in nearly 40 films. |
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Pearl Bailey Pearl Bailey Pearl Mae Bailey was an American actress and singer. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946. She won a Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1968... |
March 29, 1918 | August 17, 1990 | American | Singer and actress who followed vaudeville with a career onstage, on film and on TV. She garnered a Tony Award for her role on Broadway in Hello, Dolly! Hello, Dolly! (musical) Hello, Dolly! is a musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1955.... . |
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Belle Baker Belle Baker Belle Baker was an American singer and actress. Popular throughout the 1910s and 1920s, Baker introduced a number of ragtime and torch songs including Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" and "My Yiddishe Mama". She performed in the Ziegfeld Follies and introduced a number of Irving Berlin's songs... |
December 25, 1893 | April 29, 1957 | American | Baker first ventured onstage with the encouragement of actor, Jacob Adler Jacob Pavlovich Adler Jacob Pavlovich Adler , born Yankev P. Adler, was a Jewish actor and star of Yiddish theater, first in Odessa, and later in London and New York City.... and later, producer, Lew Leslie Lew Leslie Lew Leslie was a Broadway writer and producer. Although white, he was the first impressario to present black artists on stage... . Her debut in vaudeville was in Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S... at the age of 15 and she debuted in big-time vaudeville at Hammerstein's Theatre in New York in 1911. As a singer and actress, she established her name in vaudeville as "The Ragtime Singer." Baker is one of the Palace Palace Theatre, New York The Palace Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1564 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architects Kirchoff & Rose, the theatre was built by Martin Beck a California vaudeville entrepreneur and Broadway impresario. The project experienced a number of business problems before... headliners who performed there numerous times. Her Palace debut was in 1913, when she sang the song, "Cohen Owes Me Ninety-Seven Dollars." Following vaudeville she appeared on Broadway and on the radio. |
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Josephine Baker Josephine Baker Josephine Baker was an American dancer, singer, and actress who found fame in her adopted homeland of France. She was given such nicknames as the "Bronze Venus", the "Black Pearl", and the "Créole Goddess".... |
June 3, 1906 | April 12, 1975 | American | Baker debuted as a chorus girl in vaudeville and in the revues Shufflin' Along, The Chocolate Dandies, and Runnin' Wild. Following that she left the US to become a dancer and singer in the cabaret Cabaret Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or... s and nightclub Nightclub A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night... s of Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... . |
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Phil Baker | 324 August 1896 | December 1, 1963 | American | Pianist, accordionist and comedian who began in a double act with Ben Bernie Ben Bernie Ben Bernie , born Bernard Anzelevitz, was an American jazz violinist and radio personality, often introduced as The Old Maestro. He was noted for his showmanship and memorable bits of snappy dialogue.... on violin. Originally a serious musical act, over time it developed comic elements. Following their split, both comedians became successful in their own right. Baker headlined at the Palace Palace Theatre, New York The Palace Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1564 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architects Kirchoff & Rose, the theatre was built by Martin Beck a California vaudeville entrepreneur and Broadway impresario. The project experienced a number of business problems before... in 1930 and 1931. He later enjoyed a career on Broadway in musicals and later radio. |
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Nikita Balieff Nikita Balieff Nikita Balieff , was an Armenian vaudevillian, stage performer, writer, impresario, and director best known as the master of ceremonies and creator of La Chauve-Souris theater group.-Theatrical career begins in Moscow:... |
c. 1877 | September 3, 1936 | Armenian | Singer, dancer, actor, monologist and impresario of the Chauve-Souris comedy troupe. | |
Ernest Ball Ernest Ball Ernest R. Ball was a United States singer and songwriter, most famous for composing the music for the song "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" in 1912. He was not, himself, Irish.... |
July 21, 1878 | May 3, 1927 | American | Accompanist, singer and songwriter known for writing sentimental ballads, usually with Irish themes such as "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling When Irish Eyes Are Smiling "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" is a lighthearted song in tribute to Ireland. Its lyrics were written by Chauncey Olcott and George Graff, Jr., set to music composed by Ernest Ball, for Olcott's production of The Isle O' Dreams, and Olcott sang the song in the show... ." Ball appeared at the Palace in 1923 and 1926 and died the next year in his dressing room at the Yost Theatre in Santa Ana, California Santa Ana, California Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States.... while on tour with his singing group, "Ernie Ball and His Gang." |
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Barbette Barbette (performer) Barbette was an American female impersonator, high wire performer and trapeze artist born in Texas on December 19, 1899... |
December 9, 1904 | August 5, 1975 | American | After seeing an aerialist in a circus, Vander Clyde or Van der Clyde (his real name) desired to become one. He responded to an ad in Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... for the Alfaretta Sisters, an aerial act, who were looking for a replacement member. He began dressing as a female on their encouragement and continued to do so after leaving the act. In 1923, he traveled to Britain and then Paris, where he became the talk of the town. He toured Europe and returned to the US to continue in vaudeville. Following his stage career, Barbette continued to work with performers for various circuses. |
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Ben Bard Ben Bard Ben Bard was a movie actor, stage actor, and acting teacher. With comedian Jack Pearl, Bard worked in a comedy duo in vaudeville... |
January 26, 1893 | May 17, 1974 | American | Comedian, in a duo with Jack Pearl Jack Pearl Jack Pearl, born Jack Perlman , was a vaudeville performer and a star of early radio.Born in New York, Pearl made an easy transition from vaudeville to broadfcasting when he introduced his character Baron Munchausen on The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air in 1932. His creation was loosely based on the... . |
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Wilkie Bard Wilkie Bard Wilkie Bard was a popular vaudeville and music hall entertainer and recording artist at the beginning of the 20th century. He is best known for his songs "I Want to Sing in Opera" and "The Night Watchman." -Early life:Bard was born March 19, 1874 in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, Lancashire... |
March 19, 1870 | March 5, 1944 | British | Comedian and singer. | |
Reginald Barlow Reginald Barlow Reginald Harry Barlow was a veteran stage and screen character actor, author, and film director. He was a busy performer in Hollywood films of the 1930s.-Early life:... |
June 17, 1866 | July 6, 1943 | American | Actor and minstrel. Appeared at the age of 9 with the minstrel troupe of Barlow, Wilson, Primrose and West. Later he became a film actor. | |
The Barrison Sisters | Swedish | Five sisters who performed risqué songs and dances. The sisters were Lona, Sophia, Inger, Olga and Gertrude Barrison. | |||
Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors.-Early life:Ethel Barrymore was born Ethel Mae Blythe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew... |
August 15, 1879 | June 18, 1959 | American | Actress who appeared in "tab" versions of her hits in the legitimate theatre as well as one-act plays. Barrymore's debut in vaudeville was in the one-act play, Civilization by Richard Harding Davis at the Palace Theatre the week of April 28, 1913. In 1914, Barrymore toured in Drifted Apart and later toured the Oprheum circuit in J. M. Barrie J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The child of a family of small-town weavers, he was educated in Scotland. He moved to London, where he developed a career as a novelist and playwright... 's The Twelve Pound Look with a salary of $3000 a week. The Twelve Pound Look played the Palace, June 1921 and in September and December 1926. |
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John Barrymore John Barrymore John Sidney Blyth , better known as John Barrymore, was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III... |
February 14, 1882 | May 29, 1942 | American | Actor, Appeared in a sketch called, His Wedding Morn', caused a sensation on Broadway in Justice and later for his portrayals of Hamlet Hamlet The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601... and Richard III Richard III (play) Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified... . |
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Lionel Barrymore Lionel Barrymore Lionel Barrymore was an American actor of stage, screen and radio. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in A Free Soul... |
April 28, 1878 | November 15, 1954 | American | Actor from the legitimate stage who appeared in a sketch of Bartley Campbell Bartley Campbell Bartley Theodore Campbell was an American playwright of the latter 19th century.-Early years:Campbell was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 12, 1843 to parents who had emigrated from Ireland. His writing career began at the age of fifteen in 1858, when he took a job as a reporter for the... 's play, The White Slave, with Doris Rankin Doris Rankin Doris Rankin was an American film actress and the younger daughter of actor McKee Rankin and an unnamed actress though Rankin was married to actress Kitty Blanchard. She was married to actor Lionel Barrymore from 1904-1923. Her older sister, Gladys Rankin, was married to Lionel's uncle Sidney Drew... . He also toured in The Still Voice in 1914. |
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Maurice Barrymore Maurice Barrymore Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blythe —stage name Maurice Barrymore — was the patriarch of the Barrymore acting family and great-grandfather of actress Drew Barrymore.-Early life:... |
September 21, 1849 | March 26, 1905 | British | Actor on the "legitimate stage," Barrymore made his vaudeville debut in a one-act version of Augustus Thomas' play, A Man of the World, and headlined many other sketches. | |
Charles Barton Charles Barton Charles Barton was a film and vaudeville actor and film director. He won an Oscar for best assistant director in 1933. His first film as a director was the Zane Grey feature Wagon Wheels.-Career:... |
1902 | 1981 | American | Actor. | |
Eileen Barton | November 24, 1929 | June 27, 2006 | American | Sang "Ain't Misbehavin'" in her parents vaudeville act at the age of 2 in Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties... . At the age of 3½, Barton appeared at the Palace as part of Ted Healy Ted Healy Ted Healy was an American vaudeville performer, comedian, and actor. He is chiefly remembered today as the original creator of the Three Stooges, but had a successful stage and film career of his own.- Early life :... 's routine. Barton later became a noted popular music singer. |
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James Barton | November 1, 1890 | February 19, 1962 | American | Comic dancer who made his stage debut at the age of 2. Barton appeared in vaudeville at the age of 4, working steadily in stock and repertory theatre as well. His New York stage debut was in The Passing Show of 1919 and from there on he appeared in many musicals during the 20s, appearing in vaudeville between roles. | |
Billy Barty Billy Barty Billy Barty was an American film actor.-Biography:Barty, an Italian American, was born William John Bertanzetti in Millsboro, Pennsylvania... |
October 25, 1924 | December 23, 2000 | American | Diminutive, juvenile actor, Barty originally appeared in film. He appeared in vaudeville with his sisters in an act called "Billy Barty and His Sisters," where he played the drums and did impressions. Later, Barty founded two service organizations for people with dwarfism Dwarfism Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder.... . |
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Count Basie Count Basie William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years... |
August 21, 1904 | April 26, 1984 | American | Pianist, bandleader and composer. Before the age of 20, Basie was touring on the Keith circuit and later, the Columbia Burlesque and T. O. B. A. circuits as a pianist, accompanist and musical director for singers, dancers and comedians. | |
Blanche Bates Blanche Bates Blanche Bates was an American actress, born at Portland, Ore. She made her début in San Francisco in a benefit performance of Brander Matthews's This Picture and That. Among her early successes were her Mrs. Hillary in The Senator, Phyllis in The Charity Ball, and Nora in A Doll's House... |
August 25, 1873 | December 25, 1941 | American | Actress of the legitimate stage who appeared at the Palace in December 1918 in The World Mother. Additionally, she would play vaudeville houses in between engagements. Bates debuted in 1897 with Augustin Daly Augustin Daly John Augustin Daly was an American theatrical manager and playwright active in both the US and UK.-Biography:Daly was born in Plymouth, North Carolina and educated at Norfolk, Va... 's company later working with David Belasco David Belasco David Belasco was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director and playwright.-Biography:Born in San Francisco, California, where his Sephardic Jewish parents had moved from London, England, during the Gold Rush, he began working in a San Francisco theatre doing a variety of routine jobs,... . |
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Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates Peg Leg Bates Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates was an Afro-American entertainer from Fountain Inn, South Carolina.Bates lost a leg at the age of 12 in a cotton gin accident. He subsequently taught himself to tap dance with a wooden peg leg... |
October 11, 1907 | December 6, 1998 | American | Rhythm tap dancer with only one leg. | |
Warner Baxter Warner Baxter Warner Leroy Baxter was an American actor, known for his role as The Cisco Kid in In Old Arizona , for which he won the second Academy Award for Best Actor in the 1928–1929 Academy Awards. Warner Baxter started his movie career in silent movies... |
March 29, 1889 | May 7, 1951 | American | Actor. Later won the 1929 Academy Award for Best Actor Academy Award for Best Actor Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... for his role as the Cisco Kid in the film In Old Arizona In Old Arizona In Old Arizona is a 1929 American Western film directed by Irving Cummings and Raoul Walsh, nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film, which was based on the character of the Cisco Kid in the story The Caballero's Way by O... . |
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Nora Bayes Nora Bayes Nora Bayes was a popular American singer, comedienne and actress of the early 20th century.-Early life and career:... |
1880 | June 19, 1928 | American | Singer and comedienne who toured with her husband, Jack Norworth Jack Norworth Jack Norworth was a U.S. songwriter, singer and vaudeville performer.Norworth is credited as co-writer of a number of Tin Pan Alley hits. He wrote the lyrics of the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" in 1908, his most long lasting hit. But it wasn't until 1940 that he actually witnessed a Major... from 1908 to 13. She introduced such standards as 'Shine On Harvest Moon' and Cohan's George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer.... 'Over There.' |
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Beverly Bayne Beverly Bayne Beverly Bayne was an American actress who appeared in silent films beginning in 1910 in Chicago, Illinois, where she worked for Essanay Studios.-Early life:... |
November 11, 1894 | August 18, 1982 | American | Actress with her husband, Francis X. Bushman Francis X. Bushman Francis Xavier Bushman was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. His matinee idol career started in 1911 in the silent film His Friend's Wife, but it did not survive the silent screen era.... . Bayne and Bushman, following successful careers in silent films, appeared at the Palace in a comedy sketch, Poor Rich Man. The couple toured vaudeville throughout the 1920s. Unable to revive her film career in the late 1920s, following her divorce from Bushman, Bayne worked the rest of her life onstage. |
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George Beauchamp George Beauchamp George Delmetia Beauchamp was an inventor of musical instruments and a co-founder of National Stringed Instrument Corporation and Rickenbacker guitars.... |
1899 | 1941 | American | Violin and steel lap guitar player. Beauchamp developed the first commercially available electric guitar. | |
George Beban George Beban George Beban was an American actor, director, writer and producer. Beban began as a child performer in San Francisco, California, and became a well-known vaudevillian and stage actor in the 1890s and 1900s... |
1873 | October 5, 1928 | American | Known for his Italian characters. Beban began playing French characters but once he began working in film, he played Italian characters. His initial act involved recitation of a poem called, "Mia Rosa." Beban created a one-act play from the poem, The Sign of the Rose, in which he toured vaudeville for seven years. A full-length version, also by Beban, premiered at the Garrick Theatre in New York in 1911. Beban signed with silent film director and producer, Thomas Ince Thomas H. Ince Thomas Harper Ince was an American silent film actor, director, screenwriter and producer of more than 100 films and pioneering studio mogul. Known as the "Father of the Western", he invented many mechanisms of professional movie production, introducing early Hollywood to the "assembly line"... , after his work in vaudeville and appeared in a number of films including a version of The Sign of the Rose called The Alien. |
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Martin Beck Martin Beck (vaudeville) Martin Beck was a vaudeville theatre owner who founded Orpheum Circuit, Inc.-Early Life and Career:Martin Beck was born on 31 July, 1868 at Liptovský Mikuláš, a town in northern Slovakia that at the time of his birth was ruled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire... |
1867 | November 16, 1940 | Austrian-American | Actor and later one of the top vaudeville theatre owners. | |
Digby Bell Digby Bell Digby Bell was a popular vaudeville entertainer and Broadway performer at the beginning of the 20th century.-Performing career:... |
November 8, 1849 | June 20, 1917 | American | Comic actor, Bell began his stagework as a singer, but eventually made his mark as a comedian. Bell was the leading comic in Lillian Russell Lillian Russell Lillian Russell was an American actress and singer. She became one of the most famous actresses and singers of the late 19th century and early 20th century, known for her beauty and style, as well as for her voice and stage presence.Russell was born in Iowa but raised in Chicago... 's company and spent much of his later life in plays and vaudeville. |
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Robert Benchley Robert Benchley Robert Charles Benchley was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor... |
September 15, 1889 | November 21, 1945 | American | Actor and monologist. | |
Chief Bender Chief Bender Charles Albert "Chief" Bender was a pitcher in Major League Baseball during the first two decades of the 20th century... |
May 3, 1883 | May 22, 1954 | American | Former basbeball player who did an act with Kathryn Pearl called Learning the Game by George Totten Smith with music by Arthur Behim. | |
Bennie Benjamin Bennie Benjamin Claude A. Benjamin was a songwriter, often teaming with George David Weiss. He was born on November 4, 1907 in Christiansted on the island of St. Croix . At the age of twenty, he moved to New York City. There, he studied the banjo and guitar with Hy Smith... |
November 4, 1907 | May 2, 1989 | American | Guitarist and banjo player with a number of bands, Benjamin would become a major songwriter following his work in vaude. | |
Belle Bennett Belle Bennett Belle Bennett was a stage and screen actress who started her professional career in vaudeville. She was born in Milaca, Minnesota.-Stage actress:... |
April 22, 1891 | November 4, 1932 | American | Trapeze artist and later silent film actress, Bennett, following a career in vaudeville, entered film in 1916 and worked through the end of the age of silent films. | |
Richard Bennett Richard Bennett (actor) Richard Bennett was an American actor who became a stage and silent screen matinee idol over the early decades of the twentieth century.-Early Life:... |
1870 | 1944 | American | Actor who appeared in a sketch from the play The Common Man. | |
Jack Benny Jack Benny Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film... |
February 14, 1894 | December 26, 1974 | American | Comedian and actor, known for his comedic violin playing (a leftover from his stage routine) and for constantly presenting the idea that he is 39 years young. His radio and TV programs featured his wife Mary, comedian Don Wilson as announcer, and character actor Eddie Anderson as Benny's valet Rochester. | |
Edgar Bergen Edgar Bergen Edgar John Bergen was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist.-Early life:... |
February 16, 1903 | September 30, 1978 | American | Ventrilogquist with his dummy, Charlie McCarthy. | |
Sammy Berk Sammy Berk Sammy Berk , was a vaudeville entertainer at the beginning of the 20th century. He is best known for being part of a dancing duo, Berk & Saun, with his wife, Juanita Saun.-Early life:... |
c. 1894 | 1983 | American | Novelty dancer. | |
