List_of_vaudeville_performers:_A-K
This is a partial list of vaudeville performers. Inclusion on this list indicates that the subject appeared at least once on the North 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 was a style of variety entertainment predominant in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Developing from many sources, including saloon shows, minstrel shows, freak shows, dime museums, British pantomimes, and other popular forms of entertainment, vaudeville became one of the most popular types of entertainment in America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Vaudeville took the form of a series of separate, unrelated acts each featuring a different types of performance, including classical and popular musical acts, dance performances, comedy, animal acts, magic and illusions, female and male impersonators, acrobatic and athletic feats, one-act plays or scenes from plays, lectures, minstrels, or even short films. A vaudeville performer is sometimes known as a "vaudevillian".
More information Name, Birth ...
| Name | Birth | Death | Nationality | Performance notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbott and Costello | American | Comic duo consisting of William (Bud) Abbott (October 2, 1897 – April 24, 1974) and Lou Costello (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. | [1] | ||
| Jean Acker | October 23, 1893 | August 16, 1978 | American | Actress known primarily for her work on film and as the first wife of Rudolf Valentino. | [2] |
| Janet Adair | c. 1892 | November 24, 1938 | American | Singing comedienne with piano accompanist; she was the lead female performer in Bombo with Al Jolson. | [3][4] |
| Jean Adair | 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. | [5][6] |
| Milton Ager | 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" with lyrics by Jack Yellen. | [7] |
| Will Ahern | 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. | [8] |
| Harry Akst | August 15, 1894 | March 31, 1963 | American | Pianist and songwriter, Akst accompanied singers including Al Jolson, Nora Bayes and Frank Fay. Perhaps his most notable song is "Dinah", which has been covered by such artists as Bing Crosby, the Mills Brothers and Fats Waller. | [9] |
| Jack Albertson | June 16, 1907 | November 25, 1981 | American | Actor, comedian, dancer and singer. After vaudeville, Albertson worked in burlesque, on Broadway and in Hollywood, winning a Tony Award, an Emmy Award and an Academy Award. | [10] |
| Robert Alda | 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, Alda appeared on Broadway, winning a Tony Award 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. | [11][12] |
| Joe Bennet Aldert | 1889 | 1967 | American | Dancer | [13] |
| Russell Alexander | 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. | [14] |
| 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. | [15] |
| Maud Allan | August 27, 1873 | October 7, 1956 | Canadian | A dancer, Allan created the famous "Salome Dance", a dance of her own creation. After performing it first at London's Palace Theatre, in March 1908, she appeared at New York's Palace Theatre January 20, 1910. She toured in American vaudeville from 1916 to 1917 and 1919 to 1920. | [16][17][18] |
| Fred Allen | May 31, 1894 | March 17, 1956 | American | Juggler and comedian who also performed in a comic duo with his wife, Portland Hoffa (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. | [19] |
| Lester Allen | November 17, 1891 | November 6, 1949 | American | Comedian who appeared in a double act with Nellie Breen. He also emceed at the Palace. | [20] |
| Louis Alter | June 18, 1902 | November 5, 1980 | American | Pianist and songwriter who accompanied Nora Bayes for a number of years and wrote songs for Irène Bordoni, Beatrice Lillie and Helen Morgan. Among his most popular songs are "Manhattan Serenade" and "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans." | [21][22] |
| Nick Altrock | September 15, 1876 | January 20, 1965 | American | Former baseball player who appeared in a comedy routine with Al Schacht, The Clown Prince of Baseball. | [23] |
| Kirk Alyn | May 31, 1908 | December 6, 1993 | American | Singer and dancer. Later notable as the first actor to play Superman on film. | [24] |
| Don Ameche | May 31, 1906 | March 14, 1999 | American | Comedian with Texas Guinan's troupe. After vaudeville, Ameche worked in film, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1985 for his work on the film, Cocoon. | [25][26] |
| Morey Amsterdam | 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, Amsterdam worked in radio, where he had his own variety show, The Morey Amsterdam Show, and in television where he was cast as one of Dick Van Dyke's co-workers on The Dick Van Dyke Show. He also wrote comedy dialogue for motion pictures. | [27] |
| "Broncho Billy" Anderson | March 21, 1880 | January 20, 1971 | American | Actor who, following vaude, became the first star of the Western film genre. In addition, with George K. Spoor, he founded Essanay Studios ("S" for Spoor and "A" for Anderson) in Chicago. | [28] |
| Eddie Anderson | 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, as "Rochester" on The Jack Benny Show on radio and later TV. | [29] |
| 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 – January 30, 2013) who sang in close harmony. The trio started touring vaudeville in the early 1930s with the Larry Rich band. | [30] | ||
| Margaret Anglin | 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, the greatest actress of the age. | [5][31] |
| A. E. Anson | September 14, 1879 | June 25, 1936 | British | Shakespearian actor who appeared in a vaudeville sketch entitled 1690 which he wrote himself. | [32] |
| Capt. Adrian C. "Cap" Anson | 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. | [33] |
| Dave Apollon | 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. | [34] |
| Macklyn Arbuckle | 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 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. | [35][36][37] |
| Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle | March 24, 1887 | June 29, 1933 | American | Arbuckle was a portly comic actor who was mentored by vaudeville veteran, Leon Errol. After leaving the stage, Arbuckle became a well-known comedian in silent films, eventually partnering with Buster Keaton. 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. | [38] |
| Harold Arlen | February 15, 1905 | April 23, 1986 | American | Pianist, musician and composer. Among his more well-known songs are "Stormy Weather", "Get Happy" and songs for the movie-musical, The Wizard of Oz. | [39] |
| Armida | May 29, 1911 | October 23, 1989 | American | Mexican-American singer and actress discovered while performing with her sister, Dolores, in Los Angeles. After becoming a part of Gus Edwards' vaudeville troupe, she made a number of films, including 1930's On the Border with John Barrymore and Rin-Tin-Tin. | [40] |
| Julia Arthur | 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. | [41][42] |
| Adele and Fred Astaire | 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. | [43][44] | ||
| Roscoe Ates | January 20, 1896 | March 1, 1962 | American | Comedian known for his portrayals of comic, stuttering characters. Ates later appeared in films. | [34] |
| Cholly Atkins | 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. | [45] |
| Lionel Atwill | March 1, 1885 | April 22, 1946 | British | An actor, Atwill toured with Lillie Langtry as her leading man in the play, Ashes during 1915. Following his stage career, Atwill worked in Hollywood, appearing in many horror films during the 1930s and 1940s. His career was cut short by a scandal involving an orgy at his home where a young woman was raped. | [46][47] |
| Adrienne Augarde | May 12, 1882 | March 17, 1913 | British | Singer and stage actress, | [48] |
| Gene Austin | 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." | [49] |
| Lovie Austin | September 19, 1887 | July 10, 1972 | American | Jazz pianist who toured extensively in vaude, often with her own band, the "Blues Serenaders." | [50][51] |
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More information Name, Birth ...
