"Fanny Brice Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American illustrated song model, comedienne, singer, theater, 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"". Thirteen years after her death, Brice was portrayed on the Broadway stage by Barbra Streisand in the 1964 musical"" Funny Girl""; Streisand also starred in its 1968 film adaptation, for which she won an Oscar. Fania Borach was born in Manhattan, New York"
"Lorna Gray Lorna Gray (July 26, 1917 – April 30, 2017) was an American film actress known for her comic roles, and later as a villainess. She is best known for her roles in Columbia Pictures comedy shorts and Republic Pictures serials. She was known as Adrian Booth since 1945. Gray was born Virginia Pound in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After her father's millinery business was a victim of the Great Depression, the family split up. Before appearing in films, Gray sang with a group in Cleveland called Ben Yost's Varsity Coeds, who performed primarily in movie theaters before the movie"
"Sophie Tucker Sophie Tucker (January 13, 1886– February 9, 1966) was a Ukrainian-born American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality. Known for her powerful delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers in America during the first half of the 20th century. She was widely known by the nickname ""The Last of the Red Hot Mamas"". Tucker was born Sofya Kalish (in Russian, Софья «Соня» Калиш) in 1886 to a Jewish family in Tulchyn, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire, now Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine. (""Sonya"" is a nickname for ""Sofya"", the Yiddish form of the name"
"Lotus Weinstock Marlene Weinstock, (January 29, 1943 – August 31, 1997) more commonly known by her stage name Lotus Weinstock, was an American stand-up comedian, author, musician, and actress. Weinstock was born in Philadelphia. Her parents were Robert and Lucille Weinstock. She studied at the Philadelphia Dance Academy. Early in her career, she changed her name to Maurey Haydn. Under this name, one of her songs was recorded by Richie Havens. After moving to Los Angeles, she regularly performed at The Comedy Store and the LA location of The Improv. She performed on ""The Merv Griffin Show"" and ""The Tonight"
"Cornelia Frances Jefferson Cornelia Frances Jefferson (' Cornelia Frances Thomas; 1 October 1796 in New York – 24 October 1848 in Philadelphia) was a famous early-American singer and prolific comic actress. She was known widely in her younger years as Mrs. Burke, which was the surname from her first marriage to Thomas Burke. Cornelia’s mother died when she was very young. Her father, who had been raised in affluence, lost everything and was very poor. He finally found employment in the service of Alexander Placide, ancestor of the family of famous actors bearing that name. Placide was then manager of"
"Elaine Cancilla Orbach Elaine Cancilla Orbach (January 19, 1940 – April 1, 2009) was an American stage and musical theatre actress and dancer. Orbach, known professionally as Elaine Cancilla, appeared on Broadway and Off Broadway in productions including: ""Fiorello!"", ""How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying"", ""Here's Love"", ""Flora the Red Menace"", ""Sweet Charity"" and ""Cry for Us All"". In 1979 she married actor Jerry Orbach, a star on stage and later of film and television (""Law & Order""). They met several years earlier while appearing together in the original Broadway theatre production of the Kander & Ebb musical,"
"cleared of blockage as well. In 2009, due to the frequency of pancreatic cancer in her own family, Rae was screened, diagnosed early, and became cancer-free after six months of chemotherapy. Her mother, an uncle, and her elder sister Beverly all reportedly died from pancreatic cancer. In 2017, aged 91, she was, however, diagnosed with bone cancer. Rae died at her home in Los Angeles, California on August 5, 2018. She was 92 years old. Charlotte Rae Charlotte Rae Lubotsky (April 22, 1926 – August 5, 2018), known professionally as Charlotte Rae, was an American character actress, comedian, and singer"
"Edna May Edna May Pettie (September 2, 1878 – January 1, 1948), known on stage as Edna May, was an American actress and singer. A popular postcard beauty, May was famous for her leading roles in Edwardian musical comedies. May was born in Syracuse, New York, to Edgar and Cora Petty. The family later changed the surname to ""Pettie"". Her siblings were Adelbert, Jennie and Marguerite. At the age of 5, she played Little Willie Allen in a production of ""Dora"". The next year, her performances ""charmed a number of audiences lately with her child voice"". By the age of"