Milton Berle Milton Berle Milton Berlinger , better known as Milton Berle, was an American comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater , in 1948 he was the first major star of U.S. television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr... |
July 12, 1908 | March 27, 2002 | American | Comedian and actor, later known as "Mr. Television" for pulling in record numbers in TV's early days for his "Texaco Star Theater". | |
Irving Berlin Irving Berlin Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous... |
May 11, 1888 | September 22, 1989 | American | Musician and songwriter. Known for such songs as "Alexander's Ragtime Band Alexander's Ragtime Band "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is the name of a song by Irving Berlin. It was his first major hit, in 1911. There is some evidence, although inconclusive, that Berlin borrowed the melody from a draft of "A Real Slow Drag" submitted by Scott Joplin that had been submitted to a... ", "White Christmas White Christmas A white Christmas refers to the presence of snow on Christmas Day. This phenomenon is most common in the northern countries of the Northern Hemisphere... ", "Easter Parade Easter Parade (song) "Easter Parade" is a popular song that was written by Irving Berlin and was published in 1933. The lyrics describe the singer's involvement in an American cultural event called the Easter parade.... ", "There's No Business Like Show Business", and "God Bless America God Bless America "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song .... ." |
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Sam Bernard Sam Bernard Sam Bernard was a renowned stage, film and vaudeville star. He also performed comic opera and burlesque.... |
June 5, 1863 | May 16, 1927 | British | Actor, "Dutch" comedian and monologist known for his German characterizations. In 1885, Bernard toured the British music hall circuit later appearing at the Palace in January, 1914 and March, 1926. | |
Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas... |
October 23, 1844 | March 26, 1923 | French | Actress, known as "The Divine Sarah" and "The First Lady of the Theater" | |
Ben Bernie Ben Bernie Ben Bernie , born Bernard Anzelevitz, was an American jazz violinist and radio personality, often introduced as The Old Maestro. He was noted for his showmanship and memorable bits of snappy dialogue.... |
May 30, 1891 | October 20, 1943 | American | Violinist and comedian. Had an act with Phil Baker. | |
Joe Besser Joe Besser Joe Besser was an American comedian, known for his impish humor and wimpy characters, and is now best remembered for his brief stint as a member of the Three Stooges in movie short subjects of 1957-59... |
August 12, 1907 | March 1, 1988 | American | Besser first began in show business as a song plugger and magician's assistant. He worked his way up to being a comedian and headlined with acts such as Olsen and Johnson Olsen and Johnson John Sigvard "Ole" Olsen and Harold Ogden "Chic" Johnson were zany American comedians of vaudeville, radio, the Broadway stage, motion pictures and television. Their shows were noted for their crazy blackout gags and orchestrated mayhem... . After appearing on radio, Besser appeared on film and was a member of the Three Stooges Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,... for two years. |
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Amelia Bingham Amelia Bingham Amelia Swilley Kingham' was an Australian dancer from Hicksville, Ohio. Her Broadway career extended from .... |
March 20, 1869 | September 1, 1927 | American | Actress of the "legit" stage, Bingham appeared in vaudeville at the Palace in July 1909 in Big Moments from Great Plays, which included excerpts from six plays. Bingham was discovered by a traveling actor while she was waiting tables in her father's hotel while on break from Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges... . Following her Broadway debut in 1893, Bingham was noted for her sparkling performances in comedies and melodramas. In addition to her performances, Bingham also managed the Bijou Theatre in New York beginning in 1900 and organized her own stock company. |
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Billie Bird Billie Bird Billie Bird was an American actress and comedienne.-Early life:Born Berniece Bird in Pocatello, Idaho, Bird was discovered at the age of eight while living at an orphanage... |
February 28, 1908 | November 27, 2002 | American | Actress and comedienne who was discovered in an orphanage. Bird toured with the group for some time before creating an act with another girl called, "The King Sisters" which toured the Keith-Orpheum circuit. After vaudeville began to fade, Bird toured in musicals and comedies and on the nightclub circuit. She also worked in film and on television. | |
Harry Blackstone, Sr. Harry Blackstone, Sr. Harry Blackstone was a famed stage magician and illusionist of the 20th century. Blackstone was born Harry Bouton in Chicago, Illinois, he began his career as a magician in his teens and was popular through World War II as a USO entertainer. He was often billed as The Great Blackstone. His son... |
September 27, 1885 | November 16, 1965 | American | Magician. | |
J. Stuart Blackton J. Stuart Blackton James Stuart Blackton , usually known as J. Stuart Blackton, was an Anglo-American film producer of the Silent Era, the founder of Vitagraph Studios and among the first filmmakers to use the techniques of stop-motion and drawn animation... |
January 5, 1875 | August 13, 1941 | British-American | Stage cartoonist billed as Komikal Kartoonist in an act with his friends Albert E. Smith the Komikal Konjuror and Ronald A. Reader who operated a magic lantern. | |
Block and Sully Block and Sully Block and Sully were an American husband and wife vaudeville team who performed during the years 1926 to 1948.-Vaudeville:Jesse Block started performing in vaudeville as a child, getting his first break as a member of Gus Edwards' Song Revue of 1915... |
American | Husband and wife comic duo composed of Jesse Block Block and Sully Block and Sully were an American husband and wife vaudeville team who performed during the years 1926 to 1948.-Vaudeville:Jesse Block started performing in vaudeville as a child, getting his first break as a member of Gus Edwards' Song Revue of 1915... (December 16, 1900 – March 22, 1983) and Eve Sully Block and Sully Block and Sully were an American husband and wife vaudeville team who performed during the years 1926 to 1948.-Vaudeville:Jesse Block started performing in vaudeville as a child, getting his first break as a member of Gus Edwards' Song Revue of 1915... (1902 - August 7, 1990). |
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Joan Blondell Joan Blondell Rose Joan Blondell was an American actress who performed in movies and on television for five decades as Joan Blondell.After winning a beauty pageant, Blondell embarked upon a film career... |
August 30, 1909 | December 25, 1979 | American | Actress. She joined her parents' act at 3, leaving the act in 1926 for Broadway and later Hollywood. | |
Lew Bloom | August 8, 1859 | American | Comic monologist and "society tramp." | ||
Ben Blue Ben Blue Ben Blue , born Benjamin Bernstein, was a Canadian-American actor and comedian.Born to a Jewish family in Montreal, Quebec, at the age of nine, Blue emigrated to Baltimore in the United States where he won a contest for the best impersonation of Charlie Chaplin... |
September 12, 1901 | March 7, 1975 | Canadian | Comedian and dancer. | |
Ray Bolger Ray Bolger Raymond Wallace "Ray" Bolger was an American entertainer of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow and Kansas farmworker Hank in The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:... |
January 10, 1904 | January 15, 1987 | American | Dancer and actor known for his "loose-limbed, comic" dancing style. Appeared on Broadway in On Your Toes On Your Toes On Your Toes is a musical with a book by Richard Rodgers, George Abbott, and Lorenz Hart, music by Rodgers, and lyrics by Hart. It was adapted into a film in 1939.... and By Jupiter By Jupiter By Jupiter is a musical with a book by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers, music by Rodgers, and lyrics by Hart. The musical is based on the play The Warrior's Husband by Julian F. Thompson, set in the land of the Amazons... . Best known film role is the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz The Wizard of Oz (1939 film) The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs... . |
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Bessie Bonehill | 1844 | August 21, 1902 | British | Male impersonator, Bonehill first appeared on the American vaudeville in 1891. She worked heavily in the British music hall as well as playing the principle boy in British pantomimes. | |
Irène Bordoni Irène Bordoni Irène Bordoni was a French singer and a Broadway and film actress.-Early years:Born in Ajaccio, France, from an Italian family, she had been a child actor, performing in Paris on stage and in silent films for a few years, having signed with theatrical agent André Charlot... |
January 16, 1895 | March 19, 1953 | French | Chanteuse and musical theatre star. Bordoni's first appeared in the chorus at the Théâtre des Variétés in Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... at the age of 13. She traveled to the US and began appearing on the vaudeville and the Broadway stages in 1912. The following year she toured the Orpheum circuit with Melville Ellis in tow as both accompanist and costume designer. From 1915 to 28, Bordoni appeared in a number of Broadway musicals but in vaudeville in her spare time. She appeared at the Palace in May and November 1927 and September 1930. After her retirement, she made occasional appearances on Broadway before dying while on tour in the musical, South Pacific South Pacific (musical) South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its... . |
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Boswell Sisters Boswell Sisters The Boswell Sisters were a close harmony singing group, consisting of sisters Martha Boswell , Connee Boswell , and Helvetia "Vet" Boswell , noted for intricate harmonies and rhythmic experimentation... |
American | Trio of singing sisters composed of Meldania "Martha" Boswell (1905–1958), Constance Foore "Connee" Boswell (December 3, 1907 – October 11, 1976), and Helvetia George "Vet" Boswell (May 20, 1911–1988). | |||
Hobart Bosworth Hobart Bosworth Hobart Bosworth was an American film actor, director, writer, and producer.-Early life:Born Hobart Van Zandt Bosworth, he was a direct descendant of Miles Standish and John and Priscilla Alden on his father's side and of New York's Van Zandt family, the first Dutch settlers to land in the New... |
August 11, 1867 | December 30, 1943 | American | Actor appearing in a sketch from the play Sea Wolf. Bosworth was already an accomplished stage actor having worked with the companies of McKee Rankin and Augustin Daly Augustin Daly John Augustin Daly was an American theatrical manager and playwright active in both the US and UK.-Biography:Daly was born in Plymouth, North Carolina and educated at Norfolk, Va... as well as with some of the leading ladies of the day. After contracting tuberculosis Tuberculosis Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body... , Bosworth traveled west and became a leading man at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... , where he also founded the Hobart Bosworth Institute of Dramatic Arts. He entered silent films in 1909 and created Bosworth Incorporated in order to create feature films based on the works of Jack London Jack London John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone... . In 1917, Bosworth and Ethel Grey Terry, toured in a sketch of London's Sea Wolf. |
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Ray Bourbon | 1893 | July 19, 1971 | American | Female impersonator. | |
Eddie Bracken Eddie Bracken Edward Vincent "Eddie" Bracken was an American actor.-Life and career:Bracken was born in Astoria, New York, the son of Catherine and Joseph L. Bracken. Bracken performed in vaudeville at the age of nine and gained fame with the Broadway musical Too Many Girls in a role he reprised for the 1940... |
February 7, 1915 | November 14, 2002 | American | Actor and comedian, started in films as a child and later appeared as comic foil in numerous feature films. | |
Hugh Bradley | May 23, 1885 | January 26, 1949 | American | Baseball player who appeared with the Boston Red Sox Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"... Quartette in 1912. The quartet included Buck O'Brien Buck O'Brien Thomas Joseph "Buck" O'Brien was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox.... , Marty Hale and Bill Lyons. |
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El Brendel El Brendel El Brendel was a vaudeville comedian turned movie star, best remembered for his dialect schtick as a Swedish immigrant. His biggest role was as "Single-0" in the sci-fi musical Just Imagine , produced by Fox Film Corporation... |
March 25, 1890 | April 9, 1964 | American | Comedian. | |
Jay Brennan | December 6, 1882 | January 14, 1961 | American | Comedian. Played the "straight man" to Bert Savoy. | |
Walter Brennan Walter Brennan Walter Brennan was an American actor. Brennan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on three separate occasions, which is currently the record for most wins.-Early life:... |
July 25, 1894 | September 21, 1974 | American | Actor. | |
Herbert Brenon | January 13, 1880 | June 22, 1958 | American | Had a comic duo with his wife, Helen Oberg. Later he was a Hollywood screenwriter. | |
Fanny Brice Fanny Brice Fanny Brice was a popular and influential American illustrated song "model," comedienne, singer, theatre and film actress, who made many stage, radio and film appearances and is known as the creator and star of the top-rated radio comedy series, The Baby Snooks Show... |
October 29, 1891 | May 29, 1951 | American | Comedienne and singer known for comedic songs, except for "My Man My Man "My Man" is a 1982 single by Yoko Ono from the album It's Alright in a New Wave/calypso style. The minimalist "Let The Tears Dry" appeared on the B-side.... ", and her portrayal of bratty Baby Snooks. The Ziegfeld Follies regular was famously portrayed by Barbra Streisand Barbra Streisand Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,... in Funny Girl Funny Girl (film) Funny Girl is a 1968 romantic musical film directed by William Wyler. The screenplay by Isobel Lennart was adapted from her book for the stage musical of the same title... and Funny Lady Funny Lady Funny Lady is a 1975 film starring Barbra Streisand, James Caan, Omar Sharif, Roddy McDowall, and Ben Vereen.A sequel to the 1968 film Funny Girl, it is a highly fictionalized account of the later life and career of comedienne Fanny Brice and her marriage to songwriter and empresario Billy Rose... . |
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James Brockman James Brockman James Brockman was an American songwriter. Born in Russia, he emigrated to New York by himself at the age of 9 or 10... |
December 8, 1886 | May 22, 1967 | American | After beginning as a comedian in vaudeville, Brockman worked in musicals before settling in Hollywood as a songwriter. | |
Helen Broderick Helen Broderick Helen Broderick was an American film and stage actress known for her comic roles, especially as a wisecracking sidekick.-Career:... |
August 11, 1891 | September 25, 1959 | American | Singer-comedienne who made her stage debut in the chorus of the Ziegfeld Follies of 1907. After becoming a comedienne, she developed a caustic, wisecracking style and appeared in both musical comedies and vaudeville. Later Broderick worked in Hollywood. | |
Harry Brooks Harry Brooks (composer) Harry Brooks was an American writer of popular songs, jazz pianist and composer in the 1920s through the early 1950s.... |
September 20, 1895 | June 22, 1970 | American | Pianist and songwriter. | |
Shelton Brooks Shelton Brooks Shelton Brooks was a popular music and jazz composer who wrote some of the biggest hits of the first third of the 20th century.Brooks was born in Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada... |
May 4, 1886 | September 6, 1975 | American | Singer, pianist and songwriter. Many of Brooks' songs were composed for vaudeville singer, Sophie Tucker Sophie Tucker Sophie Tucker was a Russian/Ukrainian-born American singer and actress. Known for her stentorian delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers in America during the first half of the 20th century... and among them, the song, "Some of These Days," which became one of Tucker's most well known songs. Her 1911 recording of this song was selected in 2004 to be added to the National Recording Registry National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, which created the National Recording... , ensuring its preservation in the Library of Congress Library of Congress The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and... . |
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Heywood Broun Heywood Broun Heywood Campbell Broun, Jr. was an American journalist. He worked as a sportswriter, newspaper columnist, and editor in New York City. He founded the American Newspaper Guild, now known as The Newspaper Guild. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he is best remembered for his writing on social issues and... |
December 7, 1888 | December 18, 1939 | American | Drama critic who worked as a monologuist in vaudeville and appearing at the Palace. Broun began working for the New York Tribune New York Tribune The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States... in 1912 and went to serve as the drama critic for the New York World New York World The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers... from 1921 to 1928 and also as the drama editor for Vanity Fair Vanity Fair (magazine) Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935... . |
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Joe E. Brown Joe E. Brown (comedian) Joseph Evans Brown was an American actor and comedian, remembered for his amiable screen persona, comic timing, and enormous smile. In 1902 at the age of nine, he joined a troupe of circus tumblers known as the Five Marvelous Ashtons which toured the country on both the circus and vaudeville... |
July 28, 1892 | July 6, 1973 | American | Comedian with the Bell Prevost Trio, Brown was often billed as "The Corkscrew Kid." Brown made his screen debut in 1928 and quickly became one of the leading comedians in Hollywood and later on television, thanks in part to his mouth and yells. Among his best known film roles is the millionaire, Osgood Fielding, in the 1959 film, Some Like it Hot Some Like It Hot Some Like It Hot is an American comedy film, made in 1958 and released in 1959, which was directed by Billy Wilder and starred Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and George Raft. The supporting cast includes Joe E. Brown, Pat O'Brien and Nehemiah Persoff. The film is a remake by Wilder and I.... . |
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Nacio Herb Brown Nacio Herb Brown Nacio Herb Brown was an American writer of popular songs, movie scores, and Broadway theatre music in the 1920s through the early 1950s.-Biography:... |
February 22, 1896 | September 28, 1964 | American | Pianist and songwriter. Brown was accompanist to performer, Alice Doll, and toured with her on the Orpheum Circuit. Certainly one of his most well known songs is "Singin' in the Rain Singin' in the Rain (song) "Singin' In the Rain" is a song with lyrics by Arthur Freed and music by Nacio Herb Brown, published in 1929. However, it is unclear exactly when the song was written with some claiming that the song was written and performed as early as 1927. The song was listed as Number 3 on AFI's 100 Years..... ," which he wrote with lyricist, Arthur Freed Arthur Freed Arthur Freed was born Arthur Grossman in Charleston, South Carolina. He was a Jewish American lyricist and a Hollywood film producer.- Biography :Freed began his career as a song-plugger and pianist in Chicago... . |
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Tom Brown Tom Brown (trombonist) Tom Brown , sometimes known by the nickname Red Brown, was an early New Orleans dixieland jazz trombonist. He also played string bass professionally.... |
June 3, 1888 | March 25, 1958 | American | Trombonist and leader of Tom Brown's Band from Dixieland. Also put together the vaudeville band, the "Five Rubes" which disbanded shortly thereafter. | |
Bothwell Browne | March 7, 1877 | December 12, 1947 | Danish | Female impersonator. | |
Frank Browning Frank Browning Frank Browning was a baseball player. He played one Major League Baseball season for the Detroit Tigers in 1910. In 1909 he led the minor leagues in wins while pitching for the San Francisco Seals.... |
1882 | 1948 | American | Former basbeball player who was in a quartet with 3 other basbeball players around 1925. The three other singers were George Crable, Tom Dillon and Kid Gleason Kid Gleason William J. "Kid" Gleason was an American professional athlete and Major League Baseball player and manager. Gleason is best known as the manager of the 1919 Chicago White Sox, the team made infamous by the Black Sox scandal, in which Gleason's players conspired to intentionally lose the World... . |
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Peaches Browning Peaches Browning Peaches Browning , born Frances Belle Heenan, was an American actress, most famous for her failed marriage to New York real estate mogul, Edward West "Daddy" Browning... |
June 23, 1910 | August 23, 1956 | American | Actress, known best for her marriage at the age of 16 to Edward Browning, a 51-year-old real estate mogul. Shortly after their marriage, Peaches filed for divorce and her fame lead her to appear in vaudeville. | |
Tod Browning Tod Browning Tod Browning was an American motion picture actor, director and screenwriter.Browning's career spanned the silent and talkie eras... |
July 12, 1880 | October 6, 1962 | American | Actor. Later a Hollywood director who directed Dracula (1931 film) Dracula (1931 film) Dracula is a 1931 vampire-horror film directed by Tod Browning and starring Bela Lugosi as the title character. The film was produced by Universal and is based on the stage play of the same name by Hamilton Deane and John L... and Freaks Freaks Freaks is a 1932 American Pre-Code horror film about sideshow performers, directed and produced by Tod Browning and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, with a cast mostly composed of actual carnival performers. The film was based on Tod Robbins' 1923 short story "Spurs"... . |