| Name | Birth | Death | Nationality | Performance notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Bacon | January 16, 1864 | November 19, 1922 | American | Actor and playwright, appeared in vaudeville skits and playlets. Father of Lloyd Bacon. | [52] |
| Lloyd Bacon | 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. after appearing as an actor in nearly 40 films. | [53] |
| Pearl Bailey | 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!. | [54] |
| Belle Baker | December 25, 1893 | April 29, 1957 | American | Baker first ventured onstage with the encouragement of actor, Jacob Adler and later, producer, Lew Leslie. Her debut in vaudeville was in Scranton, Pennsylvania 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 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. | [55][56] |
| Josephine Baker | 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 cabarets and nightclubs of Paris. | [57] |
| Phil Baker | 324 August 1896 | December 1, 1963 | American | Pianist, accordionist and comedian who began in a double act with Ben Bernie 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 in 1930 and 1931. He later enjoyed a career on Broadway in musicals and later radio. | [58][59] |
| Balasis family acrobatic act | Acrobats performing in vaudeville, variety shows and circuses in Europe, US, and Canada from c.1900 - 1930 | [60] | |||
| Nikita Balieff | c. 1877 | September 3, 1936 | Armenian | Singer, dancer, actor, monologist and impresario of the Chauve-Souris comedy troupe. | [61] |
| Ernest Ball | 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." 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 while on tour with his singing group, "Ernie Ball and His Gang." | [62] |
| Barbette | 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 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. | [63] |
| Ben Bard | January 26, 1893 | May 17, 1974 | American | Comedian, in a duo with Jack Pearl. | [59] |
| Wilkie Bard | March 19, 1870 | March 5, 1944 | British | Comedian and singer. | [66][67] |
| Reginald Barlow | 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. | [68] |
| The Barrison Sisters | Swedish | Five sisters who performed risqué songs and dances. The sisters were Lona, Sophia, Inger, Olga and Gertrude Barrison. | [69] | ||
| Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Barry | American | Married couple who performed as a comedy duo | [70] | ||
| Ethel Barrymore | 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'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. | [66][71][72] |
| John Barrymore | 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 and Richard III. | [66][73] |
| Lionel Barrymore | April 28, 1878 | November 15, 1954 | American | Actor from the legitimate stage who appeared in a sketch of Bartley Campbell's play, The White Slave, with Doris Rankin. He also toured in The Still Voice in 1914. | [66][73][74] |
| Maurice Barrymore | 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. | [66][73] |
| Charles Barton | 1902 | 1981 | American | Actor. | [75] |
| 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. At the age of 3½, Barton appeared at the Palace as part of Ted Healy's routine. Barton later became a noted popular music singer. | [76] |
| 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 1920s, appearing in vaudeville between roles. | [77][78] |
| Billy Barty | 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. | [79] |
| Count Basie | 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. | [80][81][82] |
| Blanche Bates | 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's company later working with David Belasco. | [83][84] |
| Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates | October 11, 1907 | December 6, 1998 | American | Rhythm tap dancer with only one leg. | [85] |
| Warner Baxter | March 29, 1889 | May 7, 1951 | American | Actor. Later won the 1929 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as the Cisco Kid in the film In Old Arizona. | [86] |
| Nora Bayes | October 8, 1880 | June 19, 1928 | American | Singer and comedian who toured with her husband, Jack Norworth from 1908 to 13. She introduced such standards as 'Shine on Harvest Moon' and Cohan's 'Over There.' | [71][87] |
| Beverly Bayne | November 11, 1894 | August 18, 1982 | American | Actress with her husband, Francis X. Bushman. 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. | [88][89] |
| Ruth Virginia Bayton | November 11, 1894 | August 18, 1982 | American | Entertainer and actress. | [90] |
| George Beauchamp | 1899 | 1941 | American | Violin and steel lap guitar player. Beauchamp developed the first commercially available electric guitar. | [91] |
| George Beban | 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, after his work in vaudeville and appeared in a number of films including a version of The Sign of the Rose called The Alien. | [92] |
| Martin Beck | 1867 | November 16, 1940 | Austrian-American | Actor and later one of the top vaudeville theatre owners. | [94] |
| Digby Bell | 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's company and spent much of his later life in plays and vaudeville. | [95] |
| Rita Bell | December 16, 1893 | January 8, 1992 | American | A lyric soprano, Bell's vaudeville career included the B. F. Keith Circuit. | [96] |
| Robert Benchley | September 15, 1889 | November 21, 1945 | American | Actor and monologist. | [97] |
| Chief Bender | May 3, 1883 | May 22, 1954 | American | Former baseball player who did an act with Kathryn Pearl called Learning the Game by George Totten Smith with music by Arthur Behim. | [23] |
| Bennie Benjamin | 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. | [98] |
| Le Roy Benjamin | 1917 | 1997 | American | Built and performed with marionettes, later did voice impressions with Le Roy Brothers Marionettes. | [99] |
| Belle Bennett | 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. | [100] |
| Richard Bennett | 1870 | 1944 | American | Actor who appeared in a sketch from the play The Common Man. | [5] |
| Jack Benny | 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. | [101] |
| Irving Benson | January 31, 1914 | May 19, 2016 | American | Comedian and actor known for playing Sidney Spritzer, the wise-cracking heckler of fellow vaudevillian Milton Berle, and for being a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.[102] | |
| Alphonse Bergé | July 12, 1885 | June 23, 1980 | English-American | Noted for speedily dressing live models with bolts of fabric | [103] |
| Edgar Bergen | February 16, 1903 | September 30, 1978 | American | Ventrilogquist with his dummy, Charlie McCarthy. | [104] |
| Valerie Bergere | February 8, 1867 | September 16, 1938 | French-born American | Actress, headlined in vaudeville for 17 years | [105] |
| Sammy Berk | c. 1894 | 1983 | American | Novelty dancer. | [106] |
| Milton Berle | 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". | [107] |
| Irving Berlin | May 11, 1888 | September 22, 1989 | American | Musician and songwriter. Known for such songs as "Alexander's Ragtime Band", "White Christmas", "Easter Parade", "There's No Business Like Show Business", and "God Bless America." | [108] |
| Sam Bernard | 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. | [109] |
| Sarah Bernhardt | October 23, 1844 | March 26, 1923 | French | Actress, known as "The Divine Sarah" and "The First Lady of the Theater" | [110] |
| Ben Bernie | May 30, 1891 | October 20, 1943 | American | Violinist and comedian. Had an act with Phil Baker. | [111] |
| Joe Besser | 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. After appearing on radio, Besser appeared on film and was a member of the Three Stooges for two years. | [112] |
| Amelia Bingham | 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. 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. | [5][113][114] |
| Billie Bird | February 28, 1908 | November 27, 2002 | American | Actress and comedian 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. | [115] |
| Harry Blackstone Sr. | September 27, 1885 | November 16, 1965 | American | Magician. | [116] |
| J. Stuart Blackton | 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. | [117] |
| Block and Sully | American | Husband and wife comic duo composed of Jesse Block (December 16, 1900 – March 22, 1983) and Eve Sully (1902 – August 7, 1990). | [118] | ||
| Joan Blondell | 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. | [119][120] |
| Lew Bloom | August 8, 1859 | December 12, 1929 | American | Comic monologist and "society tramp." | [121][122] |
| Ben Blue | September 12, 1901 | March 7, 1975 | Canadian | Comedian and dancer. | [121] |
| Ray Bolger | 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 and By Jupiter. Best known film role is the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. | [123][124] |