"Minnie Pearl Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (October 25, 1912 – March 4, 1996), known professionally as her stage character Minnie Pearl, was an American country comedian who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years (from 1940 to 1991) and on the television show ""Hee Haw"" from 1969 to 1991. Sarah Colley was born in Centerville in Hickman County, Tennessee, 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Nashville. She was the youngest of five daughters born to a prosperous lumberman in Centerville. Her older sisters were: She graduated from Ward-Belmont College (now Belmont University), at the time Nashville's"
"Linda Gerard Linda Gerard (December 24, 1938 - March 21, 2014) was a singer, stage actress and cabaret artist based in Palm Springs, California. Originally from Trenton, New Jersey, she had performed on and off Broadway in theater productions, cabaret acts and as a singer across the Eastern seaboard and later in California. Gerard was a self-identified OWL—an older, wiser lesbian. Gerard was a standby for Barbra Streisand and Mimi Hines in the original 1960s runs of the musical ""Funny Girl"", taking the stage as Fanny Brice many times. In the sixties and seventies, she developed an original repertoire of"
"Ann Corio Ann Corio (November 29, 1909 – March 1, 1999) was a prominent American burlesque ecdysiast and actress. Ann Corio's original surname was Cicoria. She changed her name to Corio for stage purposes and because some family members did not approve of her profession. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, she was one of twelve children of Italian immigrant parents. While still in her teens, Corio's good looks and shapely physique landed her showgirl roles that led to her becoming a hugely popular striptease artist. Her rise to stardom as a featured performer on the burlesque circuit began in 1925, working"
"on July 27, 1826, in Philadelphia, she married Joseph Jefferson III (1804–1842). She and Joseph had four children. Two died at a very early age, the other two were Joseph Jefferson (1829–1905) and Cornelia (1935–1899). Cornelia Frances Jefferson Cornelia Frances Jefferson (' Cornelia Frances Thomas; 1 October 1796 in New York – 24 October 1848 in Philadelphia) was a famous early-American singer and prolific comic actress. She was known widely in her younger years as Mrs. Burke, which was the surname from her first marriage to Thomas Burke. Cornelia’s mother died when she was very young. Her father, who had"
"Sophie Brandt Sophie Brandt born Sophie Barth (July 4, 1876 – February 4, 1946) was an American actress and soprano singer of musical comedy, opera, and waltzes. She was ""gifted with a voice capable of attaining unusually high notes,"" reported one magazine in 1904. She was known in private life as Mrs. William Burlock. She was born in St. Louis and died at Chicago in 1946. Brandt was born on July 4 1876 in St. Louis to Felix Barth and Marie Barth (""née"" Brandt). She had one sister called Elizabeth. As years marched on Brandt started dropping years off of"
"in the film ""Forgotten; or An Answered Prayer"". She starred in a 1916 film called ""Salvation Joan"", donating the proceeds to charity. She died in Lausanne, Switzerland, at the age of 69. Edna May Edna May Pettie (September 2, 1878 – January 1, 1948), known on stage as Edna May, was an American actress and singer. A popular postcard beauty, May was famous for her leading roles in Edwardian musical comedies. May was born in Syracuse, New York, to Edgar and Cora Petty. The family later changed the surname to ""Pettie"". Her siblings were Adelbert, Jennie and Marguerite. At the"
"released minifigures based on ""The Simpsons"" characters; a minifigure of her character was later included in tribute. Marcia Wallace Marcia Karen Wallace (November 1, 1942 – October 25, 2013) was an American actress, voice artist, comedian, and game show panelist, primarily known for her roles in television situation comedies. She is perhaps best known for her roles as receptionist Carol Kester on the 1970s sitcom ""The Bob Newhart Show"" and as the voice of elementary school teacher Edna Krabappel on the animated series ""The Simpsons"", for which she won an Emmy in 1992. The character was retired after her death."