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Brox Sisters Brox Sisters The Brox Sisters were an American trio of singing sisters, enjoying their greatest popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s.-Early life:The members were*Bobbe... |
American | Trio of singing sisters consisting of Dagmar Brock, born Josephine and later called Bobbe (1900 - May 2, 1999), Kathleen, later known as Patricia (June 14, 1903–1988), and Eunice, later called Lorayne (d. 1993). | |||
Buck and Bubbles | American | Dance duo with Ford Lee "Buck" Washington (October 16, 1903 – January 31, 1955) and John W. "Bubbles" Sublett John W. Bubbles John William Sublett , known by his stage name John W. Bubbles, was an American vaudeville performer, dancer, singer and entertainer.-Life and career:... (February 19, 1902 – May 18, 1986). |
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John Bunny John Bunny John Bunny was an American actor and was one of the first comic stars of the motion picture era. Between 1910 and his death in 1915 Bunny was one of the top stars of early silent film, as well as an early example of celebrity... |
September 21, 1863 | April 26, 1915 | American | Actor, comedians, and minstrel. Later a film star. | |
Neil Burgess Neil Burgess (comedian) Neil Burgess was an American Vaudevillian comedian who specialized in female impersonation of elderly "widders."... |
1846 | 1910 | American | Female impersonator, mostly playing elderly widows. | |
Smiley Burnette Smiley Burnette Lester Alvin Burnett , better known as Smiley Burnette, was a popular American country music performer and a comedic actor in Western films and on radio and TV, playing sidekick to Gene Autry and other B-movie cowboys. He was also a prolific singer-songwriter who could play as many as 100 musical... |
March 18, 1911 | February 16, 1967 | American | Singer. Later worked with Gene Autry Gene Autry Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s... and performed onscreen in Westerns. |
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Burns and Allen Burns and Allen Burns and Allen, an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen, worked together as a comedy team in vaudeville, films, radio and television and achieved great success over four decades.-Vaudeville:... |
American | Comic duo consisting of George Burns George Burns George Burns , born Nathan Birnbaum, was an American comedian, actor, and writer.He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio, television and movies, with and without his wife, Gracie Allen. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became... (January 20, 1896 – March 9, 1996) and his wife, Gracie Allen Gracie Allen Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen , known as Gracie Allen, was an American comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns... (July 26, 1895 – August 27, 1964). Their radio and television shows proved their enduring popularity, thanks in part to Gracie's scatterbrained publicity stunts. |
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Pesach Burstein Pesach Burstein Pesach "Peishachke" Burstein , born in Warsaw, was an Israeli-American comedian, singer, coupletist, and director of Yiddish vaudeville/theater. His wife Lillian Lux, and son Mike Burstyn are also actors.-Early years:... |
1896 | 1986 | Polish-American | Actor, comedian and singer mostly in Yiddish vaudeville with his family. Burstein, his kids and his wife, Lillian Lux Lillian Lux Lillian Lux was an Israeli-American singer, author, songwriter and actor in Yiddish theater and Yiddish vaudeville in the United States, Israel and other Yiddish speaking communities in the diaspora.-Life and career:... are profiled in the 2002 documentary, The Komediant. |
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Mae Busch Mae Busch Mae Busch was an Australian film actress who worked in both silent and sound films in early Hollywood. In the latter part of her career, she appeared in many Laurel and Hardy comedies, where she frequently played Hardy's shrewish wife.-Early life and career:Born in Melbourne, Australia, Busch was... |
June 18, 1891 | April 19, 1946 | Australian | Actress and comedian who found success in American vaudeville and later appeared in a number of Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema... films. |
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Francis X. Bushman Francis X. Bushman Francis Xavier Bushman was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. His matinee idol career started in 1911 in the silent film His Friend's Wife, but it did not survive the silent screen era.... |
January 10, 1883 | August 23, 1966 | American | Actor who toured with his wife, actress Beverly Bayne Beverly Bayne Beverly Bayne was an American actress who appeared in silent films beginning in 1910 in Chicago, Illinois, where she worked for Essanay Studios.-Early life:... . Following his initial silent film career in Hollywood, where he had become a matinee idol Matinee idol Matinée idol is a term used mainly to describe film or theatre stars who are adored to the point of adulation by their fans.The term almost exclusively refers to male actors. Invariably the adulation was fixated on the actor's looks rather than performance... , Bushman and Bayne appeared at the Palace in the comedy sketch, Poor Rich Man in 1921 and toured various circuits throughout the 1920s. Bushman returned to Hollywood and continued work in film. |
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Butterbeans and Susie Butterbeans and Susie Butterbeans and Susie were a comedy duo made up of Jodie Edwards and Susie Edwards, née Susie Hawthorne . Edwards began his career in 1910 as a singer and dancer. Meanwhile, Hawthorne performed in African American theater. The two met in 1916 when Hawthorne was in the chorus of the Smart Set show... |
American | Comic duo composed of Jodie Edwards (1895–1967) and his wife, Susie Hawthorne (1896–1963). Their act was composed of duets and comedy routines about marital troubles. The duo was active on the TOBA circuit. |
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James Cagney James Cagney James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth... |
July 17, 1899 | March 30, 1986 | American | Actor, before winning an Academy Award, Cagney dressed in drag for a comedy act with four other actors. After several other bit parts on the stage, Cagney was spotted by Al Jolson Al Jolson Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer".... while appearing in the musical Penny Arcade and was soon signed to a Warner Bros. contract. |
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Marie Cahill | February 7, 1870 | August 23, 1933 | American | Singer and actress. | |
Cab Calloway Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer.... |
December 25, 1907 | November 18, 1994 | American | Musician and bandleader. Calloway headlined at the Palace in June, 1931 and at the Loew's State Theatre in 1932. Most famous song is "Minnie the Moocher Minnie the Moocher "Minnie the Moocher" is a jazz song first recorded in 1931 by Cab Calloway and His Orchestra, selling over 1 million copies. "Minnie the Moocher" is most famous for its nonsensical ad libbed lyrics . In performances, Calloway would have the audience participate by repeating each scat phrase in a... ". |
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Emma Calvé Emma Calvé Emma Calvé, born Rosa Emma Calvet , was a French operatic soprano.Calvé was probably the most famous French female opera singer of the Belle Époque. Hers was an international career, and she sang regularly and to considerable acclaim at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, and the Royal Opera... |
August 15, 1858 | January 6, 1942 | French | Operatic soprano. | |
Mrs. Patrick Campbell | February 9, 1865 | April 9, 1940 | British | Actress from the legitimate stage who appeared in vaudeville in Expiation (a Russian tragedy). | |
Judy Canova Judy Canova Judy Canova , born Juliette Canova, was an American comedienne, actress, singer and radio personality. She appeared on Broadway and in films... |
November 20, 1913 | August 5, 1983 | American | Comedienne and singer. Performed with her brother and sister in an act called the "Three Georgia Crackers" and later in an act called "Annie, Judy & Zeke." | |
Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor and songwriter... |
January 31, 1892 | October 10, 1964 | American | Singer and comedian who often appeared in blackface. Appeared in various editions of the Ziegfeld Follies and Broadway musicals such as Kid Boots Kid Boots Kid Boots is a musical with a book by William Anthony McGuire and Otto Harbach, music by Harry Tierney, and lyrics by Joseph McCarthy. The show was staged by Edward Royce.... and Whoopee! Whoopee! Whoopee! is a musical comedy with the book, based on Owen Davis's play The Nervous Wreck, written by William Anthony McGuire, music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Gus Kahn... . |
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Cardini | 1894 | November 11, 1975 | Welsh | Sleight-of-hand magician | |
Mutt Carey Mutt Carey Thomas "Papa Mutt" Carey was a New Orleans jazz trumpeter.Carey was born in Hahnville, Louisiana, and moved to New Orleans with his family in his youth. His older brother Jack Carey was a trombone player and bandleader; Mutt was playing cornet in his brother's band by about 1912. Carey toured the... |
1891 | September 3, 1948 | American | Jazz trumpeter who toured the vaudeville circuits in 1917. | |
Leo Carillo | August 6, 1881 | September 10, 1961 | American | Character actor. | |
Richard Carle Richard Carle Richard Carle was an American film actor. He appeared in 132 films between 1915 and 1941.He was born as Charles Nicholas Carleto in Somerville, Massachusetts... |
July 7, 1871 | June 28, 1941 | American | Comic actor who appeared in vaudeville in 1914 in A Slice of Life where he played Mr. Hyphen-Brown and in April 1915 in If We Said What We Thought. Carle debuted on the New York stage in 1891 and performed primarily in musicals until 1913 when he left the stage for vaudeville. | |
Alan Carney Alan Carney Alan Carney was an American actor and comedian.Alan Carney was born David Boughal in Brooklyn, New York. He had performed in vaudeville for years as a comic dialectican. After making his first film, 1941's Convoy, Carney signed a contract at RKO Pictures, in choice supporting roles in such films... |
December 22, 1909 | May 2, 1973 | American | Comic dialectician. Later worked on Broadway and in films of the 1940s where he was partnered with comic Wally Brown. | |
Georges Carpentier Georges Carpentier Georges Carpentier was a French boxer. He fought mainly as a light heavyweight and heavyweight in a career lasting from 1908-26. Nicknamed the "Orchid Man", he stood and his fighting weight ranged from... |
January 12, 1894 | October 28, 1975 | French | Former boxer and song and dance man. | |
Harry Carroll Harry Carroll Harry Carroll, a famous American songwriter, pianist and composer, was born on November 28, 1892, in Atlantic City, New Jersey and died December 26, 1962, in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania. He taught himself how to play the piano and began playing in movie houses before he finished grade school... |
November 28, 1892 | December 26, 1962 | American | Songwriter, pianist and singer. | |
Mrs. Leslie Carter Mrs. Leslie Carter Caroline Louise Dudley was an American silent film and stage actress who used her married name, Mrs. Leslie Carter, as her stage name to spite her former husband. She was called "The American Sarah Bernhardt".... |
June 10, 1862 | November 13, 1937 | American | Actress of the legitimate stage who toured vaudeville in the role of Zaza, one of her most famous roles from the play by David Belasco David Belasco David Belasco was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director and playwright.-Biography:Born in San Francisco, California, where his Sephardic Jewish parents had moved from London, England, during the Gold Rush, he began working in a San Francisco theatre doing a variety of routine jobs,... . |
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Emma Carus Emma Carus Emma Carus was a contralto singer from New York who was in the cast of the original Ziegfeld Follies in 1907. Her given name was Emma Carus.She frequently sang invaudeville and sometimes in Broadway features... |
March 18, 1879 | November 18, 1927 | German | Singing comedienne who first appeared in vaudeville at Proctor's 23rd Street Theatre in New York in 1894. From 1915 onwards, she performed mostly in vaudeville. | |
Diana Serra Cary Diana Serra Cary Diana Serra Cary , best known as Baby Peggy, was one of the three major American child stars of the Hollywood silent movie era along with Jackie Coogan and Baby Marie.... |
October 26, 1918 | American | Juvenile actress billed as Baby Peggy. Following her film career, Baby Peggy worked in vaude, making $1500 a week, but with the death of vaudeville, Baby Peggy's career was over as well. | ||
Charlie Case Charlie Case Charlie Case was a black-face comedian in America who wrote and sang vaudeville parodies of the 19th century ballad style. He influenced F... |
1858 | 1916 | American | Blackface Blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky... singer and pioneering monologist. |
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Vernon and Irene Castle Vernon and Irene Castle Vernon and Irene Castle were a husband-and-wife team of ballroom dancers of the early 20th century. They are credited with invigorating the popularity of modern dancing. Vernon Castle was born William Vernon Blyth in Norwich, Norfolk, England... |
American (Irene) and British (Vernon) | Ballroom dance team consisting of Vernon (May 2, 1887 – February 15, 1918) and his wife, Irene (April 17, 1893 – January 25, 1969). Introduced such dances as the foxtrot and tango Tango (dance) Tango dance originated in the area of the Rio de la Plata , and spread to the rest of the world soon after.... to U.S. audiences. |
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Walter Catlett Walter Catlett Walter Catlett was an American actor. As a San Francisco citizen, he started out in vaudeville with a detour for a while in opera before breaking into films.-Early career:... |
February 4, 1889 | November 14, 1960 | American | Comedian who worked in vaudeville and on the legitimate stage before working in film. | |
Joseph Cawthorn | March 29, 1868 | April 17, 1959 | American | Minstrel and comedian, Joseph Cawthorn, made his stage debut at the age of 4 at Robinson's Music Hall in New York City. Later, he joined Haverly's Minstrels in 1872 and worked in vaudeville as a Dutch dialect comedian. He continued working in musical comedies and in 1926, made his screen debut. | |
Lon Chaney, Sr. Lon Chaney, Sr. Lon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema... |
April 1, 1883 | August 26, 1930 | American | Actor, "the Man of a Thousand Faces" later scared moviegoers after years in vaudeville houses in films such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923 film) The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1923 American film directed by Wallace Worsley and produced by Carl Laemmle and Irving Thalberg. It stars Lon Chaney, Sr., Patsy Ruth Miller, Norman Kerry, Nigel de Brulier, Brandon Hurst. The film is the second most famous adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel,... and The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film) The Phantom of the Opera is a 1925 American silent horror film adaptation of the Gaston Leroux novel of the same title directed by Rupert Julian. The film featured Lon Chaney in the title role as the deformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House, causing murder and mayhem in an attempt to force... . |
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Charlie Chaplin Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I... |
April 16, 1889 | December 25, 1977 | British-American | Mack Sennett Mack Sennett Mack Sennett was a Canadian-born American director and was known as the innovator of slapstick comedy in film. During his lifetime he was known at times as the "King of Comedy"... the following year.> |
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Chaz Chase | 1902 | August 4, 1983 | American | Comedian whose act was to seemingly eat all manner of inedible objects, such as matches and paper (in reality he would turn upstage and spit them into his oversized top hat). | |
Dave Chasen | July 18, 1898 | June 16, 1973 | Russian-American | Comedian who worked with Joe Cook Joe Cook (actor) Joe Cook was an American actor, comedian, and entertainer most known for his work on Broadway but who also appeared in motion pictures.... . |
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Doc Cheatham | June 13, 1905 | June 2, 1997 | American | Trumpeter, singer and bandleader who toured TOBA working in bands accompanying blues singers. | |
Cherry Sisters Cherry Sisters The Cherry Sisters – Addie , Effie Ella, Lizzie, and Jessie Cherry - were a group of sisters from Marion, Iowa who formed a notorious vaudeville touring act in the late 19th century. They were also the plaintiffs in a landmark 1901 legal case heard by the Iowa Supreme Court, Cherry v... |
American | An act consisting of five sisters, Addie, Effie, Ella, Elizabeth and Jessie Cherry who sang, danced and acted. It was known as the worst act in vaudeville and audiences often attended to hurl produce and catcalls at them. | |||
Albert Chevalier Albert Chevalier Albert Onesime Britannicus Gwathveoyd Louis Chevalier was an English comedian and actor.-Early life:Albert Chevalier was born in the Royal Crescent, in London's Notting Hill... |
March 21, 1861 | July 10, 1923 | British | British music hall actor and comedian. | |
Frank Christian | September 3, 1887 | November 27, 1973 | American | Trumpeter. | |
Ching Ling Foo Ching Ling Foo Ching Ling Foo , born Chee Ling Qua , is credited with being the first modern East Asian magician to achieve world fame.- Biography :Born in Beijing, Foo studied traditional Chinese magic and was a well-respected performer in his homeland.... |
1854 | 1922 | Chinese | Magician. | |
Chung Ling Soo | April 2, 1861 | March 24, 1918 | American | Magician. | |
Paul Cinquevalli Paul Cinquevalli Paul Cinquevalli was a famous juggler from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. His birth name is given by The Cambridge Guide to Theatre as Paul Kestner, but other sources give it as Paul Braun-Lehmann and Emile Otto Lehmann-Braun.-Early life:Cinquevalli was born in Lissa in what is... |
1859 | 1918 | German | Juggler. | |
Ina Claire Ina Claire Ina Claire was an American stage and film actress.-Career:Born Ina Fagan in 1893 in Washington, D.C., Claire began her career appearing in vaudeville... |
October 15, 1893 | February 21, 1985 | American | Singer-comedienne Ina Claire made her vaudeville debut in 1907 impersonating Harry Lauder Harry Lauder Sir Henry Lauder , known professionally as Harry Lauder, was an international Scottish entertainer, described by Sir Winston Churchill as "Scotland's greatest ever ambassador!"-Early life:... . Her first appearance on the musical stage was in 1911 and she debuted at the Palace Theatre in 1915. She toured vaudeville on the Orpheum, Keith and Proctor circuits and appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies Ziegfeld Follies The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air.... of 1915 and 1916. She continued on the stage in musical comedies. |
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Bobby Clark Bobby Clark (comedian) Robert Edwin Clark , known as Bobby Clark, was a minstrel, vaudevillian, performer on stage, film, television and the circus.... |
June 16, 1888 | February 12, 1960 | American | Comedian. Member, with Paul McCullough Paul McCullough Paul Johnston McCullough was an American actor who performed in a comedy team with Bobby Clark.Born in Springfield, Ohio, McCullough met Clark at a local YMCA when they were boys... , of the comic team of Clark and McCullough. |
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Bessie Clayton | 1878 | July 21, 1948 | American | Dancer. | |
Loretta Clemens Tupper Loretta Clemens Tupper Loretta Clemens Tupper was born 6 May 1906, in Marblehead, Ohio and died 17 September 1990, in The Bronx, New York. She was a singer and an actor. She was famous for playing the old lady in the Fruit of the Loom commercials from the 1980s. She was a character on the PBS Television show Sesame... |
May 6, 1906 | September 17, 1990 | American | Singer and musician, performed with her brother Jack Clemens. | |
Stanley Clements Stanley Clements Stanley Clements was an American actor and comedian.Stanley Clements was born Stanislaw Klimowicz in Long Island, New York. Young Stan realized that he wanted a show-business career while he was in grammar school, and when he graduated from college he toured in vaudeville for two years... |
July 16, 1926 | October 16, 1981 | American | Actor and comedian. | |
Laddie Cliff | September 13, 1891 | December 8, 1937 | British | Eccentric dancer. | |
Kathleen Clifford Kathleen Clifford Kathleen Clifford was an American vaudeville and Broadway stage and film actress of the early twentieth century.-Biography:... |
February 16, 1887 | December 28, 1962 | American | Male impersonator billed as "The Smartest Chap in Town" who appeared in a top hat, tails and a monocle Monocle A monocle is a type of corrective lens used to correct or enhance the vision in only one eye. It consists of a circular lens, generally with a wire ring around the circumference that can be attached to a string. The other end of the string is then connected to the wearer's clothing to avoid losing... . Clifford's first appearance on the legitimate stage came in 1903 in the musical comedy, The Girl from Kay's. She worked in film from 1917 to 1928 returning to vaudeville in the 30s. |
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Herbert Clifton | October 19, 1885 | September 26, 1947 | British | Female impersonator and singer. | |
Maggie Cline | January 1, 1857 | June 11, 1934 | American | Irish American singer whose vigorous persona and hearty performances of Irish songs made her an immensely popular figure in the heydey of the vaudeville stage. | |
E. E. Clive E. E. Clive Edward E. Clive was a Welsh actor in the early 20th century.- Biography :Born in Monmouthshire, Clive studied for a medical career, having four years of medical course at St Bartholomew's Hospital before switching his focus to acting at age 22... |
August 28, 1879 | June 6, 1940 | British | Actor. | |