| Bessie Bonehill | February 17, 1855 | August 21, 1902 | British | Male impersonator, Bonehill first appeared on the American vaudeville in 1889. She worked heavily in the British music hall as well as playing the principal boy in British pantomimes. | [125] |
| Irène Bordoni | 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 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. | [126] |
| Luis Borromeo | Filipino | Also known as Borromeo Lou. A Filipino jazz pianist who performed at the Orpheum Circuit in the late 1910s. He returned to the Philippines in the 1920s where he popularized bodabil, a localized variant of vaudeville. | [127] | ||
| Boswell Sisters | 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). | [128] | ||
| Hobart Bosworth | 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 as well as with some of the leading ladies of the day. After contracting tuberculosis, Bosworth traveled west and became a leading man at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles, 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. In 1917, Bosworth and Ethel Grey Terry, toured in a sketch of London's Sea Wolf. | [5][129] |
| Ray Bourbon | 1893 | July 19, 1971 | American | Female impersonator. | [128] |
| Eddie Bracken | 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. | [130] |
| Hugh Bradley | May 23, 1885 | January 26, 1949 | American | Baseball player who appeared with the Boston Red Sox Quartette in 1912. The quartet included Buck O'Brien, Marty Hale and Bill Lyons. | [131] |
| Nellie Breen | c. 1898 | 1986 | American | She appeared in a double act with Lester Allen. | [20] |
| El Brendel | March 25, 1890 | April 9, 1964 | American | Comedian. | [132] |
| Jay Brennan | December 6, 1882 | January 14, 1961 | American | Comedian. Played the "straight man" to Bert Savoy. | [54][133] |
| Walter Brennan | July 25, 1894 | September 21, 1974 | American | Actor. | [134] |
| Herbert Brenon | January 13, 1880 | June 22, 1958 | American | Had a comic duo with his wife, Helen Oberg. Later he was a Hollywood screenwriter. | [135] |
| Elizabeth Brice | c. 1885 | 1965 | American | When she performed in vaudeville with Charles King they were known as Brice and King. | [136][137] |
| Fanny Brice | October 29, 1891 | May 29, 1951 | American | Comedian and singer known for comedic songs, except for "My Man", and her portrayal of bratty Baby Snooks. The Ziegfeld Follies regular was famously portrayed by Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl and Funny Lady. | [138] |
| Lottie Briscoe | April 19, 1883 | March 21, 1950 | American | Starred in a 1919 vaudeville skit by George Kelly entitled Mrs. Wellington's Surprise | [139] |
| James Brockman | 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. | [140] |
| Helen Broderick | August 11, 1891 | September 25, 1959 | American | Singer-comedian who made her stage debut in the chorus of the Ziegfeld Follies of 1907. After becoming a comedian, she developed a caustic, wisecracking style and appeared in both musical comedies and vaudeville. Later Broderick worked in Hollywood. | [70][141] |
| Harry Brooks | September 20, 1895 | June 22, 1970 | American | Pianist and songwriter. | [142] |
| Shelton Brooks | May 4, 1886 | September 6, 1975 | American | Singer, pianist and songwriter. Many of Brooks' songs were composed for vaudeville singer, Sophie Tucker and among them, the song, "Some of These Days", which became one of Tucker's best known songs. Her 1911 recording of this song was selected in 2004 to be added to the National Recording Registry, ensuring its preservation in the Library of Congress. | [143][144] |
| Heywood Broun | 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 in 1912 and went to serve as the drama critic for the New York World from 1921 to 1928 and also as the drama editor for Vanity Fair. | [145][146] |
| Joe E. Brown | 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. | [19][147] |
| Nacio Herb Brown | 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 best known songs is "Singin' in the Rain", which he wrote with lyricist, Arthur Freed. | [148][149] |
| Tom Brown | 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. | [150][151][152] |
| Bothwell Browne | March 7, 1877 | December 12, 1947 | Danish | Female impersonator with a brief career; headlined at the Palace in 1919. | [153] |
| Frank Browning | 1882 | 1948 | American | Former baseball player who was in a quartet with 3 other baseball players around 1925. The three other singers were George Crable, Tom Dillon and Kid Gleason. | [33] |
| Peaches 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. | [154] |
| Tod Browning | July 12, 1880 | October 6, 1962 | American | Actor. Later a Hollywood director who directed Dracula and Freaks. | [155] |
| Harry Bulger | 1872 | April 14, 1926 | American | Actor and comedian who was one half of the duo Matthews and Bulger. Starred in several Broadway musicals. | [156][157] |
| Brox Sisters | 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). | [158][159][160] | ||
| Buck and Bubbles | American | Dance duo with Ford Lee "Buck" Washington (October 16, 1903 – January 31, 1955) and John W. "Bubbles" Sublett (February 19, 1902 – May 18, 1986). | [161] | ||
| John Bunny | September 21, 1863 | April 26, 1915 | American | Actor, comedians, and minstrel. Later a film star. | [162] |
| Neil Burgess | 1846 | 1910 | American | Female impersonator, mostly playing elderly widows. | [163] |
| Smiley Burnette | March 18, 1911 | February 16, 1967 | American | Singer. Later worked with Gene Autry and performed onscreen in Westerns. | [164] |
| Burns and Allen | American | Comic duo consisting of George Burns (January 20, 1896 – March 9, 1996) and his wife, Gracie Allen (July 26, 1895 – August 27, 1964). Their radio and television shows proved their enduring popularity, thanks in part to Gracie's scatterbrained publicity stunts. | [71][165] | ||
| Pesach Burstein | 1896 | 1986 | Polish-American | Actor, comedian and singer mostly in Yiddish vaudeville with his family. Burstein, his kids and his wife, Lillian Lux are profiled in the 2002 documentary, The Komediant. | [166] |
| Mae Busch | 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 films. | [167] |
| Francis X. Bushman | January 10, 1883 | August 23, 1966 | American | Actor who toured with his wife, actress Beverly Bayne. Following his initial silent film career in Hollywood, where he had become a matinee idol, 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. | [88][89] |
| Butterbeans and Susie | 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 T. O. B. A. circuit. | [168] |
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More information Name, Birth ...
| Name | Birth | Death | Nationality | Performance notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Cagney | July 17, 1899 | March 30, 1986 | American | Actor, before winning an Oscar, 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 while appearing in the musical Penny Arcade and was soon signed to a Warner Bros. contract. | [169][170] |
| Marie Cahill | February 7, 1870 | August 23, 1933 | American | Singer and actress. | [169][171] |
| Cab Calloway | 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". | [173] |
| Emma Calvé | August 15, 1858 | January 6, 1942 | French | Operatic soprano. | [174] |
| Mrs. Patrick Campbell | February 9, 1865 | April 9, 1940 | British | Actress from the legitimate stage who appeared in vaudeville in Expiation (a Russian tragedy). | [175][176][177] |
| Judy Canova | November 20, 1913 | August 5, 1983 | American | Comedian 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." | [178] |
| Eddie Cantor | 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 and Whoopee!. | [179] |
| Cardini | 1894 | November 11, 1975 | Welsh | Sleight-of-hand magician | [180] |
| Mutt Carey | 1891 | September 3, 1948 | American | Jazz trumpeter who toured the vaudeville circuits in 1917. | [181] |
| Leo Carrillo | August 6, 1881 | September 10, 1961 | American | Character actor. | [182] |
| Richard Carle | 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. | [183][184] |
| Alan Carney | 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. | [185] |
| Georges Carpentier | January 12, 1894 | October 28, 1975 | French | Former boxer and song and dance man. | [186] |
| Harry Carroll | November 28, 1892 | December 26, 1962 | American | Songwriter, pianist and singer. | [187] |
| Suzette Carsell | 1875 | c1945 | American | Known as The Mother of the Accordion. Toured from 1916 to 1921 with the Peerless Trio as Anna Vincent with Thomas Francis Savage (Tom Rosa) and Bertha Mae DeCroteau (Mazie Berto) | [188] |
| Mrs. Leslie Carter | 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. | [189] |