"Florence Nash Florence Nash (October 2, 1888 — April 2, 1950) was an American actress and author. She was sister to theater and movie actor Mary Nash. Florence was born to James H. and Ellen Frances (née McNamara) Ryan. She and her sister adopted the surname of their stepfather, Philip F. Nash, a vaudeville booking executive, who married their mother after the death of their father, a lawyer. She began her acting career in 1907 and had her first hit in 1912 as Aggie Lynch in ""Within the Law"". She was a noted theater actor and comedian in vaudeville until"
"Faina Ranevskaya Faina Georgievna Ranevskaya (, born Faina Girschevna Feldman, - 19 July 1984), PAU, is recognized as one of the greatest Soviet actresses in both tragedy and comedy. She was also famous for her aphorisms. She acted in plays by Anton Chekhov, Aleksandr Ostrovsky, Maxim Gorky, Ivan Krylov, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, and others. Unfortunately, our judgement of her theater performances must come mostly from photos as only her three final performances of ""Make Way for Tomorrow"" by Vina Delmar, ""Truth is Good, but Happiness is Better"" by Aleksandr Ostrovsky, ""The Curious Savage"" by John Patrick were filmed. Faina"
"Sara Berner Sara Berner (January 12, 1912 – December 19, 1969) was an American actress and voice artist. Noted for her expertise in dialect and characterization, she began her show-business career in vaudeville before becoming a voice actress for radio and animated shorts. She starred in her own 1950 radio show, ""Sara's Private Caper"", and was known for her role as telephone operator Mabel Flapsaddle on ""The Jack Benny Program"". Columnist Erskine Johnson described Berner in 1944 as ""the most famous voice in Hollywood."" Born Lillian Ann Herdan in 1912 in Albany, New York, she adopted her stage name by"
"Marcia Wallace Marcia Karen Wallace (November 1, 1942 – October 25, 2013) was an American actress, voice artist, comedian, and game show panelist, primarily known for her roles in television situation comedies. She is perhaps best known for her roles as receptionist Carol Kester on the 1970s sitcom ""The Bob Newhart Show"" and as the voice of elementary school teacher Edna Krabappel on the animated series ""The Simpsons"", for which she won an Emmy in 1992. The character was retired after her death. Wallace was known for her tall frame, red hair, and distinctive laugh. She had a career spanning"
"funny. They thought it was supposed to be funny...the show was such fun and such a fiasco"". In her later years, Hach became interested in the plight of refugees from Iraq, Iran and Kurdistan. Through Nashville's International Center for Empowerment she helped organize a series of cooking classes for such immigrants. Hach died on December 2, 2015 at age 89, after battling colon cancer for about a year. Hach's son, Joseph Karl Hach continues to operate all of the properties of Hachland Hill as of 2016. Phila Hach Phila Hach — pronounced ""File-ah Hah"" (née Rawlings, June 13, 1926 –"
"Barbara Cook Barbara Cook (October 25, 1927 – August 8, 2017) was an American actress and singer who first came to prominence in the 1950s as the lead in the original Broadway musicals ""Plain and Fancy"" (1955), ""Candide"" (1956) and ""The Music Man"" (1957) among others, winning a Tony Award for the last. She continued performing mostly in theatre until the mid-1970s, when she began a second career as a cabaret and concert singer. She also made numerous recordings. During her years as Broadway’s leading ingénue Cook was lauded for her excellent lyric soprano voice. She was particularly admired for"
"Judy Canova Judy Canova (November 20, 1913 – August 5, 1983) (another source gives her birth date as November 20, 1916), born Juliette Canova (some sources indicate Julietta Canova), was an American comedian, actress, singer, and radio personality. She appeared on Broadway and in films. She hosted her own self-titled network radio program, a popular series broadcast from 1943 to 1955. She was born in Starke, Florida, one of seven siblings, to Joseph Francis Canova (1873-1926), a businessman, and Henrietta E. Canova (née Perry; 1872–1930), a singer. Young Juliette (or Julietta) became ""Judy"" and began her show-business career with a"
"Portland Hoffa Portland Hoffa (January 25, 1905, Portland, Oregon – December 25, 1990, Los Angeles, California) was an American comedian, actress, and dancer. As with most of her siblings, including sister Lebanon and brother Harlem, she was named for the city where she was born. She is remembered best as the stage and radio partner of her first husband, Fred Allen. Allen hosted several highly successful network radio shows in the 1930s and 1940s, in which Hoffa often participated. A veteran of vaudeville and Broadway-level stage productions, Hoffa met Allen while performing in ""The Passing Show"" in 1922 and joined"
"2007, Hines starred in the City Center Encores! production of ""Follies"". Mimi Hines Mimi Hines (born July 17, 1933) is a Canadian singer and comedian best known for her appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show ""The Tonight Show"" and her work on Broadway. She succeeded Barbra Streisand in the original production of ""Funny Girl"". Hines was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and resides in the United States. She worked for a time in Anchorage, Alaska, where she met her partner Phil Ford, while they were working at different night clubs. On August 28, 1958, she and Ford appeared on"