June Clyde June Clyde June Clyde was an American actress, singer and dancer. She was a niece of actress .... |
December 2, 1909 | October 1, 1987 | American | Actress, singer and dancer billed as "Baby Tetrazini." Clyde began working in vaudeville at the age of seven progressing to stage musicals and eventually appearing in films in 1929. | |
Ty Cobb Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia... |
December 18, 1886 | July 17, 1961 | American | Former basbeball player. | |
Imogene Coca Imogene Coca Imogene Fernandez de Coca was an American comic actress best known for her role opposite Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows.... |
November 18, 1908 | June 2, 2001 | American | Comedienne who was born into a showbiz family. Coca's first stagework came at the age of 11 as a dancer and she worked in nightclubs and vaudeville houses before being discovered as a comedienne. In the 50s, Coca began work on television with comedian, Sid Caesar Sid Caesar Isaac Sidney "Sid" Caesar is an Emmy award winning American comic actor and writer known as the leading man on the 1950s television series Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour, and to younger generations as Coach Calhoun in Grease and Grease 2.- Early life :Caesar was born in Yonkers, New York,... . Her work in TV spanned decades. |
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Ann Codee Ann Codee Ann Codee was a Belgian actress with numerous hit films on her résumé.-Biography:Codee married actor Frank Orth around 1911 or so. She and her husband toured American vaudeville in the 1910s and 1920s in a comedy act. The team made its film debut in 1929, appearing in a series of multilingual... |
March 5, 1890 | May 18, 1961 | Belgian | Comedienne who toured with her husband, Frank Orth. Their act toured the world and could be performed in 5 languages. | |
Cole and Johnson | American | Singing and dancing duo consisting of Bob Cole Bob Cole (composer) Robert Allen "Bob" Cole was an American composer, actor, playwright, and stage producer and director.In collaboration with Billy Johnson, he wrote and produced A Trip to Coontown , the first musical entirely created and owned by black showmen. The popular song La Hoola Boola was also a result of... (July 1, 1869 – August 2, 1911) and J. Rosamond Johnson J. Rosamond Johnson John Rosamond Johnson , most often referred to as J. Rosamond Johnson, was an American composer and singer during the Harlem Renaissance. Johnson is most notable as the composer of Lift Every Voice and Sing which has come to be known in the United States as the "Black National Anthem"... (August 11, 1873 – November 11, 1954). |
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Michael Coleman Michael Coleman (musician) -Early years:Michael Coleman was born in Knockgrania, in the rural Killavil district, near Ballymote, County Sligo, Ireland. His father, James Coleman, was from Banada in County Roscommon, and a respected flute player... |
1889 | 1945 | Irish | Irish fiddler. | |
Charles "Honi" Coles Charles Coles Charles “Honi” Coles was an American actor and tap dancer.-Biography:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Coles developed his high-speed rhythm tapping on the streets of his hometown. He first went to New York City as one of the Three Millers, who were known for their intricate and difficult dance... |
April 2, 1911 | November 12, 1992 | American | Tap dancer. | |
Lottie Collins Lottie Collins Lottie Collins was an English singer and dancer, most famous for introducing the song "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay!"-Life:... |
1866 | May 1, 1910 | British | Singer-comedienne. Most well known for popularizing the song, "Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay!." | |
Pinto Colvig Pinto Colvig Vance DeBar "Pinto" Colvig was an American vaudeville actor, radio actor, newspaper cartoonist, prolific movie voice actor, and circus performer whose schtick was playing clarinet off-key while mugging.... |
September 11, 1892 | October 3, 1967 | American | Comedian, the voice of Goofy Goofy Goofy is a cartoon character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. Goofy is a tall, anthropomorphic dog, and typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck... in Disney cartoons and was the first Bozo the Clown Bozo the Clown Bozo the Clown is a clown character very popular in the United States, peaking in the 1960s as a result of widespread franchising in early television.Originally created by Alan W... . |
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Chester Conklin Chester Conklin Chester Cooper Conklin was an American comedian and actor. He appeared in over 280 films, about half of them in the silent era.-Early life:... |
January 11, 1886 | October 11, 1971 | American | Comedian and actor. Later worked as one of Mack Sennett Mack Sennett Mack Sennett was a Canadian-born American director and was known as the innovator of slapstick comedy in film. During his lifetime he was known at times as the "King of Comedy"... 's Keystone Kops Keystone Kops The Keystone Kops were incompetent fictional policemen, featured in silent film comedies in the early 20th century. The movies were produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Film Company between 1912 and 1917. The idea came from Hank Mann who also played police chief Tehiezel in the first film... and appeared in some of Charlie Chaplin Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I... 's films. |
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Conlin and Glass | October 14, 1884 | May 7, 1962 | American | Comic duo consisting of Jimmy Conlin Jimmy Conlin Jimmy Conlin was an American character actor who appeared in almost 150 films in his 32 year career.-Career:... (October 14, 1884 – May 7, 1962) and his wife, Myrtle Glass. |
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Jackie Coogan Jackie Coogan John Leslie Coogan , known professionally as Jackie Coogan, was an American actor who began his movie career as a child actor in silent films. Many years later, he became known as Uncle Fester on 1960s sitcom The Addams Family... |
October 26, 1914 | March 1, 1984 | American | Child actor, best known as Charlie Chaplin Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I... 's sidekick in The Kid The Kid (1921 film) The Kid is a 1921 American silent dramedy film written by, produced by, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, and features Jackie Coogan as his adopted son and sidekick. This was Chaplin's first full-length movie... and (as an adult) as Uncle Fester Uncle Fester Gordon Craven, Uncle Fester, or Fester Addams, is a member of the fictional Addams Family. He was played by Jackie Coogan in the original television series, by Christopher Lloyd in the first two feature films, and by Patrick Thomas in the third, Addams Family Reunion. Finally, Michael Roberds... on TV's The Addams Family The Addams Family (TV series) The Addams Family is an American television series based on the characters in Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons. The 30-minute series was shot in black-and-white and aired for two seasons in 64 installments on ABC from September 18, 1964, to April 8, 1966... . The infamous Coogan Law is named after him. |
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Elisha Cook Jr. Elisha Cook Jr. Elisha Vanslyck Cook, Jr. was an American character actor who made a career out of playing cowardly villains and weedy neurotics in dozens of films... |
December 26, 1902 | May 18, 1995 | American | Actor. Cook first appeared onstage at the age of 14 and worked onstage in stock theatre, vaudeville and Broadway. His first film appearance was in 1929. | |
Joe Cook Joe Cook (actor) Joe Cook was an American actor, comedian, and entertainer most known for his work on Broadway but who also appeared in motion pictures.... |
1890 | May 16, 1959 | American | Born Joseph Lopez, Joe Cook first appeared in vaudeville in a juggling act with his brother, billed as "The Juggling Kids." He made one of his first solo appearances in July 1907 at Proctor's 125th Street Theatre, New York. He began incorporating comedy, props and monologues into his act and on January 2, 1922, he played the Palace. Following vaudeville, Cook appeared on Broadway and was heard on the radio. | |
Baldwin Cooke Baldwin Cooke Baldwin Cooke, also known as Baldy Cooke , was a comedic American actor. Born in New York, Cooke and his wife, Alice, toured in vaudeville with Stan Laurel, remaining close friends over the years. He appeared in some thirty Laurel and Hardy comedies... |
March 10, 1888 | December 31, 1953 | American | Actor who toured vaudeville with his wife, Alice and Stan Laurel Stan Laurel Arthur Stanley "Stan" Jefferson , better known as Stan Laurel, was an English comic actor, writer and film director, famous as the first half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. His film acting career stretched between 1917 and 1951 and included a starring role in the Academy Award winning film... . |
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John W. Cooper John W. Cooper John W. Cooper was an African-American ventriloquist of the early 20th century. He was the first black ventriloquist on the predominantly white vaudeville circuit, and later in his life taught ventriloquism to Shari Lewis.... |
1873 | 1966 | American | Ventriloquist with his dummy, Sam Jackson. | |
James "Gentleman Jim" J. Corbett James J. Corbett James John "Gentleman Jim" Corbett was an Irish-American heavyweight boxing champion, best known as the man who defeated the great John L. Sullivan. He also coached boxing at the Olympic Club in San Francisco... |
September 1, 1866 | February 18, 1933 | American | Former boxer | |
Maurice Costello Maurice Costello Maurice Costello was a prominent vaudeville actor of the late 1890s and early 1900s, who later played a principal role in early American films, as both a leading man, supporting player and a director.... |
February 22, 1877 | October 30, 1950 | American | Actor and comedian. | |
Willie Covan | 1896 | May 7, 1989 | American | Tap dancer. | |
Ida Cox Ida Cox Ida Cox was an African American singer and vaudeville performer, best known for her blues performances and recordings... |
February 25, 1896 | November 10, 1967 | American | Blues singer who toured in vaudeville from 1923 to 1929. One of the bandmembers accompanying her was Earl Palmer Earl Palmer Earl Cyril Palmer was an American rock & roll and rhythm and blues drummer, and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.... . |
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Joseph E. Coyne | March 27, 1867 | February 17, 1941 | American | Comedian. | |
Henry Creamer Henry Creamer Henry Creamer was an American popular song lyricist. He was born in Richmond, Virginia and died in New York. He co-wrote many popular songs in the years from 1900 to 1929, often collaborating with Turner Layton, with whom he also appeared in vaudeville.Creamer was a co-founder with James Reese... |
June 21, 1879 | October 14, 1930 | American | Singer and songwriter. | |
Will Cressy | October 20, 1863 | May 7, 1930 | American | Actor and writer. | |
Crumit and Sanderson | American | Husband and wife singing duo with Frank Crumit Frank Crumit Frank Crumit was an American singer, composer. radio entertainer and vaudeville star. He shared his radio programs with his wife, Julia Sanderson, and the two were sometimes called "the ideal couple of the air."... (September 26, 1888 – September 7, 1943) and Julia Sanderson Julia Sanderson Julia Sanderson was an actress and singer. Her father, Albert Sackett, was also a Broadway star. She was born August 20, 1888, in Springfield, Massachusetts. She appeared in the Forepaugh Circus as a child and in her early teen years with her father. She then moved to Broadway, where she appeared... (August 20, 1887 – January 27, 1975). |
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Pauline Curley Pauline Curley Pauline Curley was a vaudeville and silent film actress from Holyoke, Massachusetts.Her film career spanned much of the silent era, from 1912-1929. She married cinematographer Kenneth Peach in 1923, taking his last name as Pauline Curley Peach and remaining married until his death in 1988. They... |
December 19, 1903 | December 16, 2000 | American | From the age of 7, Curley appeared onstage, including in vaudeville, where she was a singer and dancer. From 1915 to 1928, Curley appeared in silent films. |
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Dan Dailey Dan Dailey Daniel James Dailey Jr. was an American dancer and actor.-Early life and career:Born in New York City on December 14, 1915, to James J. and Helen Dailey, both born in New York City. He appeared in a minstrel show when very young, and appeared in vaudeville before his Broadway debut in 1937 in... |
December 4, 1913 | October 16, 1978 | American | Dancer, singer and actor. | |
Peter F. Dailey Peter F. Dailey Peter F. Dailey was an American burlesque comedian and singer who became popular over the era remembered as the Gay Nineties-Early Life:... |
1868 | 1908 | American | Comedian, one of the members of the popular act, "The American Four." His debut on the legitimate stage was with the Howard Atheneum Company. Later, he appeared with Webber and Fields. | |
Dorothy Dalton Dorothy Dalton Dorothy Dalton was an American silent film actress and stage personality who worked her way from a stock company to a movie career. Beginning in 1910, Dalton was a player in stock companies in Chicago and Holyoke, Massachusetts. She joined the Keith-Albee-Orpheum Corporation vaudeville circuits... |
September 22, 1893 | April 13, 1972 | American | Actress. | |
Viola Dana Viola Dana Viola Dana was an American film actress who was successful during the era of silent movies.- Career :Born Virginia Flugrath, Dana was a child star, appearing on the stage at the age of three. She read Shakespeare and particularly identified with the teenage Juliet. She enjoyed a long run at the... |
June 28, 1897 | July 3, 1987 | American | Actress. Before she worked in silent films, Dana worked extensively on the legitimate stage. Her first foray into vaudeville was in a playlet called There Goes the Bride which received bad reviews. She tried her hand at vaudeville again with a sketch by Anita Loos Anita Loos Anita Loos was an American screenwriter, playwright and author.-Early life:Born Corinne Anita Loos in Sisson, California , where her father, R. Beers Loos, had opened a tabloid newspaper for which her mother, Minerva "Minnie" Smith did most of the work of a newspaper publisher... called, The Inkwell, supported by Edward Arnold which did much better. |
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The Dancing Cansinos | Spanish | A family Spanish dancing act, The Dancing Cansinos included Eduardo Cansino, Sr. Eduardo Cansino (Sr.) Eduardo Cansino was an accomplished dancer and actor, the brother of Spanish dancer Elisa Cansino, and the father of three children, two of whom became famous as actors.... (March 2, 1895 – December 24, 1968), his wife, Volga Hayworth Volga Hayworth Volga Cansino, née Hayworth , was an American dancer and vaudevillian under the name Volga Hayworth. A popular showgirl on Broadway, she was the mother of actress Rita Hayworth, who took her professional name from her mother's maiden name.She was born in 1897 in Washington D.C., the daughter of and... (1900 - February 5, 1945), daughter Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars... (October 17, 1918 – May 14, 1987), and son, Eduardo, Jr. Eduardo Cansino, Jr Eduardo Cansino, Jr. was an actor, the son of Volga Haworth, a Ziegfeld Follies showgirl, and Spanish-Andalusian dance master Eduardo Cansino, Sr.... (October 13, 1919 – March 11, 1974). |
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Marion Davies Marion Davies Marion Davies was an American film actress. Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career.... |
January 3, 1897 | September 23, 1961 | American | Actress and comedienne. Davies appeared as a 'comic' chorine in vaudeville as well as the Ziegfeld Follies Ziegfeld Follies The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air.... of 1916. |
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Reine Davies Reine Davies Reine Davies was an American singer and actress.-Biography:Davies was born Irene Douras in Brooklyn, New York. She was the eldest sister of the actress Marion Davies. Reine was the first of the Douras daughters to start using the name, 'Davies.' One day she was driving through the Brooklyn... |
June 6, 1886 | April 5, 1938 | American | Singer and actress. | |
Benny Davis Benny Davis Benny Davis was a vaudeville performer and writer of popular songs. He composed the classic 1926 standard "Baby Face" with Harry Akst.-Life and career:... |
August 21, 1895 | December 20, 1979 | American | Pianist, singer and songwriter. | |
Joan Davis Joan Davis Joan Davis was an American comedic actress whose career spanned vaudeville, film, radio and television. Remembered best for the 1950s television comedy, I Married Joan, Davis had a successful earlier career as a B-movie actress and a leading star of 1940s radio comedy.Born as Madonna Josephine... |
June 29, 1907 | May 22, 1961 | American | Actress and comedienne. | |
Sammy Davis, Jr. Sammy Davis, Jr. Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities.... |
December 8, 1925 | May 16, 1990 | American | Dancer and singer, performed with his father and uncle as "The Will Maston Trio". As an adult, he became one of the most celebrated entertainers of his time and a member of the infamous Rat Pack Rat Pack The Rat Pack was a group of actors originally centered on Humphrey Bogart. In the mid-1960s it was the name used by the press and the general public to refer to a later variation of the group, after Bogart's death, that called itself "the summit" or "the clan," featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean... with Frank Sinatra Frank Sinatra Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the... and Dean Martin Dean Martin Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"... . |
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Sammy Davis, Sr. Sammy Davis, Sr. Samuel George "Sammy" Davis, Sr. was an American dancer and the father of Sammy Davis, Jr..-Birth and Personal Life:... |
December 12, 1900 | May 21, 1988 | American | Dancer. Father of Sammy Davis, Jr. Sammy Davis, Jr. Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities.... . |
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Hazel Dawn Hazel Dawn Hazel Dawn was a stage, film and television actress. She was born as Hazel Tout to a Mormon family.-Stage career:... |
March 23, 1890 | August 28, 1988 | American | Musical comedy actress. Dawn debuted in vaudeville at New York's Alhambra Theatre in 1923 in a sketch called, The Pink Lady. She appeared at the Palace in January 1924 in a playlet called, The Land of Love by Edgar Allen Woolf. Additionally, Dawn appeared in 11 feature films for the Famous Player Film Company between 1914-7. | |
Mlle. Dazie | September 16, 1884 | August 12, 1952 | American | Toe-dancer. Dazie's first appearance in vaudeville was as "Le Domino Rouge" in an act where she wore a red mask. After she got rid of the mask, she was billed as "Mlle. Dazie" and it was under this name that she appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies. She toured the Keith circuit in a ballet panotmime, L'Amour d'Artiste and headlined the Palace in 1917 in another ballet pantomime directed by Herbert Brenon. | |
Vaughn De Leath Vaughn De Leath Vaughn De Leath was an American female singer who gained popularity in the 1920s, earning the sobriquets "The Original Radio Girl" and "First Lady of Radio." Although popular in the 1920s, De Leath is little known today.... |
September 26, 1896 | May 28, 1943 | American | Actress and singer. | |
Dizzy Dean Dizzy Dean Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the last National League pitcher to win 30 games in one season. Dean was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.... |
January 16, 1910 | July 17, 1974 | American | Former basbeball player. | |
Carter DeHaven Carter DeHaven Carter DeHaven was a movie and stage actor, movie director, and writer.... |
October 5, 1886 | July 20, 1977 | American | Comedian. | |
Guido Deiro Guido Deiro Count Guido Pietro Deiro was a famous vaudeville star, international recording artist, composer and teacher. He was the first piano-accordionist to appear on big-time vaudeville, records, radio and the screen. Guido usually performed under the stage-name "Deiro"... |
September 1, 1886 | July 26, 1950 | Italian-American | piano-accordionist | |
Dorothy Dell Dorothy Dell Dorothy Dell was an American film actress.-Early life and career:Born Dorothy Dell Goff in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to entertainers, she moved with the family to New Orleans, Louisiana, at age 13. She was born into a socially prominent family, and her mother was a descendant of Jefferson Davis... |
January 30, 1915 | June 28, 1934 | American | Singer and dancer in a duo with Allan Mann. | |
William Demarest William Demarest Carl William Demarest was an American character actor. He frequently played crusty but good-hearted roles.-Early life and career:... |
February 27, 1892 | December 28, 1983 | American | Comedian and later character actor, popular in Hollywood in the 1940s and 50s, best known as "Uncle Charlie" on the TV sitcom My Three Sons My Three Sons My Three Sons is an American situation comedy. The series ran from 1960 to 1965 on ABC, and moved to CBS until its end on August 24, 1972. My Three Sons chronicles the life of a widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas , raising his three sons.The series was a cornerstone of the CBS... . |
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Gaby Deslys Gaby Deslys Gaby Deslys was a dancer, singer, and actress of the early 20th century from Marseilles, France. She selected her name for her stage career. It is an abbreviation of Gabrielle of the Lillies. During the 1910s she was exceedingly popular worldwide, making $4,000 a week in the United States alone... |
September 4, 1881 | February 11, 1920 | French | Singer and dancer. | |
Elliott Dexter Elliott Dexter Elliott Dexter was an American film and stage actor. Dexter started his career in vaudeville and didn't move to films until he was 45. He retired from acting in 1925.... |
March 29, 1870 | November 21, 1949 | American | Actor. Later worked in silent films. | |
William Dillon William Dillon William Austin Dillon was an American songwriter and Vaudevillian. He is best known as the lyricist for the song "I Want a Girl " , written in collaboration with Harry Von Tilzer. It can be heard in Show Business and The Jolson Story... |