| Emma Carus | March 18, 1879 | November 18, 1927 | German | Singing comedian who first appeared in vaudeville at Proctor's 23rd Street Theatre in New York in 1894. From 1915 onwards, she performed mostly in vaudeville. | [190][191] |
| Diana Serra Cary | October 26, 1918 | February 24, 2020 | 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. | [192] |
| Charlie Case | 1858 | 1916 | American | Blackface singer and pioneering monologist. | [175][193] |
| Vernon and Irene Castle | 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 to U.S. audiences. | [169] | ||
| Walter Catlett | February 4, 1889 | November 14, 1960 | American | Comedian who worked in vaudeville and on the legitimate stage before working in film. | [194] |
| 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. | [195][196][197] |
| Lon Chaney | 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 and The Phantom of the Opera. | |
| Anna Chang | April 21, 1910 | Chinese-American | Actor and Singer. Began singing on the stage at the age of six. Active from the 1920 - 1940's. She was billed as "The Chinese Songbird of San Francisco," "The Chinese Princess of Song" and "The Chinese Star of Syncopation. Featured in a singing duet with Hatsu Kuma in the film "Two Little Chinese Maids" (1929). [198][199] | ||
| Charlie Chaplin | April 16, 1889 | December 25, 1977 | British-American | Actor and comedian, toured the US with the Fred Karno troupe in 1910 and 1912–1913 before being signed by Mack Sennett the following year.|[200] | |
| 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). | [201] |
| Dave Chasen | July 18, 1898 | June 16, 1973 | Russian-American | Comedian who worked with Joe Cook. | [201] |
| Doc Cheatham | June 13, 1905 | June 2, 1997 | American | Trumpeter, singer and bandleader who toured T. O. B. A. working in bands accompanying blues singers. | [202] |
| Cherry Sisters | 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. | [203][204] | ||
| Albert Chevalier | March 21, 1861 | July 10, 1923 | British | British music hall actor and comedian. | [175] |
| Frank Christian | September 3, 1887 | November 27, 1973 | American | Trumpeter. | |
| Chung Hwa Four | Chinese | Singing quartet. Members included E. A. Donsang, L. Alaaron, James Oh Chung and H. K. Liang. Performed as the Chong Hwa Three after Alaaron left the group. | [205] | ||
| Ching Ling Foo | 1854 | 1922 | Chinese | Magician. | [206] |
| Chung Ling Soo | April 2, 1861 | March 24, 1918 | American | Magician. | [207] |
| Paul Cinquevalli | June 30, 1859 | July 14, 1918 | German | Juggler. | [208] |
| Ina Claire | October 15, 1893 | February 21, 1985 | American | Singer-comedian Ina Claire made her vaudeville debut in 1907 impersonating Harry Lauder. 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 of 1915 and 1916. She continued on the stage in musical comedies. | [209][210] |
| Bobby Clark | June 16, 1888 | February 12, 1960 | American | Comedian. Member, with Paul McCullough, of the comic team of Clark and McCullough. | [211] |
| Bessie Clayton | 1878 | July 21, 1948 | American | Dancer. | [212] |
| Loretta Clemens Tupper | May 6, 1906 | September 17, 1990 | American | Singer and musician, performed with her brother Jack Clemens. | |
| Stanley Clements | July 16, 1926 | October 16, 1981 | American | Actor and comedian. | |
| Laddie Cliff | September 13, 1891 | December 8, 1937 | British | Eccentric dancer. | [213] |
| Kathleen Clifford | 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. 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 1930s. | [214][215] |
| Herbert Clifton | October 19, 1885 | September 26, 1947 | British | Female impersonator and singer | [216] |
| 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 heyday of the vaudeville stage. | [217] |
| E. E. Clive | August 28, 1879 | June 6, 1940 | British | Actor. | |
| June Clyde | 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. | [218] |
| Ty Cobb | December 18, 1886 | July 17, 1961 | American | Former baseball player. | [33] |
| Imogene Coca | November 18, 1908 | June 2, 2001 | American | Comedian 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 comedian. In the 1950s, Coca began work on television with comedian, Sid Caesar. Her work in TV spanned decades. | [219][220] |
| Ann Codee | March 5, 1890 | May 18, 1961 | Belgian | Comedian who toured with her husband, Frank Orth. Their act toured the world and could be performed in 5 languages. | [221] |
| Cole and Johnson | American | Singing and dancing duo consisting of Bob Cole (July 1, 1869 – August 2, 1911) and J. Rosamond Johnson (August 11, 1873 – November 11, 1954). | [222] | ||
| Michael Coleman | 1889 | 1945 | Irish | Irish fiddler. | |
| Charles "Honi" Coles | April 2, 1911 | November 12, 1992 | American | Tap dancer. | [223] |
| Lottie Collins | 1866 | May 1, 1910 | British | Singer-comedian. Most well known for popularizing the song, "Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay!." | [224] |
| Pinto Colvig | September 11, 1892 | October 3, 1967 | American | Comedian, the voice of Goofy in Disney cartoons and was the first Bozo the Clown. | |
| Chester Conklin | January 11, 1886 | October 11, 1971 | American | Comedian and actor. Later worked as one of Mack Sennett's Keystone Cops and appeared in some of Charlie Chaplin's films. | [225] |
| Conlin and Glass | October 14, 1884 | May 7, 1962 | American | Comic duo consisting of Jimmy Conlin (October 14, 1884 – May 7, 1962) and his wife, Myrtle Glass. | |
| Jackie Coogan | October 26, 1914 | March 1, 1984 | American | Child actor, best known as Charlie Chaplin's sidekick in The Kid and (as an adult) as Uncle Fester on TV's The Addams Family. The infamous Coogan Law is named after him. | [226] |
| Elisha Cook Jr. | 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. | [227] |
| Joe Cook | 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. | [228][229] |
| Baldwin Cooke | March 10, 1888 | December 31, 1953 | American | Actor who toured vaudeville with his wife, Alice and Stan Laurel. | |
| John W. Cooper | 1873 | 1966 | American | Ventriloquist with his dummy, Sam Jackson. | [230] |
| James "Gentleman Jim" J. Corbett | September 1, 1866 | February 18, 1933 | American | Former boxer | [231] |
| Maurice Costello | February 22, 1877 | October 30, 1950 | American | Actor and comedian. | [232] |
| Willie Covan | 1896 | May 7, 1989 | American | Tap dancer. | [233] |
| Ida Cox | 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. | [234] |
| Joseph E. Coyne | March 27, 1867 | February 17, 1941 | American | Comedian/Dancer/Actor active on the music hall circuit from roughly 1884–1894 as half of the duo ' ' Evans and Coyne ' ' with actor Frank Evans. Transitioned to legitimate theater in 1895. | [235] |
| Henry Creamer | June 21, 1879 | October 14, 1930 | American | Singer and songwriter. | |
| Will Cressy | October 20, 1863 | May 7, 1930 | American | Actor and writer. | [233] |
| Crumit and Sanderson | American | Husband and wife singing duo with Frank Crumit (September 26, 1888 – September 7, 1943) and Julia Sanderson (August 20, 1887 – January 27, 1975). | [236] | ||
| Pauline Curley | 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. | [237] |
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More information Name, Birth ...
| Name | Birth | Death | Nationality | Performance notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Dailey | December 4, 1913 | October 16, 1978 | American | Dancer, singer and actor. | [238] |
| Peter F. Dailey | 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 Weber and Fields. | [239] |
| Dainty Marie | November 6, 1886 | April 2, 1960 | American | Marie Meeker, aerial performer in both vaudeville and circus. | [240] |
| Dorothy Dalton | September 22, 1893 | April 13, 1972 | American | Actress. | |
| Viola Dana | 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 called, The Inkwell, supported by Edward Arnold which did much better. | [241] |
| The Dancing Cansinos | Spanish | A family Spanish dancing act, The Dancing Cansinos included Eduardo Cansino, Sr. (March 2, 1895 – December 24, 1968), his wife, Volga Hayworth (1900 – February 5, 1945), daughter Rita Hayworth (October 17, 1918 – May 14, 1987), and son, Eduardo, Jr. (October 13, 1919 – March 11, 1974). | [178] | ||
| Cow Cow Davenport | April 23, 1894 | December 12, 1955 | American | A Boogie-woogie and Piano Blues player as well as Vaudeville entertainer. Davenport's first fame came as accompanist to blues musicians Dora Carr and Ivy Smith. Davenport and Carr had a Vaudeville act as Davenport & Co. | [242] |
| Marion Davies | January 3, 1897 | September 23, 1961 | American | Actress and comedian. Davies appeared as a 'comic' chorine in vaudeville as well as the Ziegfeld Follies of 1916. | [243] |