"Fania Marinoff Fania Marinoff (; ) (March 20, 1890 – November 17, 1971) was a Russian-born American actress. Fania Marinoff was born in Odessa, Russia on March 20, 1890. Marinoff was born into a Jewish household, she was the thirteenth child and seventh daughter born to Mayer and Leah Marinoff, who shortly passed away after she was born. Nicknamed Fanny as child, Marinoff at the age of 6 was smuggled on onboard an overcrowded passenger ship headed to America. Marinoff arrived in Boston, MA where she lived undernourished and uneducated. At the age of 8, Marinoff was sent to live"
"had an elder brother named Robert, also born in Poland. Their Kiev-born younger sister, Mary Pecjak, was briefly an actress, known as Manya Roberti (1908–1983), who later disappeared from show business. After having appeared in vaudeville, Roberti made her Broadway debut in ""You Said It"" in 1931, and with its success became an overnight sensation. During her run with the show, she was nicknamed ""Broadway's preferred Polish blonde"". Historian Edward Jablonski found that ""much of her appeal to the audiences at the time was due to her Polish accent"" and cited instances where her pronunciation of certain consonants would ""stir"
"Ledet who was dubbed ""Mantasia"" by fans, the media and even Barrino herself. Actress Amber Riley revealed her admiration for Barrino in an interview on ""The Arsenio Hall Show"" and cited her as an ""inspiration."" Fantasia Barrino Fantasia Monique Barrino-Taylor (born June 30, 1984), known professionally by her mononym Fantasia, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series ""American Idol"" in 2004. Following her victory, she released her debut single, ""I Believe,"" which debuted at number one on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100. Subsequently, she"
"Lyda Roberti Lyda Roberti (née Pecjak; May 20, 1906 – March 12, 1938) was an American stage and film actress, and singer. Born in Warsaw, then part of Imperial Russia, Lyda Roberti was the daughter of a German father (surnamed Pecjak), a professional clown, and a Polish mother. As a child she performed in the circus as a trapeze artist, and was a vaudeville singer. As her family toured Europe and Asia, Roberti's mother left her husband. To escape the upheaval in Russia after the Communist revolution in 1917, they settled in Shanghai, China, where Roberti earned money singing. She"
"you a damn thing."" Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall (, born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress known for her distinctive voice and sultry looks. She was named the 20th greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute, and received an Academy Honorary Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2009, ""in recognition of her central place in the Golden Age of motion pictures"". Bacall began her career as a model before making her film debut as a leading lady in ""To Have and Have"
"Name Is Barbra"", and an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score for her 1975 film ""Funny Lady"". He won two more Emmys, for an episode of the TV series, ""Kraft Music Hall"", and for an episode of ""The Carol Burnett Show"". Matz was Musical Director for ""The Carol Burnett Show"" for eight years. Matz was the orchestra leader on Hullabaloo from January 1965 to August 1966. Over the years, Matz worked with a number of prominent artists, including Burt Bacharach, Tony Bennett, Bing Crosby, Lena Horne, Peggy Lee, k.d. lang, Bette Midler, Rosemary Clooney, Liza Minnelli, Elaine Paige, Chicago, Dolly"
"of Mount Pulaski, Illinois. Vaughn De Leath Vaughn De Leath (September 26, 1894 – May 28, 1943) was an American female singer who gained popularity in the 1920s, earning the sobriquets ""The Original Radio Girl"" and the ""First Lady of Radio."" Although very popular in the 1920s, De Leath is obscure in modern times. De Leath was an early exponent of a style of vocalizing known as crooning. One of her hit songs, ""Are You Lonesome Tonight?,"" recorded in 1927, achieved fame when it became a hit for Elvis Presley in 1960. Born Leonore Vonderlieth in the town of Mount"
"Parton's ""New Harvest - First Gathering"" album, singing on the song ""Applejack"". In 1986, she was a featured guest vocalist, along with Jerry Clower, on the Ray Stevens comedy single entitled ""Southern Air"". It charted in the top 70 of ""Billboard"". Minnie Pearl Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (October 25, 1912 – March 4, 1996), known professionally as her stage character Minnie Pearl, was an American country comedian who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years (from 1940 to 1991) and on the television show ""Hee Haw"" from 1969 to 1991. Sarah Colley was born in Centerville"
"voiced the character of Beatrice Portinari in the video game ""Dante's Inferno"" and also starred in the Disney Channel comedy series ""Sonny with a Chance"". In 2011, she starred as Claire in the Syfy original movie ""51"", which premiered in February 26, 2011. In 2013, Branch was on the cover of H Magazine, photographed by Joey Shaw. Vanessa Branch Vanessa Lynn Branch (born March 21, 1973) is an English-born American actress and model. She is best known in the United States as the Orbit Gum television commercial woman (whose catchphrase is ""Fabulous!""). Branch holds dual citizenship in the United Kingdom"