November 6, 1877 | February 10, 1966 | American | Singer and songwriter. | |
Henry E. Dixey Henry E. Dixey Henry E. Dixey was an American actor and theatre producer. He was born January 6, 1859 in Boston, Massachusetts. He made his stage debut in Boston in 1868, joining the variety stock actors at the Howard Athenaeum, where in 1869 he played the character Peanuts in the Augustin Daly play Under the... |
January 6, 1859 | February 25, 1943 | American | Actor, dancer and comedian. | |
Lew Dockstader Lew Dockstader Lew Dockstader was a United States singer, comedian, and Vaudeville star, best known as a blackface minstrel show performer in the late 19th century and early years of the 20th century.Dockstader performed both as a solo act and leading a popular Minstrel troupe... |
1856 | October 26, 1924 | American | Comedian and minstrel. | |
Dolly Sisters Dolly Sisters The Dolly Sisters, twins Roszika and Janszieka Deutsch were Vaudeville performers.-Biographies:They were born October 25, 1892 in Hungary, and emigrated to the United States in 1905. They perfected a single-sex "tandem" dance act - practising in front of mirrors - under the name of 'The Dolly... |
Hungarian-American | Twin sisters, Rosie and Jenny (October 25, 1892 - May 1, 1941 Jenny and 1 Janusary 1970 Rosie) who had a dance act. | |||
Kitty Doner | 1895 | August 26, 1988 | American | Male impersonator and dancer. Of the male impersonators in vaude, Doner was the best known American-born male "imp". She was the first male impersonator to play the Palace Palace Theatre, New York The Palace Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1564 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architects Kirchoff & Rose, the theatre was built by Martin Beck a California vaudeville entrepreneur and Broadway impresario. The project experienced a number of business problems before... , in 1919 and she played there again in May 1926. |
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Mike Donlin Mike Donlin Michael Joseph Donlin was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Perfectos/Cardinals , Baltimore Orioles , Cincinnati Reds , New York Giants , Boston Rustlers , and Pittsburgh Pirates... |
May 30, 1878 | September 24, 1943 | American | Former major league baseball player who entered vaudeville after marrying an actress, Mabel Hite. Acted in a one-act play, Stealing Home and later worked as a comedian with Tom Lewis. | |
Jack Donohue | 1892 | October 1, 1930 | American | Dancer, singer and actor. Worked with his wife, Alice Stewart, as Donohue & Stewart. | |
Red Dooin Red Dooin Charles Sebastian "Red" Dooin was an American catcher and manager in Major League Baseball during the first two decades of the 20th century. He played 1,219 of his 1,290 games as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies and managed the Phils from 1910 through 1914.-Biography:Born in Cincinnati, Ohio,... |
July 12, 1879 | May 12, 1952 | American | Baseball player who appeared in vaudeville first with a singing act and a singing and talking act with Dumon's Minstrels in Philadelphia, 1910. | |
Fifi D'Orsay Fifi D'Orsay -Biography:Born Marie-Rose Angelina Yvonne Lussier in Montreal, Quebec, as a young typist, filled with the desire to become an actress, she went to New York City. There, she found work in The Greenwich Village Follies after an audition in which she sang the song "Yes, We Have No Bananas' in French... |
April 16, 1907 | December 2, 1982 | Canadian | Singer and Comedienne. | |
Billie Dove Billie Dove Billie Dove was an American actress.-Early life and career:She was born as Bertha Bohny in New York City to Charles and Bertha Bohny who were Swiss immigrants. As a teen, she worked as a model to help support her family and was hired at the age of 15 by Florenz Ziegfeld to appear in his Ziegfeld... |
May 4, 1901 | December 31, 1998 | American | Ziegfeld girl in the Follies of 1917 and 1918. Later, Dove appeared in films and was a minstress to William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father... . |
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Eddie Dowling Eddie Dowling Eddie Dowling was an American actor, screenwriter, playwright, director, producer, songwriter and composer.... |
December 9, 1894 | February 18, 1976 | American | Actor and singer. | |
Johnny Downs Johnny Downs Johnny Downs was an American actor. Son of a Naval aviator, he was taken to Hollywood in 1921 when his father was transferred to the San Diego naval base. He began his career as a child actor, most notably playing Johnny in the Our Gang short series from 1923 to 1926... |
October 10, 1913 | June 6, 1994 | American | Child actor who appeared in the Our Gang Our Gang Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively... series of shorts along with several feature films. Following his film work, he appeared in vaudeville in the early 1930s. |
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Thomas Nelson Downs Thomas Nelson Downs Thomas Nelson Downs, also T. Nelson Downs, was one of the most famous manipulative magicians renowned for his coin tricks. Downs was also known as "The King of Koins".-Biography:... |
March 16, 1867 | September 1938 | American | Magician specializing in coin tricks. | |
Louise Dresser Louise Dresser Louise Dresser was an American actress.Born Louise Josephine Kerlin in Evansville, Indiana. Her father was a train conductor who died when she was fifteen years old... |
October 5, 1878 | April 24, 1965 | American | Singer and actress. | |
Marie Dressler Marie Dressler Marie Dressler was a Canadian-American actress and Depression-era film star. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1930-31 in Min and Bill.-Early life and stage career:... |
November 9, 1869 | July 28, 1934 | Canadian | Actress and comedienne, who later found greater fame in movies such as Min and Bill Min and Bill Min and Bill is a 1930 American comedy-drama film starring Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery and based on Lorna Moon's novel Dark Star, adapted by Frances Marion and Marion Jackson.... and Dinner at Eight Dinner at Eight (film) Dinner at Eight is a Pre-Code 1933 comedy of manners/drama produced by MGM Studios. The film was adapted to the screen by Frances Marion and Herman J. Mankiewicz from the play by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, with additional dialogue supplied by Donald Ogden Stewart. Produced by David O... . |
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Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Drew -Biography:Sidney Drew , or Mr. Sidney Drew as he was usually billed, was an uncle of actors Lionel, Ethel & John Barrymore. His origins have been the subject of much speculation. Sidney's mother Mrs. Louisa Drew said she adopted him not long after the death of her husband John Drew, Sr. in 1862.... |
American | Husband and wife comic team with Sidney (August 28, 1868 – April 9, 1919) and Gladys Rankin Drew (c. 1874 - January 9, 1914). | |||
Dave Dreyer Dave Dreyer Dave Dreyer is a composer and pianist born on September 22, 1894 in Brooklyn, New York. He died on March 2, 1967 in New York City. He started off as a pianist with vaudeville greats such as Al Jolson, Sophie Tucker, Belle Baker, and Frank Fay. In 1923 he worked for the Irving Berlin Music Company.... |
September 22, 1894 | 1967 | American | Pianist and songwriter. | |
Duffy and Sweeney | American | Knockabout comedy act consisting of James Terence Duffy (1889 - March 30, 1939) and Frederick Chase Sweeney (1894 - December 10, 1954). | |||
Margaret Dumont Margaret Dumont Margaret Dumont was an American comedic actress. She is remembered mostly for being the comic foil to Groucho Marx in seven of the Marx Brothers films... |
October 20, 1882 | March 6, 1965 | American | Actress and singer, best known as the comic foil for the Marx Brothers Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950... , performed under the name "Daisy Dumont" before entering motion pictures. |
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Duncan Sisters Duncan Sisters The Duncan Sisters were a vaudeville duo who became popular in the 1920s with their act Topsy and Eva.-Early career:Rosetta and Vivian Duncan were born in Los Angeles, California, the daughters of a violinist turned salesman... |
American | Singing sister act composed of Vivian (June 17, 1899 – September 19, 1986) and Rosetta Duncan (November 23, 1896 – December 4, 1959). | |||
James Dunn James Dunn (actor) James Howard Dunn was an American film actor.-Biography:Born in New York City of Irish descent, Dunn was the son of a Wall Street stockbroker who, according to Dunn, "either had a million or nothing." He joined his father in his business for three years... |
November 2, 1905 | September 3, 1967 | American | Actor. | |
Jack Durant | April 12, 1905 | January 7, 1984 | American | Acrobat and comedian. | |
Jimmy Durante Jimmy Durante James Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s... |
February 10, 1893 | January 29, 1980 | American | Comedian and actor, known for his huge nose. | |
Walter Dyett Walter Dyett Walter Henri Dyett was an American violinist and music educator. As musical director at DuSable High School in Chicago, he trained many students who went on to become well-known musicians.- Career :... |
January 11, 1901 | November 17, 1969 | American | Violinist and conductor of vaudeville pit orchestras. Following his work in vaudeville, Dyett became a noted music educator working at Chicago Chicago Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles... 's DuSable High School DuSable High School DuSable High School was a public high school in Chicago opened in the Bronzeville neighborhood in 1934. It was named after Chicago's first permanent non-native settler, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. DuSable was built to accommodate the growing Phillips High School in the 1930s. The campus was... . As a music teacher and director of school ensembles, Dyett influenced many up-and-coming jazz, blues and rock musicians. |
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Jacqueline Dyris Jacqueline Dyris Jacqueline Dyris was a petite stage actress and silent film star, a native of Brussels, Belgium. Her father was of English and Dutch descent and her mother was Spanish and French. Jacqueline was educated in Europe and later Montreal, Canada, Chicago, Illinois, and New York, New York.-Career:She was... |
Belgian | Dancer. |
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Charles Eaton Charles Eaton (actor) Charles Eaton was an American juvenile stage and film performer, and the most important performing male member of the clan once referred to as The Seven Little Eatons. The siblings, all appeared, at one time or another, in The Ziegfeld Follies each year between 1918 through 1923.-Career:On stage... |
June 22, 1910 | August 15, 2004 | American | Actor. | |
Mary Eaton Mary Eaton Mary Eaton was a leading stage actress, singer, and dancer in the 1910s and 1920s. A professional performer since childhood, she enjoyed success in stage productions such as the Ziegfeld Follies and early sound films such as Glorifying the American Girl and The Cocoanuts, but found her career in... |
January 29, 1901 | October 10, 1948 | American | Singer, dancer, actress and Ziegfeld girl. | |
Pearl Eaton Pearl Eaton Pearl Eaton was a Broadway performer, choreographer, and dance supervisor of the 1910s and 1920s.-Early life and career:... |
August 1, 1898 | September 10, 1958 | American | Singer, dancer, actress and Ziegfeld girl. | |
Buddy Buddy Ebsen Buddy Ebsen was an American character actor and dancer. A performer for seven decades, he had starring roles as Jed Clampett in the long-running television series The Beverly Hillbillies and as the title character in the 1970s detective series Barnaby Jones, and played Barnaby Jones in the movie... and Vilma Ebsen Vilma Ebsen Vilma Ebsen was an American musical theatre and film actress best known for dancing in Broadway shows and MGM musicals in the 1930s with her more famous brother, Buddy Ebsen.... |
April 2, 1908 | July 6, 2003 | American | Husband and wife dance duo. Buddy later became known to millions of TV viewers in the 1960s and 1970s as Jed Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies The Beverly Hillbillies The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr.... and Barnaby Jones Barnaby Jones Barnaby Jones is a television detective series starring Buddy Ebsen and Lee Meriwether as father- and daughter-in-law who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles. A spin-off from Cannon, the show ran on CBS from January 28, 1973 to April 3, 1980, beginning as a midseason replacement... . |
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Gertrude Ederle Gertrude Ederle Gertrude Caroline Ederle was an American competitive swimmer. In 1926, she became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Gertrude Ederle was the daughter of a German immigrant who ran a butcher shop on Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan; she was born in New York City. She was known as... |
October 23, 1905 | November 30, 2003 | American | Competitive swimmer and first woman to swim across the English Channel English Channel The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover... . |
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Cliff Edwards Cliff Edwards Cliff Edwards , also known as "Ukelele Ike", was an American singer and voice actor who enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standards and novelty tunes. He had a number-one hit with "Singin' in the Rain" in 1929... a.k.a. Ukelele Ike |
June 14, 1895 | July 17, 1971 | American | Singer, ukulele Ukulele The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings.... player, minstrel, and musician. Later voiced Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio Pinocchio The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an... . |
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Gus Edwards Gus Edwards (songwriter) Gus Edwards was an American songwriter and vaudevillian. He also organised his own theatre companies and was a music publisher.-Early life:... |
August 18, 1879 | November 7, 1945 | German-American | Singer, songwriter and producer. Known for such songs as "School Days" and "In My Merry Oldsmobile." | |
Kate Elinore | ? | December 30, 1924 | American | Singing comedienne. | |
Duke Ellington Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions... |
April 29, 1899 | May 24, 1974 | American | Musician and bandleader who toured the RKO circuit beginning in 1927, headlining at the Palace in 1930. Ellington is considered by many to be one of the founders of modern jazz music. | |
Julian Eltinge Julian Eltinge Julian Eltinge , born William Julian Dalton, was an American stage and screen actor and female impersonator. After appearing in the Boston Cadets Revue at the age of ten in feminine garb, Eltinge garnered notice from other producers and made his first appearance on Broadway in 1904... |
May 14, 1881 | March 7, 1941 | American | Female impersonator and actor. | |
June Elvidge June Elvidge June Elvidge was an early 20th century film actress from St. Paul, Minnesota.Elvidge is noted for playing roles as a vamp in silent movies such as The Lure of Woman and The Poison Pen . She appeared in westerns such as The Law of the Yukon and The Price of Pride... |
June 30, 1893 | May 1, 1965 | American | Actress. | |
Hope Emerson Hope Emerson -Early life:Emerson was born in Hawarden, Iowa. Following her graduation from West High School in Des Moines in 1916, she moved to New York City where she performed in vaudeville.-Career:... |
October 29, 1897 | April 25, 1960 | American | Comedian known for her large build (6'2", 230 lbs.) who appeared in vaudeville and on Broadway in the 20s and 30s. Emerson began working in films in the early 1930s. | |
Knute Erickson | May 27, 1872 | December 31, 1945 | American | Swedish comedian. | |
Bert Erroll | August 11, 1883 | November 28, 1949 | British | Female impersonator. | |
Leon Errol Leon Errol Leon Errol , was an Australian-born American comedian and actor, popular in the first half of the 20th century.-Biography:... |
July 3, 1881 | October 12, 1951 | Australian | Comedian. | |
Ruth Etting | November 23, 1896 | September 24, 1978 | American | Singer and actress | |
James Reese Europe James Reese Europe James Reese Europe was an American ragtime and early jazz bandleader, arranger, and composer. He was the leading figure on the African American music scene of New York City in the 1910s.-Biography:... |
February 22, 1881 | May 9, 1919 | American | Bandleader of the ragtime Ragtime Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published... "Society Orchestra" which accompanied Vernon and Irene Castle Vernon and Irene Castle Vernon and Irene Castle were a husband-and-wife team of ballroom dancers of the early 20th century. They are credited with invigorating the popularity of modern dancing. Vernon Castle was born William Vernon Blyth in Norwich, Norfolk, England... in their ballroom dance act. After serving in World War I World War I World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918... and becoming the director of the 369th Infantry Band, Europe (now Lieutenant Europe) toured France and American vaudeville with the band. During this US tour, he began incorporating jazz elements into the ragtime music the band played. It was during this same tour that he was stabbed in the neck by one of his band members. |
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George "Honey Boy" Evans | March 10, 1870 | March 12, 1915 | American | Minstrel. | |
Lizzie Evans Lizzie Evans Lizzie Evans was an entertainer in vaudeville and musical theatre in New York City and Chicago, Illinois from the 1880s into the 20th century. A New York Times article described her as a bright little person of the Lotta Crabtree physique and school, but with less naturalness and more nasal... |
1864 | American | Actress and comedienne, who made her debut in 1881 at the Standard Theatre with an impersonation of Clip. She owned her own traveling company. |
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Nanette Fabray Nanette Fabray Nanette Fabray is an American actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, and activist. She began her career performing in vaudeville as a child and then became a musical theatre actress during the 1940s and 1950s, winning a Tony Award in 1949 for her performance in Love Life... |
October 27, 1922 | American | Singer and actress. Started out as a child singer in vaudeville. | ||
Elinor Fair Elinor Fair Elinor Fair was an American motion picture actress born in Richmond, Virginia. She began her career with the name Eleanor Crowe, changed it to Lenore Fair, and finally settled on Elinor Fair... |
December 21, 1903 | April 26, 1957 | American | Actress and one of the leading ladies of silent films. Fair made her start in vaudeville as well as musical comedies and stock companies. | |
Dustin Farnum Dustin Farnum Dustin Lancy Farnum was an American singer, dancer and an actor in silent movies during the early days of motion pictures. After a great success in a number of stage roles, in 1914 he landed his first film role in the movie 'Soldiers of Fortune', and later in Cecil B. DeMille's The Squaw Man... |
May 27, 1874 | July 3, 1939 | American | Singer, dancer and actor with his brother, William Farnum William Farnum William Farnum was a major movie actor. One of three brothers, Farnum grew up in a family of actors. He made his acting debut at the age of ten in Richmond, Virginia in a production of Julius Caesar, with Edwin Booth playing the title character... . |
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William Farnum William Farnum William Farnum was a major movie actor. One of three brothers, Farnum grew up in a family of actors. He made his acting debut at the age of ten in Richmond, Virginia in a production of Julius Caesar, with Edwin Booth playing the title character... |
July 4, 1876 | June 5, 1953 | American | Singer, dancer and actor with his brother, Dustin Farnum Dustin Farnum Dustin Lancy Farnum was an American singer, dancer and an actor in silent movies during the early days of motion pictures. After a great success in a number of stage roles, in 1914 he landed his first film role in the movie 'Soldiers of Fortune', and later in Cecil B. DeMille's The Squaw Man... . |
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Edward M. Favor Edward M. Favor Edward M. Favor was an American singer and vaudeville comedian. He was among the first recorded musicians.-References:... |
August 29, 1856 | January 10, 1936 | American | Singer and comedian. | |
Anna Eva Fay | ? | May 12, 1927 | American | Mind reader. | |
Elfie Fay | 1881 | September 18, 1927 | American | Comic singer. | |
Frank Fay Frank Fay (American actor) Frank Fay was an American film and stage actor, emcee, comedian, best known as an actor for having played "Elwood P. Dowd" in the play Harvey by the American playwright Mary Coyle Chase on Broadway... |
November 17, 1897 | September 25, 1961 | American | Comedian. Considered the "father" of modern stand-up comedy. | |
Alice Faye Alice Faye Alice Faye was an American actress and singer, called by The New York Times "one of the few movie stars to walk away from stardom at the peak of her career." She is remembered first for her stardom at 20th Century Fox and, later, as the radio comedy partner of her husband, bandleader and comedian... |
May 5, 1915 | May 9, 1998 | American | Actress and singer. Faye's first professional appearance was as a singer and dancer at the age of 14. While appearing in George White's Scandals, Rudy Vallee Rudy Vallée Rudy Vallée was an American singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.-Early life:Born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont, the son of Charles Alphonse and Catherine Lynch Vallée... spotted her and she later became a regular on his radio show. Faye became 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios... 's biggest musical star before Betty Grable Betty Grable Elizabeth Ruth "Betty" Grable was an American actress, dancer and singer.Her iconic bathing suit photo made her the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era. It was later included in the LIFE magazine project "100 Photos that Changed the World"... was hired in 1940. |
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Frank Faylen Frank Faylen Frank Faylen was an American movie and television actor.Born Frank Ruf in St. Louis, Missouri, he began his acting career as an infant appearing with his vaudeville performing parents on stage... |