| Reine Davies | June 6, 1886 | April 5, 1938 | American | Singer and actress. | |
| Benny Davis | August 21, 1895 | December 20, 1979 | American | Pianist, singer and songwriter. | [244] |
| Joan Davis | June 29, 1907 | May 22, 1961 | American | Actress and comedian. | [219] |
| Sammy Davis Jr. | 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 with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. | [245] |
| Sammy Davis Sr. | December 12, 1900 | May 21, 1988 | American | Dancer. Father of Sammy Davis, Jr. | [245] |
| Hazel Dawn | 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 Players Film Company between 1914 and 1917. | [246] |
| 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. | [247] |
| Vaughn De Leath | September 26, 1896 | May 28, 1943 | American | Actress and singer. | [248] |
| Dizzy Dean | January 16, 1910 | July 17, 1974 | American | Former baseball player. | [23] |
| Bertha Mae DeCroteau | May 30, 1889 | July, 1968 | American | Toured from 1910 to 1912 as Savage & De Croteau with husband Thomas Francis Savage and 1916–1921 with the Peerless Trio with Thomas Francis Savage and Suzette Carsell, The Mother of the Accordion | |
| Carter DeHaven | October 5, 1886 | July 20, 1977 | American | Comedian. | [249] |
| Guido Deiro | September 1, 1886 | July 26, 1950 | Italian-American | piano-accordionist | |
| Dorothy Dell | January 30, 1915 | June 28, 1934 | American | Singer and dancer in a duo with Allan Mann. | [250] |
| William Demarest | February 27, 1892 | December 28, 1983 | American | Comedian and later character actor, popular in Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s, best known as "Uncle Charlie" on the TV sitcom My Three Sons. | [251] |
| Bernardo De Pace | March 31, 1881 | 1966 | Italian | Actor, musician and comedic vaudeville entertainer of the 1920s, billed as "the Wizard of the Mandolin".[252] | |
| Gaby Deslys | September 4, 1881 | February 11, 1920 | French | Singer and dancer. | [253] |
| Elliott Dexter | March 29, 1870 | November 21, 1949 | American | Actor. Later worked in silent films. | [254] |
| William Dillon | November 6, 1877 | February 10, 1966 | American | Singer and songwriter. | [255] |
| Henry E. Dixey | January 6, 1859 | February 25, 1943 | American | Actor, dancer and comedian. | [256] |
| Lew Dockstader | 1856 | October 26, 1924 | American | Comedian and minstrel. | [257] |
| Dolly Sisters | Hungarian-American | Twin sisters, Rosie and Jenny (October 25, 1892 – May 1, 1941 Jenny and 1 January 1970 Rosie) who had a dance act. | [258] | ||
| Hessie Donahue | 1874 | 1961 | American | Female stunt boxer and first person to knock out John L. Sullivan. | [259] |
| Jack Donahue | December 29, 1888 | October 1, 1930 | American | Dancer, singer and actor. Worked with his wife, Alice Stewart, as Donahue & Stewart. | [260] |
| Kitty Doner | September 6, 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, in 1919 and she played there again in May 1926. | [261] |
| Mike Donlin | 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. | [262] |
| Red Dooin | 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. | [131] |
| Fifi D'Orsay | April 16, 1907 | December 2, 1982 | Canadian | Singer and Comedian. | [263] |
| Billie Dove | May 4, 1901 | December 31, 1998 | American | Ziegfeld girl in the Follies of 1917 and 1918. Later, Dove appeared in films and was a mistress of Howard Hughes. | [264] |
| Eddie Dowling | December 9, 1894 | February 18, 1976 | American | Actor and singer. | [265] |
| Johnny Downs | October 10, 1913 | June 6, 1994 | American | Child actor who appeared in the Our Gang series of shorts along with several feature films. Following his film work, he appeared in vaudeville in the early 1930s. | [266] |
| Thomas Nelson Downs | March 16, 1867 | September 1938 | American | Magician specializing in coin tricks. | |
| Louise Dresser | October 5, 1878 | April 24, 1965 | American | Singer and actress. | [267] |
| Marie Dressler | November 9, 1869 | July 28, 1934 | Canadian | Actress and comedian, who later found greater fame in movies such as Min and Bill and Dinner at Eight. | [268] |
| Dorothy Drew | American | Comedic actress. | [269][270] | ||
| Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew | American | Husband and wife comic team with Sidney (August 28, 1868 – April 9, 1919) and Gladys Rankin Drew (c. 1874 – January 9, 1914). | [271] | ||
| Dave Dreyer | 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). | [272] | ||
| Margaret Dumont | October 20, 1882 | March 6, 1965 | American | Actress and singer, best known as the comic foil for the Marx Brothers, performed under the name "Daisy Dumont" before entering motion pictures. | |
| Duncan Sisters | American | Singing sister act composed of Vivian (June 17, 1899 – September 19, 1986) and Rosetta Duncan (November 23, 1896 – December 4, 1959). | [273] | ||
| James Dunn | November 2, 1905 | September 3, 1967 | American | Actor. | |
| Jack Durant | April 12, 1905 | January 7, 1984 | American | Acrobat and comedian. | [274] |
| Jimmy Durante | February 10, 1893 | January 29, 1980 | American | Comedian and actor, known for his huge nose. | [275] |
| Walter Dyett | 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's DuSable High School. As a music teacher and director of school ensembles, Dyett influenced many up-and-coming jazz, blues and rock musicians. | [276] |
| Jacqueline Dyris | Belgian | Dancer. |
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More information Name, Birth ...
| Name | Birth | Death | Nationality | Performance notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Eaton | June 22, 1910 | August 15, 2004 | American | Actor. | |
| Mary Eaton | January 29, 1901 | October 10, 1948 | American | Singer, dancer, actress and Ziegfeld girl. | |
| Pearl Eaton | August 1, 1898 | September 10, 1958 | American | Singer, dancer, actress and Ziegfeld girl. | |
| Buddy and Vilma Ebsen | April 2, 1908 | July 6, 2003 | American | Brother and sister dance duo. Buddy later became known to millions of TV viewers in the 1960s and 1970s playing Jed Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies and playing the title role in Barnaby Jones. | [277] |
| Gertrude Ederle | October 23, 1905 | November 30, 2003 | American | Competitive swimmer and first woman to swim across the English Channel. | [278] |
| Cliff Edwards a.k.a. Ukulele Ike | June 14, 1895 | July 17, 1971 | American | Singer, ukulele player, minstrel, and musician. Later voiced Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio. | [279] |
| Gus Edwards | August 18, 1879 | November 7, 1945 | German-American | Singer, songwriter and producer. Known for such songs as "School Days" and "In My Merry Oldsmobile." | [280] |
| Kate Elinore | December 2, 1876 | December 30, 1924 | American | Singing comedian. | [281] |
| Duke Ellington | 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. | [281][282] |
| Elseeta | 1883 | February 23, 1903 | American | Barefoot toe dancer, known as the 'dancing marvel' | [283] |
| Julian Eltinge | May 14, 1881 | March 7, 1941 | American | Female impersonator and actor. | [284] |
| June Elvidge | June 30, 1893 | May 1, 1965 | American | Actress. | |
| Hope Emerson | 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 1920s and 1930s. Emerson began working in films in the early 1930s. | [285] |
| Knute Erickson | May 27, 1873 | December 31, 1945 | American | Swedish comedian. | [286] |
| Bert Errol | August 11, 1883 | November 28, 1949 | British | Female impersonator. | [287] |
| Leon Errol | July 3, 1881 | October 12, 1951 | Australian | Comedian. | [288] |
| Beatriz Escalona | August 20, 1903 | April 4, 1979 | American | Generally performed in Spanish, well known for the fast-talking underdog character La Chata Noloesca. | [289] |
| Ruth Etting | November 23, 1896 | September 24, 1978 | American | Singer and actress | [290] |
| James Reese Europe | February 22, 1881 | May 9, 1919 | American | Bandleader of the ragtime "Society Orchestra" which accompanied Vernon and Irene Castle in their ballroom dance act. After serving in World War I 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. | [291][292] |
| Evan E. Evans and Helen Evans (née Hartz) | American | Married vaudeville performers Evan E. Evans (1889–1962) and Helen Hartz (1894–1974) toured the circuit until 1919. Later, they created "The Four Evans - Two Generations of Dance" with daughter Maryetta Evans (1912–2009) and son Lester Evans (1919–1989). The family toured from 1942 to 1960. | [293] | ||
| George "Honey Boy" Evans | March 10, 1870 | March 12, 1915 | American | Minstrel. | [294] |
| Lizzie Evans | 1864 | American | Actress and comedian, 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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More information Name, Birth ...
| Name | Birth | Death | Nationality | Performance notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nanette Fabray | October 27, 1920 | February 22, 2018 | American | Singer and actress. Started out as a child singer in vaudeville. | [295] |
| 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. | [296] |
| Dustin Farnum | May 27, 1874 | July 3, 1939 | American | Singer, dancer and actor with his brother, William Farnum. | [297] |
| William Farnum | July 4, 1876 | June 5, 1953 | American | Singer, dancer and actor with his brother, Dustin Farnum. | [297] |
| Edward M. Favor | August 29, 1856 | January 10, 1936 | American | Singer and comedian. | |
| Anna Eva Fay | March 31, 1851 | May 12, 1927 | American | Mind reader. | [298] |
| Elfie Fay | 1881 | September 18, 1927 | American | Comic singer. | [299] |
| Frank Fay | November 17, 1897 | September 25, 1961 | American | Comedian. Considered the "father" of modern stand-up comedy. | [299] |
| Alice Faye | 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 Vallée spotted her and she later became a regular on his radio show. Faye became 20th Century Fox's biggest musical star before Betty Grable was hired in 1940. | [300] |
| Frank Faylen | December 8, 1905 | August 2, 1985 | American | Pantomimist, clown and song and dance man. | [300] |
| Louise Fazenda | June 17, 1895 | April 17, 1962 | American | Trapeze artist. | |
| Betty Felsen | June 9, 1905 | November 30, 2000 | American | Dancer and teacher. Felsen began dance lessons at age 8 and was enrolled in the Pavley-Oukrainsky Ballet's school in 1916. Her first professional performance was in January 1917 at 11 years old. The Pavley-Oukrainsky Ballet merged into the Chicago Opera Association in 1917. Felsen joined its corps de ballet in 1919 and became a ballerina soloist in December 1920. She starred as the Infanta from December 1922 to February 1923 in productions of Adolph Bohm's ballet "The Birthday of the Infanta", in which Andreus Pavley and Serge Oukrainsky also danced. Felsen left the Chicago Opera in 1922 for a vaudeville career, which began with the production of "Rainbo Trail" at Chicago's Million Dollar Rainbo Room, in which Felsen and singer Ruth Etting had leading roles. Starting in the fall of 1923, Felsen and her new partner Jack Broderick, toured the U.S. and Canada in their headline act, Broderick & Felsen. In 1926 and 1927, Broderick & Felsen toured across the United States and Canada starring in two spectacular musical productions, first for about three months in Emil Boreo's “Mirage de Paris” followed by nine months in their own “Ballet Caprice”. After Broderick left the act near the end of 1927, Felsen performed with her troupe as Betty Felsen & Company, appearing in June 1928 at Broadway's Palace Theater in New York City in the final performances of "Ballet Caprice". Felsen left vaudeville in November 1928 and owned performing arts schools, first in Worcester MA until 1932 and then in Cleveland OH until she retired in 1937. | |
| Arthur Fields | August 6, 1888 | March 29, 1953 | American | Singer, songwriter and minstrel. | [301] |
| Benny Fields | June 14, 1894 | August 16, 1959 | American | Singer, minstrel, and actor. | [302] |
| Gracie Fields | January 9, 1898 | September 27, 1979 | British | Singer and comedian, considered of the greatest stars of the British music halls. | [303] |
| Sidney Fields | February 5, 1898 | September 28, 1975 | American | In a comedy team with Jack Greenman. | |
| W. C. Fields | 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 and The Bank Dick incorporated many of his stage routines. | [71][304][305] |
| Flora Finch | 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 in many films. | [306] |
| Larry Fine | October 5, 1902 | January 24, 1975 | American | Actor, comedian, musician, and boxer. | |
| Ella Fitzgerald | April 25, 1917 | June 15, 1996 | American | Singer, discovered after winning the Apollo Theater's amateur hour while still a teenager and worked the "Chitlin Circuit" (including the Cotton Club) with Chick Webb and his band before getting her first major record deal. | [172] |
| Bud Flanagan | March 29, 1908 | August 31, 1968 | American | Appeared in family's vaudeville act from infancy. Appeared later in films as Dennis O'Keefe. | [307] |
| Jay C. Flippen | March 6, 1898 | February 3, 1971 | American | White and blackface comedian. | [308] |
| Henry Fonda | May 16, 1905 | August 12, 1982 | American | Actor who toured vaudeville with George A. Billings. | [309] |
| Evan-Burrows Fontaine | October 3, 1898 | December 27, 1984 | American | Interpretive dancer and Ziegfeld Follies performer. | [310] |
| Wallace Ford | February 12, 1898 | June 11, 1966 | British | Actor. | [311] |
| Four Cohans | 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 (3 or July 4, 1878 – November 5, 1942). | [71] | ||
| Harry Fox | May 25, 1882 | July 20, 1959 | American | Dancer and comedian. Creator of the Fox Trot. | [312] |
| Imro Fox | May 21, 1862 | March 4, 1910 | German-American | Magician (The Comic Conjurer) | [313] |
| Eddie Foy | March 9, 1856 | February 16, 1928 | American | Comedian and singer. | [71][314] |
| Eddie Foy Jr. | February 4, 1905 | July 15, 1983 | American | Son of Eddie Foy and a member of his Seven Little Foys. | [315] |
| Irene Franklin | June 13, 1876 | June 16, 1941 | American | Singing comedian. | [316] |
| Sidney Franklin | 1903 | April 6, 1976 | American | Bullfighter. | [317] |
| William Frawley | February 26, 1887 | March 3, 1966 | American | Actor and comedian, later found greater fame as Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy | [318] |
| Arthur Freed | September 9, 1894 | April 12, 1973 | American | Singer and pianist, later known for writing hit songs with Nacio Herb Brown such as "Singin' in the Rain" and "You Were Meant for Me" and for producing film musicals for MGM. | [22] |
| Kathleen Freeman | February 17, 1919 | August 23, 2001 | American | Danced at an early age in her parents' vaudeville act. | |
| Leopoldo Fregoli | July 2, 1867 | November 26, 1932 | Italian | Protean or quick-change artist. | [319] |
| Ford Frick | December 19, 1894 | April 8, 1978 | American | Sportswriter who appeared in vaude. | [23] |
| Trixie Friganza | November 29, 1870 | February 27, 1955 | American | Comedian and singer | [320] |
| Frankie Frisch | September 9, 1897 | March 12, 1973 | American | Former baseball player who appeared in vaude. | [23] |
| Joe Frisco | November 4, 1889 | February 12, 1958 | American | Dancer, minstrel and comedian. | [321] |
| Loie Fuller | January 15, 1862 | 1 January 1929 | American | Dancer. | [322] |
| Will Fyffe | February 16, 1885 | December 14, 1947 | Scottish | Comedian and singer. | [323] |
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More information Name, Birth ...
| Name | Birth | Death | Nationality | Performance notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallagher and Shean | American (Gallagher) and German-American (Shean) | Comic duo consisting of Edward Gallagher (1873 – May 28, 1929) and Al Shean (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 | [324] | ||
| Maria Galvany | 1878 | 1949 | Spanish | Coloratura soprano. | |
| Tess Gardella | 1898 | January 3, 1950 | American | Performed as iconic blackface character "Aunt Jemima" | [325] |
| Judy Garland | 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 Vallée'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. | [326] |
| Paul Garner | July 31, 1909 | August 8, 2004 | American | Comedian. | |
| William Gaxton | December 2, 1893 | February 2, 1963 | American | Actor. | [327] |
| Charlie Gehringer | May 11, 1903 | January 21, 1993 | American | Baseball player who appeared in vaudeville. | [23] |
| Gladys George | September 13, 1904 | December 8, 1954 | American | Toured with her family act, "The Three Clares", later called "Little Gladys George and Company." | [328] |
| Sylvia Gerrish | May 1860 | December 8, 1906 | American | Musical comedy and light opera performer, known as the "Girl with the Poetical Legs" | [329] |
| George Gershwin | September 26, 1896 | July 11, 1937 | American | Pianist, songwriter and composer, Gershwin accompanied Nora Bayes and Louise Dresser. After his brief foray into vaudeville, Gershwin became one of the most celebrated American composers of the early 20th century. | [22] |
| Dorothy Gibson | May 17, 1889 | February 17, 1946 | American | Actress. | |
| Ella Margaret Gibson | September 14, 1894 | October 21, 1964 | American | Actress. | |
| Billy Gilbert | September 12, 1894 | September 23, 1971 | American | Comedian and actor known for his sneeze routines. | [330] |
| L. Wolfe Gilbert | August 31, 1886 | July 12, 1970 | Russian-American | Singer and songwriter. | [331] |
| Jack Gilford | 1907 | 1990 | American | Actor and comedian. | [332] |
| Charles Sidney Gilpin | November 20, 1878 | May 6, 1930 | American | Actor. | [333] |
| Lottie Gilson | January 2, 1862 | June 10, 1912 | American | Soubrette and the first vaudevillian to use a singing stooge. | [334] |
| George Givot | 1903 or c. 1901 | June 7, 1984 | American | Greek dialect comedian | [335] |
| Billy Glason | September 10, 1904 (uncertain) | January 1985 | American | Singing comedian and monologist. | [336] |
| Frank Glazer | February 19, 1915 | January 13, 2015 | American | Pianist. | |
| Madeline Gleason | 1903 | 1979 | American | Singer and dancer. | |
| Dorothy Glenton | May 10, 1877 | British | Singer under the name "Dainty Dorothy Glenton, The English Singing Soubrette". Dorothy Glenton Kerr. | [337] | |
| Elinor Glyn | October 17, 1864 | September 23, 1943 | British | Novelist and monologist (usually under her pen name "Madame Glyn"), coined the phrase "It Girl". | [338] |
| George Fuller Golden | 1868 | February 17, 1912 | American | Singer, dancer and monologist. | [339] |
| Horace Goldin | December 17, 1867 | August 22, 1939 | Polish | Magician, the first one to play the Palace in 1913. | [339][340] |
| Lefty Gomez | November 26, 1908 | February 17, 1989 | American | Former baseball player and monologist. | [33] |
| Nathaniel Carl Goodwin | July 25, 1857 | January 31, 1919 | American | Actor and comedian. | [341] |
| David Gorcey | February 6, 1921 | October 23, 1984 | American | Singer. Later he became a noted disc jockey. | |
| Bert Gordon | April 8, 1895 | November 30, 1974 | American | Comedian. | [342] |
| Gorman Brothers | American | Entertainers and songwriters who often used local news stories to create songs for their act. | [343] | ||
| Mack Gordon | June 21, 1904 | March 1, 1959 | American | Actor, singer, and songwriter | [173] |
| Emmanuel Taylor Gordon | 1893 | 1971 | American | Actor. | |
| Morton Gould | December 10, 1913 | February 21, 1996 | American | Pianist. | |
| Hank Gowdy | August 24, 1889 | August 1, 1966 | American | Former baseball player, singer and comedian. | [33] |
| Archie Leach | 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, in one-act plays. Also appeared with Fay Wray and Jeanette MacDonald in several musical flops. When signed by Paramount Pictures in 1931, he was told he looked like a "Cary Grant", so his name was changed. | [344] |
| Charles Grapewin | 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. | [19] |
| Gilda Gray | 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. | [345] |
| Gene Greene | June 9, 1881 | April 5, 1930 | American | Singer and composer. | |
| Charlotte Greenwood | June 25, 1890 | December 28, 1977 | American | Dancer, actress, and comedian, known for her rubbery dance routines. | [346] |
| Griffin Sisters | 1870s | 1918 | American | African-American performers who started their own booking agency. | [347] |
| Arthur F. Griffith | July 30, 1880 | December 25, 1911 | American | Mathematical prodigy. | |
| Larry Griswold | September 17, 1905 | August 24, 1996 | American | Acrobat and gymnast. | |
| Grock | January 10, 1880 | July 14, 1959 | Swiss | Clown. | [348] |
| Yvette Guilbert | January 20, 1865 | February 2, 1944 | French | Chanteuse. | [349] |
| Texas Guinan | January 12, 1884 | November 5, 1933 | American | Singer and famed nightclub hostess. | [302] |
| Louise Gunning | April 1, 1879 | July 24, 1960 | American | Singer | [350] |
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More information Name, Birth ...