December 8, 1905 | August 2, 1985 | American | Pantomimist, clown and song and dance man. | |
Louise Fazenda Louise Fazenda Louise Fazenda was an American film actress, appearing chiefly in silent comedy films.-Early life:Of Portuguese ancestry, she was born in Lafayette, Indiana. Her father, Joseph Fazenda, was a merchandise broker. After moving west Louise attended Los Angeles High School and St. Mary's Convent... |
June 17, 1895 | April 17, 1962 | American | Trapeze artist. | |
Arthur Fields Arthur Fields Arthur Fields was a United States singer and songwriter.He was born Abraham Finkelstein in Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, but grew up mainly in Utica, New York. He became a professional singer as a youngster... |
August 6, 1888 | March 29, 1953 | American | Singer, songwriter and minstrel. | |
Benny Fields Benny Fields Benny Fields was a popular singer of the early 20th century, best known as one-half of the Blossom Seeley-Benny Fields vaudeville team... |
June 14, 1894 | August 16, 1959 | American | Singer, minstrel, and actor. | |
Gracie Fields Gracie Fields Dame Gracie Fields, DBE , was an English-born, later Italian-based actress, singer and comedienne and star of both cinema and music hall.-Early life:... |
1898 | 1979 | British | Singer and comedienne, considered of the greatest stars of the British music halls. | |
Sidney Fields Sidney Fields Sidney Fields was a comedy actor and writer best known for his featured role on The Abbott and Costello Show in the early 1950s. He was sometimes credited as "Sid Fields" and "Sidney Field."... |
February 5, 1898 | September 28, 1975 | American | In a comedy team with Jack Greenman. | |
W. C. Fields W. C. Fields William Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer... |
January 29, 1880 | December 25, 1946 | American | Legendary comedian and actor, who got his first show biz exposure by running away as a teenager and joining a circus as a juggler. Later on, Fields the comic appeared at the Palace not to mention several editions of the Ziegfeld Follies and George White's Scandals. His films, including It's a Gift It's a Gift It's a Gift is a 1934 comedy film starring W. C. Fields, considered by film historians to be one of Fields' best and funniest films.It concerns the trials and tribulations of a grocery store owner as he battles a shrewish wife, an incompetent assistant, and assorted annoying children, customers,... and The Bank Dick The Bank Dick The Bank Dick is a 1940 comedy film. W. C. Fields plays a character named Egbert Sousé who trips a bank robber and ends up a security guard as a result... incorporated many of his stage routines. |
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Flora Finch Flora Finch Flora Finch was an English-born film actress who starred in over 300 silent films, including over 200 for the Vitagraph Studios film company.-Early life and career:... |
June 17, 1869 | January 4, 1940 | British-American | Born into a music hall family, Finch also made a splash in American vaudeville, appearing at the palace in January 1922. The actress also appeared with John Bunny John Bunny John Bunny was an American actor and was one of the first comic stars of the motion picture era. Between 1910 and his death in 1915 Bunny was one of the top stars of early silent film, as well as an early example of celebrity... in many films. |
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Ella Fitzgerald Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist... |
April 25, 1917 | June 15, 1996 | American | Singer, discovered after winning the Apollo Theater Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers... 's amateur hour while still a teenager and worked the "Chitlin Circuit" (including the Cotton Club Cotton Club The Cotton Club was a famous night club in Harlem, New York City that operated during Prohibition that included jazz music. While the club featured many of the greatest African American entertainers of the era, such as Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Adelaide Hall, Count Basie, Bessie Smith,... ) with Chick Webb Chick Webb William Henry Webb, usually known as Chick Webb was an American jazz and swing music drummer as well as a band leader.-Biography:... and his band before getting her first major record deal. |
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Bud Flanagan Dennis O'Keefe Dennis O'Keefe was an American actor. Born as Edward Vance Flanagan he was the son of Irish vaudevillians working in the United States... |
March 29, 1908 | August 31, 1968 | American | Appeared in family's vaudeville act from infancy. Appeared later in films as Dennis O'Keefe. | |
Jay C. Flippen Jay C. Flippen Jay C. Flippen is an American character actor who often played police officers or weary criminals in many films of the 1940s/'50s.... |
March 6, 1898 | February 3, 1971 | American | White and blackface comedian. | |
Henry Fonda Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins... |
May 16, 1905 | October 14, 1977 | American | Actor who toured vaudeville with George Billings. | |
Wallace Ford Wallace Ford Wallace Ford was an English film and television actor who, with his friendly appearance and stocky build later in life, appeared in a number of film westerns and B-movies.... |
February 12, 1898 | June 11, 1966 | British | Actor. | |
Four Cohans Four Cohans The Four Cohans was a late 19th-century vaudeville family act that introduced 20th-century Broadway legend George M. Cohan to show business. It consisted of father Jeremiah "Jere" Cohan , mother Helen "Nellie" Costigan Cohan , daughter Josephine "Josie" Cohan Niblo , and son George M... |
American | Family comedy troupe consisting of father Jeremiah "Jere" Cohan (1848–1917), mother Helen "Nellie" Costigan Cohan (1854–1928), daughter Josephine "Josie" Cohan Niblo (1874–1916) and son George M. Cohan George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer.... (3 or July 4, 1878 – November 5, 1942). |
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Harry Fox Harry Fox Harry Fox , born Arthur Carringford, was a vaudeville dancer and comedian, most famous for giving his name to the Fox Trot dance in New York. His steps were recorded by dance instructor F. L. Clendenen in his 1914 book Dance Mad as "The Fox Trot, as danced by Mr. Fox"... |
May 25, 1882 | July 20, 1959 | American | Dancer and comedian. Creator of the Fox Trot. | |
Eddie Foy Eddie Foy Eddie Foy, Sr. , was an actor, comedian, dancer and vaudevillian.-Early years:... |
March 9, 1856 | February 16, 1928 | American | Comedian and singer. | |
Eddie Foy, Jr. Eddie Foy, Jr. Eddie Foy Jr. was an American character actor.Born Edwin Fitzgerald Jr. in New Rochelle, New York, the son of vaudevillian Eddie Foy and his third wife, Madeline Morando, he was one of the "Seven Little Foys" immortalized in the 1955 film of the same name... |
February 4, 1905 | July 15, 1983 | American | Son of Eddie Foy Eddie Foy Eddie Foy, Sr. , was an actor, comedian, dancer and vaudevillian.-Early years:... and a member of his Seven Little Foys. |
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Irene Franklin Irene Franklin rightIrene Franklin was an American actress of stage and screen, born 13 June 1876 in New York City, New York, USA and died 16 June 1941 in Englewood, New Jersey, USA, aged 65.... |
June 13, 1876 | June 16, 1941 | American | Singing comedienne. | |
Sidney Franklin Sidney Franklin (bullfighter) Sidney Franklin was the first Jewish American to become a successful bullfighter.Sidney Frumkin was born in Brooklyn, New York to Orthodox Jewish parents. In 1922 he traveled to Mexico City, where he would begin a career in bullfighting... |
1903 | April 6, 1976 | American | Bullfighter. | |
William Frawley William Frawley William Clement "Bill" Frawley was an American stage entertainer, screen and television actor. Although Frawley acted in over 100 films, he achieved his greatest fame playing landlord Fred Mertz for the situation comedy I Love Lucy.-Early life:William was born to Michael A. Frawley and Mary E.... |
February 26, 1887 | March 3, 1966 | American | Actor and comedian, later found greater fame as Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy I Love Lucy I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System... |
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Arthur Freed Arthur Freed Arthur Freed was born Arthur Grossman in Charleston, South Carolina. He was a Jewish American lyricist and a Hollywood film producer.- Biography :Freed began his career as a song-plugger and pianist in Chicago... |
September 9, 1894 | April 12, 1973 | American | Singer and pianist, later known for writing hit songs with Nacio Herb Brown Nacio Herb Brown Nacio Herb Brown was an American writer of popular songs, movie scores, and Broadway theatre music in the 1920s through the early 1950s.-Biography:... such as "Singin' in the Rain Singin' in the Rain (song) "Singin' In the Rain" is a song with lyrics by Arthur Freed and music by Nacio Herb Brown, published in 1929. However, it is unclear exactly when the song was written with some claiming that the song was written and performed as early as 1927. The song was listed as Number 3 on AFI's 100 Years..... " and "You Were Meant for Me You Were Meant for Me (1929 song) "You Were Meant for Me" is a popular song with music by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Arthur Freed, published in 1929.It was introduced by Charles King in the 1929 musical film The Broadway Melody. It was also sung by King dubbing for Conrad Nagel in the feature film The Hollywood Revue of 1929... " and for producing film musicals for MGM. |
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Kathleen Freeman Kathleen Freeman Kathleen Freeman was an American film, television, and stage actress. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, she portrayed tart maids, secretaries, teachers, busybodies, nurses, and battle-axe neighbors, almost invariably to comic effect.-Early life:Freeman was born in Chicago, Illinois... |
February 17, 1919 | August 23, 2001 | American | Danced at an early age in her parent's vaudeville act. | |
Leopoldo Fregoli Leopoldo Fregoli Leopoldo Fregoli was a stage star and early Italian actor.-Quick-change Artist:Fregoli was the greatest protean artist of his day... |
July 2, 1867 | November 26, 1932 | Italian | Protean or quick-change artist. | |
Ford Frick Ford Frick Ford Christopher Frick was an American sportswriter and executive who served as president of the National League from to and as the third Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1951 to . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970... |
December 19, 1894 | April 8, 1978 | American | Sportswriter who appeared in vaude. | |
Trixie Friganza Trixie Friganza Trixie Friganza , born Delia O’Callaghan, began her career as an operetta soubrette, working her way from the chorus to starring in musical comedies to having her own feature act on the vaudeville circuit.... |
November 29, 1870 | February 27, 1955 | American | Comedienne and singer | |
Frankie Frisch Frankie Frisch Francis “Frankie” Frisch , nicknamed the "Fordham Flash" or "The Old Flash", was a German American Major League Baseball player of the early twentieth century.... |
September 9, 1897 | March 12, 1973 | American | Former basbeball player who appeared in vaude. | |
Joe Frisco Joe Frisco Joe Frisco was an American vaudeville performer who first made his name on stage as a jazz dancer, but later incorporated his stuttering voice to his act and became a popular comedian.Born Louis Wilson Joseph... |
November 4, 1889 | February 12, 1958 | American | Dancer, minstrel and comedian. | |
Loie Fuller Loie Fuller Loie Fuller Loie Fuller Loie Fuller (also Loïe Fuller; (January 15, 1862 – January 1, 1928) was a pioneer of both modern dance and theatrical lighting techniques.-Career:... |
January 15, 1862 | 1 Janusary 1929 | American | Dancer. | |
Will Fyffe Will Fyffe Will Fyffe was a major star of the 1930s and 1940s, a star of stage, screen and shellac.Fyffe made his debut in his father's stock company at the age of six... |
February 16, 1885 | December 14, 1947 | Scottish | Comedian and singer. |
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Name | Birth | Death | Nationality | Performance notes | Reference |
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Gallagher and Shean Gallagher and Shean Gallagher & Shean was a highly successful double act on vaudeville and Broadway in the 1910s and 1920s, consisting of Edward Gallagher and Al Shean .-Career:... |
American (Gallagher) and German-American (Shean) | Comic duo consisting of Edward Gallagher Edward Gallagher Edward Gallagher was a vaudeville actor and half of the act Gallagher and Shean. Their story was told in an animated movie Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean by Max Fleischer and Dave Fleischer who also created Koko the Clown and Betty Boop... (1873 - May 28, 1929) and Al Shean Al Shean Al Shean was the stage name for comedian Abraham Elieser Adolph Schönberg, although other sources give his birth name variously as Adolf Schönberg, Albert Schönberg, or Alfred Schönberg. He is most remembered for being half of the vaudeville team Gallagher and Shean, and as the uncle of the Marx... (May 12, 1868 – August 12, 1949). They had one of the biggest comic hits of the 1920s with their self-named song "Mister Gallagher and Mister Shean." Al Shean (real name Adolph Schönberg) was the uncle of The Marx Brothers |
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Maria Galvany Maria Galvany Maria Galvany or María Galvany was a Spanish coloratura soprano notable for her showy, virtuoso singing technique. Her career, however, ended in obscurity.-Her biography and operatic engagements:... |
1878 | 1949 | Spanish | Coloratura soprano. | |
Tess Gardella Tess Gardella Therese "Tess" Gardella was an Italian American performer whose stage persona was "Aunt Jemima".A native of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Gardella performed on both stage and screen, usually in blackface. In 1927, she originated the role of Queenie in the classic stage musical Show Boat... known as "Aunt Jemima" |
1898 | January 3, 1950 | American | Iconic blackface character played by Tess Gardella. | |
Judy Garland Judy Garland Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage... |
June 10, 1922 | June 22, 1969 | American | Singer and actress, toured with two elder siblings as "The Gumm Sisters" (their maiden name) from the age of 2. While in Chicago to perform at the 1934 World's Fair and the Oriental Theater, emcee George Jessel suggested to change their last name to "Garland" to not get laughs from the audience. Young Frances was a big fan of Rudy Vallee's song "Judy" so that stuck as the first name. Older sister Jimmie ran off and married a bandleader after the girls returned home to Lancaster, California. Judy was signed to a contract by MGM shortly thereafter. | |
Paul Garner Paul Garner Paul "Mousie" Garner earned his nickname by assuming the role of a shy, simpering jokester. Garner was one of the last actors still doing schtick from vaudeville, and has been referred to as "The Grand Old Man Of Vaudeville."-Career:Garner was one of over 20 comedians who worked as part of Ted... |
July 31, 1909 | August 8, 2004 | American | Comedian. | |
William Gaxton William Gaxton William Gaxton was a star of vaudeville, film, and theatre.Born as Arturo Antonio Gaxiola in San Francisco, he appeared on film and onstage. He debuted on Broadway in the Music Box Revue on October 23, 1922... |
December 2, 1893 | February 2, 1963 | American | Actor. | |
Charlie Gehringer Charlie Gehringer Charles Leonard Gehringer , nicknamed “The Mechanical Man,” was a German-American Major League Baseball second baseman who played 19 seasons for the Detroit Tigers... |
May 11, 1903 | January 21, 1993 | American | Baseball player who appeared in vaude. | |
Gladys George Gladys George Gladys George was an American actress.-Early life:She was born as Gladys Clare Evans on September 13, 1904 in Patten, Maine to English parents.-Career:... |
September 13, 1904 | December 8, 1954 | American | Toured with her family act, "The Three Clares," later called "Little Gladys George and Company." | |
George Gershwin George Gershwin George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known... |
September 26, 1896 | July 11, 1937 | American | Pianist, songwriter and composer, Gershwin accompanied Nora Bayes Nora Bayes Nora Bayes was a popular American singer, comedienne and actress of the early 20th century.-Early life and career:... and Louise Dresser Louise Dresser Louise Dresser was an American actress.Born Louise Josephine Kerlin in Evansville, Indiana. Her father was a train conductor who died when she was fifteen years old... . After his brief foray into vaudeville, Gershwin became one of the most celebrated American composers of the early 20th century. |
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Dorothy Gibson Dorothy Gibson Dorothy Gibson was a pioneering American silent film actress, artist's model and singer active in the early 20th century. She is best remembered as a survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic.-Early life and career:... |
May 17, 1889 | February 17, 1946 | American | Actress. | |
Ella Margaret Gibson Ella Margaret Gibson Ella Margaret "Gibby" Gibson , generally known as Margaret Gibson or Patricia Palmer, was an American stage and silent film actress who had leading roles in Vitagraph westerns, often opposite William Clifford. She also appeared with Charles Ray in The Coward and later worked in two Westerns with... |
September 14, 1894 | October 21, 1964 | American | Actress. | |
Billy Gilbert Billy Gilbert Billy Gilbert was an American comedian and actor known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects and television shows starting in 1929. He is not to be confused with silent film actor Billy Gilbert Billy Gilbert (September 12, 1894 – September 23,... |
September 12, 1894 | September 23, 1971 | American | Comedian and actor known for his sneeze routines. | |
L. Wolfe Gilbert L. Wolfe Gilbert Louis Wolfe Gilbert was a Russian-born American songwriter.-Biography:Born in Odessa, Russian Empire, Gilbert moved to the United States as a young man and eventually established himself as one of the leading songwriters on Tin Pan Alley.Gilbert began his career touring with John L... |
August 31, 1886 | July 12, 1970 | Russian-American | Singer and songwriter. | |
Jack Gilford Jack Gilford Jack Gilford was an American actor on Broadway, films and television.-Early life:Gilford was born Jacob Aaron Gellman on the lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, and grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn... |
1907 | 1990 | American | Actor and comedian. | |
Charles Sidney Gilpin Charles Sidney Gilpin Charles Sidney Gilpin became one of the most highly regarded actors of the 1920s. He played in critical debuts in New York: in the 1919 premier of John Drinkwater’s Abraham Lincoln and played the lead role of Brutus Jones in the 1920 premier of Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones, also touring... |
November 20, 1878 | May 6, 1930 | American | Actor. | |
Lottie Gilson Lottie Gilson Lottie Gilson was a popular comedienne and vaudeville singer born in 1871 in Pennsylvania who died in New York in 1912.She was known as "The Little Magnet" in recognition of her considerable abilities to boost sheet music sales during the 1880s and 1890s.... |
1867 | June 10, 1912 | American | Soubrette Soubrette A soubrette is a female stock character in opera and theatre. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy".-Theater:... and the first vaudevillian to use a singing stooge. |
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Billy Glasen | September 10, 1904 | American | Singing comedian and monologist. | ||
Frank Glazer Frank Glazer Frank Glazer is an American pianist, composer, and professor of music.Glazer was born in Chester, Wisconsin on February 19, 1915, the sixth child of Benjamin and Clara Glazer, Jewish immigrants from Lithuania. The family moved to Milwaukee in 1919... |
1915 | American | Pianist. | ||
Madeline Gleason Madeline Gleason Madeline Gleason was a United States poet and dramatist. She is often credited with the founding of the Poetry Center at San Francisco State University... |
1903 | 1979 | American | Singer and dancer. | |
Elinor Glyn Elinor Glyn Elinor Glyn , born Elinor Sutherland, was a British novelist and scriptwriter who pioneered mass-market women's erotic fiction. She popularized the concept It... |
October 17, 1864 | September 23, 1943 | British | Novelist and monologist (usually under her pen name "Madame Glyn"), coined the phrase "It Girl". | |
George Fuller Golden George Fuller Golden George Fuller Golden , was a popular vaudeville entertainer at the beginning of the 20th century. He is best known for his monologues about his fictional friend Casey. He was also a prizefighter... |
1868 | February 17, 1912 | American | Singer, dancer and monologist. | |
Horace Goldin Horace Goldin Horace Goldin was a stage magician who was noted for his lightning fast presentation style and who achieved international fame with his versions of the Sawing a woman in half illusion. -Early life:... |
December 17, 1867 | August 22, 1939 | Polish | Magician, the first one to play the Palace in 1913. | |
Lefty Gomez Lefty Gómez Vernon Louis "Lefty" Gomez was an American left-handed major league pitcher who played in the American League for the New York Yankees between 1930 and 1942. Considered one of the great pitchers of the day, Gomez was a seven-time All-Star and a five-time World Series Champion with the Yankees... |
November 26, 1908 | February 17, 1989 | American | Former baseball player and monologist. | |
Nathaniel Carl Goodwin Nathaniel Carl Goodwin Nathaniel Carl Goodwin was an American actor and vaudevillian born in Boston. While clerk in a large shop he studied for the stage and made his first appearance in 1874 at the Howard Athenaeum in Boston in Stuart Robson's company as the newsboy in Joseph Bradford's Law in New York... |
July 25, 1857 | January 31, 1919 | American | Actor and comedian. | |
David Gorcey David Gorcey David Gorcey was an American actor and comedian best known as being a member of the comedy team of The Bowery Boys. He was the younger brother of Dead End Kids member Leo Gorcey.-Career:... |
February 6, 1921 | October 23, 1984 | American | Singer. Later he became a noted disc jockey. | |
Bert Gordon Bert Gordon Bert Gordon was an American comedian and voice actor. His birth name was Barney Gorodetsky. He appeared in many roles over his lengthy career and was known by the moniker "the Mad Russian".... |
April 8, 1895 | November 30, 1974 | American | Comedian. | |
Mack Gordon Mack Gordon Mack Gordon was an American composer and lyricist of songs for the stage and film. He was nominated for the best original song Oscar nine times, including six consecutive years between 1940 and 1945, and won the award once, for "You'll Never Know"... |
June 21, 1904 | March 1, 1959 | American | Actor, singer, and songwriter | |
Emmanuel Taylor Gordon | 1893 | 1971 | American | Actor. | |
Morton Gould Morton Gould Morton Gould was an American composer, conductor, arranger, and pianist.Born in Richmond Hill, New York, Gould was recognized early as a child prodigy with abilities in improvisation and composition. His first composition was published at age six... |
December 10, 1913 | February 21, 1996 | American | Pianist. | |
Hank Gowdy Hank Gowdy Henry Morgan Gowdy was a professional baseball catcher and a first baseman who played in the major leagues for the New York Giants and the Boston Braves... |
August 24, 1889 | August 1, 1966 | American | Former baseball player, singer and comedian. | |
Archie Leach Cary Grant Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship... |
January 18, 1904 | November 29, 1986 | British | Toured the US with the Penders acrobatic troupe. Was a stilt-walker with the Loumas troupe and served as leading man to actress, Jean Dalrymple Jean Dalrymple Jean Dalrymple was an American theater producer, manager, publicist, author and playwright who was instrumental in the founding of New York City Center and is best known for her productions there.-Biography:... , in one-act plays. Also appeared with Fay Wray Fay Wray Fay Wray was a Canadian-American actress most noted for playing the female lead in King Kong... and Jeanette MacDonald Jeanette MacDonald Jeanette MacDonald was an American singer and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier and Nelson Eddy... in several musical flops. When signed by Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still... in 1931, he was told he looked like a "Cary Grant", so his name was changed. |
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Charles Grapewin Charles Grapewin Charley Ellsworth Grapewin was an American vaudeville performer and a stage and film actor, who portrayed Uncle Henry in MGM's The Wizard of Oz and Grandpa Joad in the film The Grapes of Wrath .... |
December 20, 1869 | February 2, 1956 | American | Actor and comedian, later known to millions of moviegoers as Dorothy's "Uncle Henry" in The Wizard of Oz The Wizard of Oz (1939 film) The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs... . |
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Gilda Gray Gilda Gray Gilda Gray was a Polish born American actress and dancer who became famous in the US for popularizing a dance called the "shimmy" which became fashionable in 1920s films and theater productions.... |
October 24, 1901 | December 22, 1959 | Polish-American | Dancer who introduced the "Shimmy," a dance involving the shaking of the hips. Gray starred in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1922 and George White's Scandals. Later appeared at the Palace Theater as a headliner. | |
Gene Greene Gene Greene Eugene Delbert Greene , better known as Gene Greene was an American entertainer, singer and composer, nicknamed The Ragtime King. He was a vaudeville star and made some of the earliest sound recordings of scat singing in 1911 for Columbia Records and Victor Records and was a popular Ragtime performer... |
June 9, 1881 | April 5, 1930 | American | Singer and composer. | |
Charlotte Greenwood Charlotte Greenwood Frances Charlotte Greenwood was an American actress and dancer. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Greenwood started in vaudeville, and eventually starred on Broadway, movies and radio. Standing around six feet tall, she was best known for her long legs and high kicks... |
June 25, 1890 | December 28, 1977 | American | Dancer, actress, and comedienne, known for her rubbery dance routines. | |
Arthur F. Griffith Arthur F. Griffith Arthur F. Griffith , nicknamed "Pooze," was a calculating prodigy born July 30, 1880 in Milford, Kosciusko County, Indiana. He could count to 25,000 by age 5. An illness at age seven resulted in epilepsy and prevented him from attending school until age 10. At age 12, he began to develop... |
July 30, 1880 | December 25, 1911 | American | Mathematical prodigy. | |
Larry Griswold Larry Griswold Laurens V. Griswold , known as "The Diving Fool", was an American gymnast & entertainer who was involved in the early development of the trampoline.... |
September 17, 1905 | August 24, 1996 | American | Acrobat and gymnast. | |
Grock Grock Grock , born Charles Adrien Wettach, was a Swiss clown, composer and musician. Called "the king of clowns" and "the greatest of Europe's clowns", Grock was once the most highly paid entertainer in the world.... |
January 10, 1880 | July 14, 1959 | Swiss | Clown. | |
Yvette Guilbert Yvette Guilbert Yvette Guilbert was a French cabaret singer and actress of the Belle Époque.-Biography:... |
January 20, 1865 | February 2, 1944 | French | Chanteuse. | |
Texas Guinan Texas Guinan Mary Louise Cecilia "Texas" Guinan was an American saloon keeper, actress, and entrepreneur.-Early life:... |
January 12, 1884 | November 5, 1933 | American | Singer and famed nightclub hostess. |
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Name | Birth | Death | Nationality | Performance notes | Reference |
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Janette Hackett | 1898 | August 16, 1979 | American | Dancer with Harry Delmar Harry Delmar Harry Delmar was an American Broadway producer and later film director. He was born September 8, 1892 in Missouri, USA. and died in Los Angeles on August 29, 1984. Prior to his stint as a Broadway producer, Delmar began his career as a Vaudeville song and dance man."Harry Delmar's Revels" was a... (September 9, 1892 – August 29, 1954) in the duo Hackett and Delmar. |
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Jack Haley Jack Haley John Joseph "Jack" Haley was an American stage, radio, and film actor best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man and Kansas farmworker Hickory in The Wizard of Oz.-Career:... |
August 10, 1898 | June 6, 1979 | American | Actor and comedian. | |
Adelaide Hall Adelaide Hall Adelaide Hall was an American-born U.K.-based jazz singer and entertainer.Hall was born in Brooklyn, New York and was taught to sing by her father... |
October 20, 1904 | November 7, 1993 | British | Blues singer. | |
Nan Halperin | 1898 | May 30, 1963 | Russian-American | Singer and comedienne | |
Walter Hampden Walter Hampden Walter Hampden is the artist name of Walter Hampden Dougherty was a U.S. actor and theatre manager. He was the younger brother of the American painter Paul Dougherty .... |
June 30, 1879 | June 11, 1955 | American | Actor. | |
Hunter Hancock Hunter Hancock Hunter Hancock was a white American disc jockey regarded as the first in the Western United States to play rhythm and blues records on the radio, and among the first to broadcast rock and roll.... |
1916 | August 4, 2004 | American | Singer. Later he became a noted disc jockey. | |
Lou Handman Lou Handman Lou Handman is a composer born in New York City on September 10, 1894 and died in Flushing, New York on December 9, 1956. In his early career toured in vaudeville shows in Australia and New York. Handman worked closely with Roy Turk... |
September 10, 1894 | December 9, 1956 | American | Pianist and songwriter. | |
W. C. Handy W. C. Handy William Christopher Handy was a blues composer and musician. He was widely known as the "Father of the Blues".... |
November 16, 1873 | March 28, 1958 | American | Musician and composer known as "The Father of the Blues Blues Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads... ." |
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Fred Haney Fred Haney Fred Girard Haney was an American third baseman, manager, coach and executive in Major League Baseball. As a manager, he won two pennants and a world championship with the Milwaukee Braves and, as an executive, he was the first general manager of the expansion Los Angeles Angels of the American... |
April 25, 1896 | November 9, 1977 | American | Former baseball player. | |
Poodles Hanneford | 1892 | December 9, 1967 | British | Clown and bareback horse rider | |
Theodore Hardeen Theodore Hardeen Theodore Hardeen , known simply as Hardeen, was a Hungarian magician and escape artist, best known as Harry Houdini's brother... |
March 4, 1876 | June 12, 1945 | Hungarian | Magician and escape artist; Harry Houdini Harry Houdini Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts... 's brother. |
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Oliver Hardy Oliver Hardy Oliver Hardy was an American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy, the classic double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted nearly 30 years, from 1927 to 1955.-Early life:... |
January 18, 1882 | August 7, 1957 | American | Was briefly a singer in Vaudeville in Florida in 1913 before entering films. Was teamed with Stan Laurel Stan Laurel Arthur Stanley "Stan" Jefferson , better known as Stan Laurel, was an English comic actor, writer and film director, famous as the first half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. His film acting career stretched between 1917 and 1951 and included a starring role in the Academy Award winning film... at Roach Studios forming Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema... in the late 1920s. |
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Otis Harlan Otis Harlan -Biography:Harlan was born in Zanesville, Ohio in 1865. He married Nellie Harvey and had a daughter named Marion. Harlan was the uncle of silent actor Kenneth Harlan.-Career:... |
December 29, 1865 | January 21, 1940 | American | Actor, minstrel, and comedian. Appeared in a burlesque called Hell by Renold Wolf in the first show at New York City's Folies Bergere, April 16, 1911. | |
Ben Harney Ben Harney Benjamin Robertson "Ben" Harney was a United States of America songwriter, entertainer, and pioneer of ragtime music. His 1895 composition "You've Been a Good Old Wagon but You Done Broke Down" is regarded as one of the first published ragtime songs... |
March 6, 1872 | March 2, 1938 | American | Pianist, singer and songwriter. | |
Harrigan and Hart | American | Comic duo composed of Edward Harrigan Edward Harrigan Edward Harrigan was an American actor, playwright, theatre manager, and composer. Harrigan and Tony Hart formed the first famous collaboration in American musical theatre.-Life and career:... (October 26, 1844 – June 6, 1911) and Tony Hart (July 25, 1855 – November 4, 1891). |
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Marion Harris Marion Harris Marion Harris was an American popular singer, most successful in the 1920s. She was the first widely known white singer to sing jazz and blues songs.... |
1896 | April 23, 1944 | American | Singer. | |
Mildred Harris Mildred Harris Mildred Harris was an American film actress. Harris began her career in the film industry as a popular child actress at age eleven. At the age of fifteen, she was cast as a harem girl in D. W. Griffith's Intolerance . She appeared as a leading lady through the 1920s but her career slowed with... |
November 29, 1901 | July 20, 1944 | American | Harris began as a juvenile actress in vaudeville, burlesque, on the legit stage and on film where she appeared at the age of 9. Later Charlie Chaplin Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I... 's first wife, she appeared in a playlet, Getting the Money at the Royal Theatre in New York in February 1922. |
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Joseph Hart Joseph Hart (entertainer) Joseph Hart was an American vaudevillian entertainer, manager, producer and songwriter.-Early life:Joseph Hart Boudrow was born in Boston, Massachusetts on June 8, 1861, to James H. and Sarah E. Boudrow. His father, a Boston area junk dealer, was from Nova Scotia, the son of French immigrants who... |
June 8, 1861 | October 3, 1921 | American | ||
Hartman and Hartman | American | Comedy dance team with Paul Paul Hartman Paul Hartman was an American dancer, stage performer and television character actor.-Biography:Born in San Francisco, California, Hartman, like Fred Astaire, began performing as a dancer with his sister... (March 1, 1904 – October 2, 1973) and his wife, Grace Hartman Grace Hartman (actress) Grace Hartman was an American stage and musical theatre actress... (January 7, 1907 – August 8, 1955) |
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Morton Harvey Morton Harvey Morton Harvey was an American vaudeville performer and singer who had a moderately successful recording career during the 1910s.... |
1886 | 1961 | American | Singer. | |
Loney Haskell | 1870 | October 20, 1933 | American | Monologist. | |
June Havoc June Havoc June Havoc was a Canadian-born American actress, dancer, writer, and theater director. Havoc was a child Vaudeville performer under the tutelage of her mother. She later acted on Broadway and in Hollywood and stage directed . She last appeared on television in 1990 on General Hospital... |
November 8, 1916 | American | Actress and dancer (as "Baby June"). Sister of Gypsy Rose Lee Gypsy Rose Lee Gypsy Rose Lee was an American burlesque entertainer famous for her striptease act. She was also an actress, author, and playwright whose 1957 memoir was made into the stage musical and film Gypsy.-Early life:... . |
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George 'Gabby' Hayes George 'Gabby' Hayes George Francis "Gabby" Hayes was an American radio, film, and television actor. He was best known for his numerous appearances in Western movies as the colorful sidekick to the leading man.-Early years:... |
May 7, 1885 | February 9, 1969 | American | Actor who appeared in vaudeville before entering films in the 1920s where he was seen mostly in Westerns. | |
Grace Hayes | August 23, 1895 | February 1, 1989 | American | Singer, mother of Peter Lind Hayes Peter Lind Hayes Peter Lind Hayes was an American vaudeville entertainer, songwriter, and film and television actor. He was born Joseph Conrad Lind in San Francisco, California.... . |
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Helen Hayes Helen Hayes Helen Hayes Brown was an American actress whose career spanned almost 70 years. She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of twelve people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award... |
October 10, 1900 | March 17, 1993 | American | Actress, known as the "First Lady of the Stage". Started appearing in vaudeville while still a child in "tab" versions of popular plays. | |
Peter Lind Hayes Peter Lind Hayes Peter Lind Hayes was an American vaudeville entertainer, songwriter, and film and television actor. He was born Joseph Conrad Lind in San Francisco, California.... |
June 25, 1915 | April 21, 1998 | American | Actor, singer, minstrel, and son of vaudevillian Grace Hayes. | |
Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars... |
October 17, 1918 | May 14, 1987 | American | Dancer in her family's Spanish dancing act, The Dancing Cansinos led by her father, Eduardo Cansino, Sr. Eduardo Cansino (Sr.) Eduardo Cansino was an accomplished dancer and actor, the brother of Spanish dancer Elisa Cansino, and the father of three children, two of whom became famous as actors.... . |
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Ted Healy Ted Healy Ted Healy was an American vaudeville performer, comedian, and actor. He is chiefly remembered today as the original creator of the Three Stooges, but had a successful stage and film career of his own.- Early life :... |
October 1, 1896 | December 21, 1937 | American | Comedian, minstrel, dancer and singer. | |
Lew Hearn | February 15, 1882 | February 1965 | Polish | Comedian. | |
Hy Heath Hy Heath Songwriter, composer and author Hy Heath was educated in public schools and then became a comedian in musical comedy, vaudeville, minstrel and burlesque shows. His chief musical collaborators included Johnny Lange and Fred Rose. His most successful composition was 'Mule Train' which earned him an... |
1890 | 1965 | American | Comedian and songwriter. | |
Millicent Hearst Millicent Hearst Millicent Hearst, née Millicent Veronica Willson , was the wife of media tycoon William Randolph Hearst. Willson was a vaudeville performer in New York City whom Hearst admired, and they married in 1903... |
July 16, 1882 | December 5, 1974 | American | Performer until she became the wife of William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father... . |
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Horace Heidt Horace Heidt Horace Heidt was an American pianist, big band leader, and radio and television personality. His band, Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights, toured vaudeville and performed on radio and television through the 1930s and 1940s.-Biography:Born in Alameda, California, Heidt attended Culver... |
May 21, 1901 | December 1, 1986 | American | Pianist and bandleader of the band, "Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights". | |
Anna Held Anna Held Helene Anna Held was a Polish-born stage performer, most often associated with impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, her common-law husband. -Early life:... |
March 8, 1872 | August 12, 1918 | Polish | Actress and singer. First wife of Florenz Ziegfeld Florenz Ziegfeld Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. , , was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the Ziegfeld Follies , inspired by the Folies Bergère of Paris. He also produced the musical Show Boat... , who produced most of her sketches and plays. |
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Percy Helton Percy Helton Percy Helton was an American film and television actor.One of his most memorable supporting roles was playing a drunken Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street. He also appeared in small but memorable roles in Criss Cross , The Set-Up , Kiss Me Deadly and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid... |
January 31, 1894 | September 11, 1971 | American | Appeared in his father's vaudeville act at the age of 2. | |
Fletcher Henderson Fletcher Henderson James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. His was one of the most prolific black orchestras and his influence was vast... |
December 18, 1897 | December 28, 1952 | American | Pianist, bandleader and composer at one time teamed with Eubie Blake Eubie Blake James Hubert Blake was an American composer, lyricist, and pianist of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1921, Blake and long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote the Broadway musical Shuffle Along, one of the first Broadway musicals to be written and directed by African Americans... . Henderson later toured with Ethel Waters Ethel Waters Ethel Waters was an American blues, jazz and gospel vocalist and actress. She frequently performed jazz, big band, and pop music, on the Broadway stage and in concerts, although she began her career in the 1920s singing blues.Her best-known recordings includes, "Dinah", "Birmingham Bertha",... from 1921 to 1922. |
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Ray Henderson Ray Henderson Ray Henderson , was an American songwriter.Born Raymond Brost in Buffalo, New York, Henderson moved to New York City and became a popular composer in Tin Pan Alley... |
December 1, 1896 | December 31, 1970 | American | Singer, dancer, songwriter | |
Herschel Henlere or Hendler | December 14, 1890 | January 13, 1968 | Canadian | Pianist and comedian. | |
Beatrice Herford Beatrice Herford Beatrice Herford was an American actress, diseuse and vaudeville performer born in England.The daughter of a minister, Herford spent her youth moving between England and the United States, following her father's changing jobs. In her twenties, she participated avidly in private theatricals,... |
1868 | 1952 | British-American | Monologist. | |
Al Herman | 1886 | July 2, 1967 | American | Blackface comedian. | |
Woody Herman Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders... |
May 16, 1913 | October 29, 1987 | American | Clarinetist, saxophonist, singer and bandleader. | |
Juano Hernández Juano Hernández Juano Hernández was a Puerto Rican stage and film actor of African descent who was a pioneer in the African-American film industry. He made his debut in an Oscar Micheaux film, "The Girl from Chicago" which was directed at black audiences. Hernández also performed in a serious of dramatic roles in... |
July 19, 1901 | July 17, 1970 | Puerto Rican | Originally a boxer, Hernández quit the sport in the early 1920s and worked in traveling and minstrel shows, circuses and in vaudeville before entering film. | |
Alexander Herrmann Alexander Herrmann Alexander Herrmann was a French magician, better known as Herrmann the Great. He was part of the Herrmann family name that is known as the "first-family of magic". Those who witnessed Herrmann the Great perform considered him the greatest magician they ever saw... billed as "The Great Herrmann" |
February 11, 1844 | December 11, 1896 | German | Magician. Upon his death, Herrmann's wife, Adelaide (1854–1932) took over his act. | |
Art Hickman Art Hickman Arthur G. Hickman was a drummer, pianist, and band leader whose orchestra is sometimes seen as an ancestor to Big band music. It fits into what are termed "sweet bands", something like that of Paul Whiteman. His orchestra is also credited, perhaps dubiously, with being among the first jazz bands.... |
June 13, 1886 | 1930 | American | Bandleader. | |
Hildegarde | February 1, 1906 | July 29, 2005 | American | Singer. | |
Bertha "Chippie" Hill | March 15, 1905 | May 7, 1950 | American | Blues singer. Initially Hill appeared on the TOBA circuit as a singer and dancer with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels. | |
Daisy and Violet Hilton Daisy and Violet Hilton Daisy Hilton and Violet Hilton were a pair of conjoined twins who toured in the U.S. sideshow and vaudeville circuit in the 1930s.-Early life:... |
February 5, 1908 | January 6, 1969 | British | Conjoined twins. | |
Raymond Hitchcock Raymond Hitchcock (actor) Raymond Hitchcock was a silent film actor, stage actor, and stage producer, who appeared in or produced 30 plays on Broadway from 1898 to 1928, and who became famous in silent films of the 1920s.-Biography:... |
October 22, 1865 | November 24, 1929 | American | Monologist. | |
Gertrude Hoffman Gertrude Hoffman Gertrude W. Hoffmann was a German-born American character actress who began her Hollywood career as she was entering her sunset years.-Family:... |