| Name | Birth | Death | Nationality | Performance notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janette Hackett | 1898 | August 16, 1979 | American | Dancer with Harry Delmar (September 9, 1892 – August 29, 1954) in the duo Hackett and Delmar. | [351] |
| Joseph Paul Haggerty | June 16, 1889 | May 2, 1973 | American | Vaudeville actor, director and producer from New Orleans. Ran a travelling stock show called 'Haggerty Repertory' during the WWI-Era. Boris Karloff briefly worked for Haggerty in 1918. He settled in North Hollywood and became a pastor at a spiritual Unity Church. | [352][353] |
| Jack Haley | August 10, 1898 | June 6, 1979 | American | Actor and comedian. | [312][354] |
| Adelaide Hall | October 20, 1904 | November 7, 1993 | American - dual British (by marriage) | Singer, actress, dancer, musician. Hall commenced her career on Broadway in 1921 in Shuffle Along and was featured in Runnin' Wild, and starred in Desires of 1927, Blackbirds of 1928, as well as being a big-name headlining act in her own right in variety/vaudeville and on the RKO and T. O. B. A. theatrical circuits across the USA during the late 1920s and early 1930s before heading to Europe where she continued her successful career. Hall was honoured by Guinness World Records as being the world's longest recording artist in the 20th Century. | [355][356] |
| Nan Halperin | 1898 | May 30, 1963 | Russian-American | Singer and comedian | [357] |
| Walter Hampden | June 30, 1879 | June 11, 1955 | American | Actor. | [189] |
| Hunter Hancock | 1916 | August 4, 2004 | American | Singer. Later he became a noted disc jockey. | |
| Lou Handman | September 10, 1894 | December 9, 1956 | American | Pianist and songwriter. | |
| W. C. Handy | November 16, 1873 | March 28, 1958 | American | Musician and composer known as "The Father of the Blues." | [358][359] |
| Fred Haney | April 25, 1896 | November 9, 1977 | American | Former baseball player. | [23] |
| Poodles Hanneford | 1892 | December 9, 1967 | British | Clown and bareback horse rider | [360] |
| Theodore Hardeen | March 4, 1876 | June 12, 1945 | Hungarian | Magician and escape artist; Harry Houdini's brother. | [361] |
| Oliver Hardy | 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 at Roach Studios forming Laurel and Hardy in the late 1920s. | |
| Otis Harlan | 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 Bergère, April 16, 1911. | [362] |
| Ben Harney | March 6, 1872 | March 2, 1938 | American | Pianist, singer and songwriter. | [363] |
| Harrigan and Hart | American | Comic duo composed of Edward Harrigan (October 26, 1844 – June 6, 1911) and Tony Hart (July 25, 1855 – November 4, 1891). | [354][364] | ||
| Marion Harris | April 4, 1896 | April 23, 1944 | American | Singer. | [365] |
| Mildred Harris | 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's first wife, she appeared in a playlet, Getting the Money at the Royal Theatre in New York in February 1922. | [306][366] |
| Joseph Hart | June 8, 1861 | October 3, 1921 | American | Vaudeville actor, singer, songwriter and producer. Teamed up with Carrie De Mar and later married her. | [367] |
| Mark Hart | c. 1873 | November 25, 1950 | American | Actor and singer. Nephew of Tony Hart who began his career as a teenager performing with Harrison & Hart before starring in Broadway musicals. | [368] |
| Hartman and Hartman | American | Comedy dance team with Paul (March 1, 1904 – October 2, 1973) and his wife, Grace Hartman (January 7, 1907 – August 8, 1955) | [369] | ||
| Morton Harvey | 1886 | 1961 | American | Singer. | [370] |
| Loney Haskell | 1870 | October 20, 1933 | American | Monologist. | [371] |
| June Havoc | November 8, 1916 | March 28, 2010 | American | Actress and dancer (as "Baby June"). Sister of Gypsy Rose Lee. | [372] |
| Mary Hay | August 22, 1901 | June 4, 1957 | American | Ziegfeld girl and musical comedy actress | [373] |
| George 'Gabby' Hayes | 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. | [374] |
| Grace Hayes | August 23, 1895 | February 1, 1989 | American | Singer, mother of Peter Lind Hayes. | [375] |
| Helen Hayes | 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 | June 25, 1915 | April 21, 1998 | American | Actor, singer, minstrel, and son of vaudevillian Grace Hayes. | [376] |
| Rita Hayworth | 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. | [178] |
| Ted Healy | October 1, 1896 | December 21, 1937 | American | Comedian, minstrel, dancer and singer. | [377] |
| Henry "Crip" Heard | November 11, 1924 | September 11, 1991 | American | African-American professional dancer; double amputee with only one leg and one arm. | [378] |
| Lew Hearn | February 15, 1882 | February 1965 | Polish | Comedian. | [379] |
| Hy Heath | 1890 | 1965 | American | Comedian and songwriter. | |
| Millicent Hearst | July 16, 1882 | December 5, 1974 | American | Performer until she became the wife of William Randolph Hearst. | |
| Horace Heidt | May 21, 1901 | December 1, 1986 | American | Pianist and bandleader of the band, "Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights". | [380] |
| Anna Held | March 8, 1872 | August 12, 1918 | Polish | Actress and singer. First wife of Florenz Ziegfeld, who produced most of her sketches and plays. | [381] |
| Edith Helena | 1876 | 1956 | American | Singer with a voice spanning four octaves, which also enabled her to perform violin imitations. | [382] |
| Percy Helton | January 31, 1894 | September 11, 1971 | American | Appeared in his father's vaudeville act at the age of 2. | |
| Fletcher Henderson | December 18, 1897 | December 28, 1952 | American | Pianist, bandleader and composer at one time teamed with Eubie Blake. Henderson later toured with Ethel Waters from 1921 to 1922. | [282][383] |
| Ray Henderson | December 1, 1896 | December 31, 1970 | American | Singer, dancer, songwriter | [278] |
| Herschel Henlere | December 14, 1890 | January 13, 1968 | Canadian | Pianist and comedian. | [384] |
| Beatrice Herford | 1868 | 1952 | British-American | Monologist. | [385] |
| Lillian Herlein | March 11, 1895 | April 13, 1971 | American | Actress and singer, better known for display of her figure than for the quality of her performances. | [386] |
| Al Herman | c.1886 | July 2, 1967 | American | Blackface comedian. | [387] |
| Woody Herman | May 16, 1913 | October 29, 1987 | American | Clarinetist, saxophonist, singer and bandleader. | [388] |
| Juano Hernández | 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. | [389] |
| Alexander Herrmann 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. | [387] |
| Art Hickman | June 13, 1886 | 1930 | American | Bandleader. | [390] |
| Hildegarde | February 1, 1906 | July 29, 2005 | American | Singer. | [391] |
| Bertha "Chippie" Hill | March 15, 1905 | May 7, 1950 | American | Blues singer. Initially Hill appeared on the T. O. B. A. circuit as a singer and dancer with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels. | [392] |
| Daisy and Violet Hilton | February 5, 1908 | January 6, 1969 | British | Conjoined twins. | [393] |
| Raymond Hitchcock | October 22, 1865 | November 24, 1929 | American | Monologist. | [394] |
| Florence Hines | Unknown | March 10, 1924 | American | Singer and male impersonator. | [395] |