May 17, 1871 | October 21, 1966 | German | Interpretive dancer. | |
Ernest Hogan Ernest Hogan Ernest Hogan was the first African American entertainer to produce and star in a Broadway show and helped create the musical genre of ragtime.... |
1859 | May 20, 1909 | American | Blackface comedian billed as "the Unbleached American." Credited with the creation of the "coon" song Coon song Coon songs were a genre of music popular in the United States and around the English-speaking world from 1880 to 1920, that presented a racist and stereotyped image of blacks.-Rise and fall from popularity:... and as one of the creators of ragtime Ragtime Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published... music. |
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Fay Holderness Fay Holderness Fay Holderness was a vaudeville performer and film actress from Oconto, Wisconsin.Holderness performed in a vaudeville production in Olean, New York in 1920, a presentation of The Village Four. Three actors along with Holderness appeared in this comedy and harmony singing skit.She performed in... |
April 16, 1881 | May 13, 1963 | American | Actress. | |
Taylor Holmes Taylor Holmes Taylor Holmes was an actor who appeared in over 100 Broadway plays in his five-decade career. However, he is probably best remembered for his film roles, which he began in silent movies in 1917. By the 1940s, he was working more on film than on stage... |
May 16, 1878 | September 30, 1959 | American | Light actor. | |
Lou Holtz Lou Holtz (actor) Lou Holtz was an American vaudevillian and comic actor.He was discovered by vaudevillian Elsie Janis in San Francisco while still in his teens, and came to New York. He appeared in his first Broadway show in 1913, World of Pleasure... |
April 11, 1893 | September 22, 1980 | American | Comedian, minstrel, and dialectical singer. | |
Bob Hope Bob Hope Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel... |
May 29, 1903 | July 27, 2003 | British-American | Actor and comedian. | |
DeWolf Hopper DeWolf Hopper William DeWolf Hopper was an American actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer. Although a star of the musical stage, he was best-known for performing the popular baseball poem Casey at the Bat. -Biography:... |
March 30, 1858 | September 23, 1935 | American | Actor and comedian, known for his recitations of the poem, Casey at the Bat Casey at the Bat "Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888" is a baseball poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. First published in The San Francisco Examiner on June 3, 1888, it was later popularized by DeWolf Hopper in many vaudeville performances.The poem was originally published... . |
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Edna Wallace Hopper Edna Wallace Hopper Edna Wallace Hopper , was an American actress on stage and in silent films.- Early life :Born Edna Wallace in San Francisco, California to Waller Wallace and Josephine... |
January 17, 1874 | December 14, 1959 | American | Actress. | |
Edward Everett Horton Edward Everett Horton Edward Everett Horton was an American character actor. He had a long career in film, theater, radio, television and voice work for animated cartoons. He is especially known for his work in the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.-Early life:Horton was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Isabella... |
March 18, 1886 | September 29, 1970 | American | Comedian, Singer and dancer. | |
Allen "Farina" Hoskins | August 9, 1920 | July 26, 1980 | American | Child actor who appeared in the Our Gang Our Gang Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively... series of short films. He and his sister, Janie, had an act together. |
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Harry Houdini Harry Houdini Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts... |
March 24, 1874 | October 31, 1926 | Hungarian | Magician and escape artist. | |
Howard Brothers | American | Comic duo made up of Willie Howard Willie Howard Willie L. Howard is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft and played for them for two seasons before a serious injury ended his career... (1886–1949) and Eugene Howard (1880–1965). |
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Joseph Howard | February 12, 1867 | May 19, 1961 | American | Singer and songwriter. | |
Buddy Howe | c. 1910 | March 4, 1981 | American | Acrobatic dancer. | |
Alice Howell Alice Howell Alice Howell , was a silent film comedy actress from New York City.Early reviews of her movies describe her as the scream of the screen.... |
May 5, 1888 | April 12, 1961 | American | Comedienne in an act with her husband, Dick Smith. | |
Waite Hoyt Waite Hoyt Waite Charles Hoyt was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, one of the dominant pitchers of the 1920s, and the winningest pitcher for the New York Yankees during that decade... |
September 9, 1899 | August 25, 1984 | American | Singer and dancer. | |
Doris Humphrey Doris Humphrey Doris Batcheller Humphrey was a dancer and choreographer of the early twentieth century. Humphrey was born in Oak Park, Illinois but grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She was the daughter of Horace Buckingham Humphrey and Julia Ellen Wells and was a descendant of pilgrim William Brewster... |
October 17, 1895 | December 29, 1958 | American | Dancer. | |
Walter Huston Walter Huston Walter Thomas Huston was a Canadian-born American actor. He was the father of actor and director John Huston and the grandfather of actress Anjelica Huston and actor Danny Huston.-Life and career:... |
April 6, 1884 | April 7, 1950 | Canadian | Actor and singer. | |
Hyams and McIntyre | American | Husband-wife comedic duo with John Hyams (June 6, 1869 – December 9, 1940) and Leila McIntyre (December 20, 1882 – January 9, 1953). Their daughter, Leila Leila Hyams Leila Hyams was an American film actress. Her relatively short film career began in silent films, and ended in the mid 1930s.-Early life:... (May 1, 1905 – December 4, 1977), appeared with them as a child. |
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Name | Birth | Death | Nationality | Performance notes | Reference |
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Imhof, Conn and Corinne | American | Comic trio. Roger Imhof (January or August 15, 1875 – April 15, 1958), his wife, Marcel Corinne or Coreene (d. 1977), and an associate, Conn (about whom, little is known), toured in two comic sketches, "The Pest House" and "Surgeon Louder." Imhof began his career as a circus clown and Irish comic and following vaudeville, appeared as a character actor in a number of Hollywood films. | |||
May Irwin May Irwin May Irwin , was a Canadian actress, singer and star of vaudeville.-Early life and career:Born at Whitby, Ontario 1862 as Georgina May Campbell, her father, Robert E. Campbell of Whitby, Ontario, died when she was 13 years old and her stage-minded mother, Jane Draper, in need of money, encouraged... |
June 27, 1862 | October 22, 1938 | Canadian | Comedienne and actress. | |
Joe Jackson Sr. Joe Jackson Sr. Joe Jackson Sr. was born as Joseph Francis Jiranek in Vienna, Austria. He was Austrian cycling champion and a member of a world champion bicycle polo team before he became an entertainer.... |
January 1, 1881 | May 14, 1942 | Austrian | Bicyclist and comic. Born as Josef Francis Jiranek in Vienna, Austria, where he began competing in cycling races and later appeared in circuses, clowning with his bicycle. Appearing on the American stage for the first time in 1911, Jackson's act involved him entering the stage dressed as a clownish tramp and attempting to ride a bicycle that was slowly falling apart. He would often end his act with a series of athletic riding tricks. He appeared in a number of Broadway shows and Hollywood films including some directed by Mack Sennett Mack Sennett Mack Sennett was a Canadian-born American director and was known as the innovator of slapstick comedy in film. During his lifetime he was known at times as the "King of Comedy"... . Jackson died on his way to his dressing room following a performance at the Roxy Theatre in 1942. |
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Tony Jackson | June 5, 1876 | April 20, 1921 | American | Pianist, singer and composer. Best known for his song, Pretty Baby Pretty Baby (song) Pretty Baby is a song written by Tony Jackson during the Ragtime era. The song was remembered as being prominent in Jackson's repertory before he left New Orleans in 1912, but was not published until 1916.... , Jackson appeared in vaudeville as a singer and pianist in the Whitman Sisters' New Orleans Troubadours during their tour in 1904. He later appeared with them in 1910. New Orleans born, Jackson began his career playing in the brothels of that city's red-light district, Storyville Storyville Storyville was the red-light district of New Orleans, Louisiana, from 1897 through 1917. Locals usually simply referred to the area as The District.-History:... and following his work in vaudeville, he continued his performing in Chicago Chicago Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles... . |
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Lou Jacobs Lou Jacobs Johann Ludwig Jacob was an auguste clown who performed for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for more than 60 years. He was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in 1989... |
January 1, 1903 | September 13, 1992 | German | Clown. | |
Elsie Janis Elsie Janis Elsie Janis was an American singer, songwriter, actress, and screenwriter. Entertaining the troops during World War I immortalized her as "the sweetheart of the AEF" .-Early career:... |
March 16, 1889 | February 26, 1956 | American | Singer and actress. | |
Frank Jenks Frank Jenks Frank Jenks acid-voiced supporting actor, began in vaudeville and went on to a long career in movies and television, mostly in comedy. He was one of the more familiar faces and voices of the Hollywood Studio era. For almost ten years beginning in the early 1920s, Jenks was a song and dance man... |
November 4, 1902 | May 13, 1962 | American | Singer and dancer. | |
George Jessel George Jessel (actor) George Albert Jessel was an American illustrated song "model," actor, singer, songwriter, and Academy Award-winning movie producer. He was famous in his lifetime as a multitalented comedic entertainer, achieving a level of recognition that transcended his limited roles in movies... |
April 3, 1898 | May 23, 1981 | American | Actor, monologist, minstrel, and singer. | |
Jack Johnson Jack Johnson (boxer) John Arthur Johnson , nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion... |
March 31, 1878 | June 10, 1946 | American | First African-American Heavyweight Champion of the World. He first appeared on the vaudeville stage in 1909 at Hammerstein's Victoria in New York City, appearing in the ring with white boxer, Kid Cutler. He went on a thirty-week vaudeville tour the following year. | |
George W. Johnson George W. Johnson George Washington Johnson was a singer and pioneer sound recording artist, the first African American recording star of the phonograph.-Early life:... |
c. 1855 | 1914 | American | Singer. | |
Ralph Johnstone Ralph Johnstone Ralph Johnstone was a pioneering early aviator who died in a crash.-Biography:He was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1886. He started as a vaudeville trick bicycle rider. With a signature finale of performing a mid-air forward somersault. He became a Wright exhibition team pilot... |
1886 | November 17, 1910 | American | Bicyclist. Originated the trick of jumping a bicycle up and down stairs on one wheel. | |
Al Jolson Al Jolson Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer".... |
May 26, 1886 | October 23, 1950 | Lithuanian-American | Actor, singer, and minstrel. | |
Sissieretta Jones | January 5, 1869 | June 24, 1933 | American | African-American Soprano, often billed as "The Black Patti Adelina Patti Adelina Patti was a highly acclaimed 19th-century opera singer, earning huge fees at the height of her career in the music capitals of Europe and America. She first sang in public as a child in 1851 and gave her last performance before an audience in 1914... ." Jones was one of the first African-American singers to perform classical and operatic repertoire. Starting in 1896, Jones was the centerpiece of a travelling vaudeville show called the Black Patti Troubadours which included African-American singers, dancers and comedians. |
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Name | Birth | Death | Nationality | Performance notes | Reference |
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Armand Kaliz Armand Kaliz Armand Kaliz was a French born American film actor of the silent film and early sound period of the 1930s.Born in Paris, Kaliz began his career in vaudeville... |
October 23, 1887 | February 1, 1941 | French | Actor. | |
Bert Kalmar Bert Kalmar Bert Kalmar was a Jewish American lyricist.He was born in New York, New York. He ran away from home at the age of 10 to become a magician at a tent show, and retained an interest in magic all his life. He never got much of an education, but decided to make a career in show business... |
February 10, 1884 | September 18, 1947 | American | Magician and songwriter teamed with Harry Ruby Harry Ruby Harry Ruby was a Jewish American songwriter and screenwriter.After failing in his early ambition to become a professional baseball player,... . |
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Harry Kandel Harry Kandel Harry Kandel was an American clarinetist and bandleader, one of the pioneers of modern klezmer music. He ran an orchestra which consisted of a variety of instruments, including himself on clarinet, trombone, tuba, xylophone, cornet, violin, flute, viola and piano... |
1885 | 1943 | Russian | Clarinetist and bandleader. | |
Helen Kane Helen Kane Helen Kane was an American popular singer; her signature song was "I Wanna Be Loved By You". Kane's voice and appearance were a likely source for Fleischer Studios animator Grim Natwick when creating Betty Boop, although It-girl Clara Bow is another possible influence.-Early life:Born as Helen... |
August 4, 1904 | September 26, 1966 | American | Singer and comedienne, known as the "boop-oop-a-doop girl". | |
Kara | October 17, 1883 | April 9, 1939 | German | Juggler credited as performing the first "Gentleman juggling" act. Dressed in a top hat and tails, Kara would then juggle the numerous props onstage. | |
Beatrice Kay Beatrice Kay Beatrice Kay was an American singer, vaudevillian, music hall performer, stage and film actress... |
April 21, 1907 | November 8, 1986 | American | Singer and actress. | |
Stubby Kaye Stubby Kaye Stubby Kaye was an American comic actor. He was born Bernard Kotzin in New York City on the last day of the First World War, at West 114th Street in the Morningside Heights section of Manhattan to first generation Jewish-Americans originally from Russia and Austria... |
November 11, 1918 | December 14, 1997 | American | Actor and comedian | |
Buster Keaton Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the... |
October 4, 1895 | February 1, 1966 | American | Actor, acrobat and comedian. Member of his family's act, The Three Keatons, with his parents, Joe (1867–1946) and Myra (1877–1955). | |
Frank Keenan Frank Keenan Frank Keenan was a stage and screen actor and stage director and manager during the silent film era. He was among the first stage actors to star in Hollywood, and he pursued work in film features a number of years.... |
April 8, 1858 | February 24, 1929 | American | Actor. | |
Harry Kellar Harry Kellar Harry Kellar was an American magician who presented large stage shows during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.... |
1849 | 1922 | American | Magician. | |
Helen Keller Helen Keller Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.... |
June 27, 1880 | June 1, 1968 | American | Deafblind lecturer. Appeared with her teacher, Anne Sullivan Anne Sullivan Johanna "Anne" Mansfield Sullivan Macy , also known as Annie Sullivan, was an American teacher best known as the instructor and companion of Helen Keller.-Early life:Sullivan was born on April 14, 1866 in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts... . |
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Keller Sisters and Lynch Keller Sisters and Lynch The Keller Sisters and Lynch were a United States pop music group of singers of the 1920s and 1930s.The group consisted of Annie Catherine "Nan" Keller , Kathryne Ann "Taddy" Keller , and Frank Lynch... |
American | Singing trio of siblings consisting of Annie Catherine "Nan" Keller (1900–1975), Kathryne Ann "Taddy" Keller (1909–1962) and Frank Lynch (1902–1992). | |||
Annette Kellerman Annette Kellerman Annette Marie Sarah Kellerman was an Australian professional swimmer, vaudeville and film star, and writer... |
July 6, 1887 | November 5, 1975 | Australian | Olympic Olympic Games The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate... swimmer. |
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Gene Kelly Gene Kelly Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer... |
August 23, 1912 | February 2, 1996 | American | Dancer, singer and actor. Appeared in vaudeville with his brother Fred. | |
George Kelly | January 16, 1887 | June 18, 1974 | American | Actor. | |
King Kelly King Kelly Michael Joseph "King" Kelly was an American right fielder, catcher, and manager in various professional American baseball leagues including the National League, International Association, Players' League, and the American Association. He spent the majority of his 16-season playing career with the... |
December 31, 1857 | November 8, 1894 | American | Former baseball player and comedian. | |
Walter Kelly | October 29, 1873 | January 6, 1939 | American | Monologist and dialectician. | |
Pert Kelton Pert Kelton Pert Kelton was an American vaudeville, movie, radio and television actress. She was the first actress who played Alice Kramden in The Honeymooners with Jackie Gleason and was a prominent comedic supporting film actress in the 1930s... |
August 23, 1912 | February 2, 1996 | American | Actress and comedienne. | |
Freddie Keppard Freddie Keppard Freddie Keppard was an early jazz cornetist.Keppard was born in the Creole of Color community of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana. His older brother Louis Keppard was also a professional musician. Freddie played violin, mandolin, and accordion before switching to cornet... |
February 27, 1890 | July 15, 1933 | American | Jazz cornetist. | |
Jerome Kern Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works, including such classics as "Ol' Man River", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "A... |
January 27, 1885 | November 11, 1945 | American | Pianist and accompanist for Edna Wallace Hopper Edna Wallace Hopper Edna Wallace Hopper , was an American actress on stage and in silent films.- Early life :Born Edna Wallace in San Francisco, California to Waller Wallace and Josephine... . Kern later became one of the best known musical theatre composers of the early 20th century. |
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J. Warren Kerrigan J. Warren Kerrigan George Jack Warren Kerrigan was an American silent film actor and film director.-Early life and career:Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Kerrigan worked as a warehouse clerk in his teens until a chance arrived to appear in a vaudeville production... |
1916 | August 4, 2004 | American | Singer. Later he became a noted disc jockey. | |
Joseph Kesselring Joseph Kesselring Joseph Otto Kesselring was an American writer and playwright known best for his play Arsenic and Old Lace, written in 1939 and originally entitled "Bodies in Our Cellar." He was born in New York City to Henry and Frances Kesselring. His father's parents were immigrants from Germany. His mother was... |
July 25, 1879 | June 9, 1947 | American | Actor. | |
Victor Kilian Victor Kilian Victor Arthur Kilian was an American actor who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses in the 1950s.... |
March 6, 1891 | March 11, 1979 | American | Actor. | |
Charles King Charles King (vaudevillian) Charles King was a vaudeville and Broadway actor who also starred in several movies. He starred as the leading actor in the hit MGM movie, The Broadway Melody , the first all-talking film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.-Early Life:Charles J... |
1889 | 1941 | American | Song and dance man later on Broadway and in the Ziegfeld Follies. | |
Hetty King Hetty King Winifred Emms , best known by her stage name Hetty King, was an English entertainer who played in the music halls over a period of 70 years.-Birth:... |
1883 | September 28, 1972 | British | Male impersonator and singer. | |
Johnny Kling Johnny Kling John Kling was a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs , Boston Rustlers & Braves , and Cincinnati Reds .-Early years:John Gransfield Kling was born and raised in Kansas City, the son of John and... |
February 25, 1875 | January 31, 1947 | American | Baseball player who appeared in vaudeville with a monologue and a champ billiards Billiards Cue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards... exhibition act. |
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Fred Kohler Fred Kohler Fred Kohler was an American actor known for his "heavy" style of character.-Career:Fred Kohler was born in Kansas City, Missouri. As a teen, he began to pursue a career in vaudeville, but worked other jobs to support himself. He lost part of his right hand in a mining accident during this time... |
April 20, 1888 | October 28, 1938 | American | Character actor. | |
Kolb and Dill | American | Dutch dialect knockabout comic duo with Clarence Kolb Clarence Kolb Clarence William Kolb was an American vaudeville performer and actor.He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the only child of second generation Austrian parents who owned a local meat company.... (July 31, 1874 – November 25, 1964) and Max Dill Max Dill Max M. Dill was an American silent film actor who starred briefly in film between 1916 and 1917.His short career in film began relatively late at the age of 39.... (September 15, 1876 – November 21, 1949). |
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Isa Kremer Isa Kremer Isa Kremer: The People's Diva, is a documentary produced in 2000 and directed by Nina Baker Feinberg and Ted Schillinger. It focuses on Isa Kremer, an international singing sensation.-Summary:... |
October 21, 1887 | July 7, 1956 | Russian-American | Soprano |