| Raymond Hitchcock | October 22, 1865 | November 24, 1929 | American | Monologist. | [394] |
| Mabel Hite | May 30, 1883 | October 22, 1912 | American | Comedian and musical comedy actress | [396] |
| Gertrude H. Hoffman | 1885 | 1966 | American | Interpretive dancer. | [397] |
| Ernest Hogan | 1859 | May 20, 1909 | American | Blackface comedian billed as "the Unbleached American." Credited with the creation of the "coon" song and as one of the creators of ragtime music. | [398] |
| Fay Holderness | April 16, 1881 | May 13, 1963 | American | Actress. | |
| Taylor Holmes | May 16, 1878 | September 30, 1959 | American | Light actor. | [399] |
| Lou Holtz | April 11, 1893 | September 22, 1980 | American | Comedian, minstrel, and dialectical singer. | [400] |
| Bob Hope | May 29, 1903 | July 27, 2003 | British-American | Actor and comedian. | [401] |
| DeWolf Hopper | March 30, 1858 | September 23, 1935 | American | Actor and comedian, known for his recitations of the poem, Casey at the Bat. | [402] |
| Edna Wallace Hopper | January 17, 1874 | December 14, 1959 | American | Actress. | [403] |
| Edward Everett Horton | 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 series of short films. He and his sister, Janie, had an act together. | |
| Harry Houdini | March 24, 1874 | October 31, 1926 | Hungarian | Magician and escape artist. | [404] |
| Willie and Eugene Howard | American | Comic duo made up of Willie Howard (1886–1949) and Eugene Howard (1880–1965). | [405] | ||
| Curly Howard | October 22, 1903 | January 18, 1952 | American | Actor. | |
| Joseph E. Howard | February 12, 1867 | May 19, 1961 | American | Singer and songwriter. | [406] |
| Moe Howard | June 19, 1897 | May 4, 1975 | American | Actor. | |
| Shemp Howard | March 17, 1895 | November 22, 1955 | American | Actor. | |
| Buddy Howe | c. 1910 | March 4, 1981 | American | Acrobatic dancer. | [407] |
| Alice Howell | May 5, 1888 | April 12, 1961 | American | Comedian in an act with her husband, Dick Smith. | [408] |
| Waite Hoyt | September 9, 1899 | August 25, 1984 | American | Singer and dancer. | |
| Doris Humphrey | October 17, 1895 | December 29, 1958 | American | Dancer. | |
| Walter Huston | April 6, 1884 | April 7, 1950 | Canadian | Actor and singer. | [364] |
| 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 (May 1, 1905 – December 4, 1977), appeared with them as a child. | [376][409] |
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More information Name, Birth ...
| Name | Birth | Death | Nationality | Performance notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | [410][411] | ||
| May Irwin | June 27, 1862 | October 22, 1938 | Canadian | Comedian and actress. | [412] |
| Eddie Jackson | 1896 | 1980 | American | Singer and actor | |
| Joe Jackson Sr. | 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. Jackson died on his way to his dressing room following a performance at the Roxy Theatre in 1942. | [413][414] |
| Tony Jackson | June 5, 1876 | April 20, 1921 | American | Pianist, singer and composer. Best known for his song, Pretty Baby, 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 and following his work in vaudeville, he continued his performing in Chicago. | [415][416] |
| Lou Jacobs | January 1, 1903 | September 13, 1992 | German | Clown. | |
| Elsie Janis | March 16, 1889 | February 26, 1956 | American | Singer and actress. | [71][417] |
| Marie Jansen | c. 1857 | March 20, 1914 | American | Singer and actress. | [418] |
| Frank Jenks | November 4, 1902 | May 13, 1962 | American | Singer and dancer. | [419] |
| George Jessel | April 3, 1898 | May 23, 1981 | American | Actor, monologist, minstrel, and singer. | [420] |
| Jack Johnson | 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. | [421][422] |
| George W. Johnson | c. 1855 | January 23, 1914 | American | Singer. | |
| Ralph Johnstone | 1886 | November 17, 1910 | American | Bicyclist. Originated the trick of jumping a bicycle up and down stairs on one wheel. | [423] |
| Al Jolson | May 26, 1886 | October 23, 1950 | Lithuanian-American | Actor, singer, and minstrel. | [71][424] |
| Frank "Peg Leg" Jones | Dancer, comedian and minstrel with Arthur Gardner and the Gloom Chasers. Billed as America's Greatest Monopede Dancer. Active 1910–1933. | [425] | |||
| Irving Jones | 1873 | March 11, 1932 | American | African-American comedian and ragtime composer. | [426] |
| Sissieretta Jones | January 5, 1869 | June 24, 1933 | American | African-American Soprano, often billed as "The Black Patti." 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. | [427][428] |
Close
More information Name, Birth ...
| Name | Birth | Death | Nationality | Performance notes | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armand Kaliz | October 23, 1887 | February 1, 1941 | French | Actor. | ||
| Bert Kalmar | February 10, 1884 | September 18, 1947 | American | Magician and songwriter teamed with Harry Ruby. | [429] | |
| Kanazawa Trio | Japanese | Risley Artists. A juggling Act made up of Kono, Mankichi and Taw Kanazawa. Alternately known as "The Four Kanazawas" or "The Kanazawa Boys." Active from 1910 to the 1940s. | [430] | |||
| Harry Kandel | 1885 | 1943 | Russian | Clarinetist and bandleader. | ||
| Helen Kane | August 4, 1904 | September 26, 1966 | American | Singer and comedian, known as the "boop-oop-a-doop girl". | [431] | |
| 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. | [432][433] | |
| Kawana Trio | Japanese | Risley Artists. Active from 1913 to 1931. | [434] | |||
| Beatrice Kay | April 21, 1907 | November 8, 1986 | American | Singer and actress. | ||
| Birdie Reeve Kay | January 16, 1907 | May 31, 1996 | American | Speed typist. | [435] | |
| Stubby Kaye | November 11, 1918 | December 14, 1997 | American | Actor and comedian | [436] | |
| Buster Keaton | 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). | [437] | |
| Frank Keenan | April 8, 1858 | February 24, 1929 | American | Actor. | [438] | |
| Harry Kellar | 1849 | 1922 | American | Magician. | [439] | |
| Helen Keller | June 27, 1880 | June 1, 1968 | American | Deafblind lecturer. Appeared with her teacher, Anne Sullivan. | [338] | |
| Keller Sisters and 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 Kellermann | July 6, 1887 | November 5, 1975 | Australian | Olympic swimmer. | [440] | |
| Gene Kelly | August 23, 1912 | February 2, 1996 | American | Dancer, singer and actor. Appeared in vaudeville with his brother Fred. | [441] | |
| George Kelly | January 16, 1887 | June 18, 1974 | American | Actor. | ||
| King Kelly | December 31, 1857 | November 8, 1894 | American | Former baseball player and comedian. | ||
| Kitaro Brothers, Three Kitaro Brothers | Japanese | [Risley Artists. Active from 1916 to 1921. | [442] | |||
| Walter Kelly | October 29, 1873 | January 6, 1939 | American | Monologist and dialectician. | [443] | |
| Pert Kelton | August 23, 1912 | February 2, 1996 | American | Actress and comedian. | [444] | |
| Ezra Kendall | February 15, 1861 | January 23, 1910 | American | Monologist. | [445] | |
| Freddie Keppard | February 27, 1890 | July 15, 1933 | American | Jazz cornetist. | [446] | |
| Jerome Kern | January 27, 1885 | November 11, 1945 | American | Pianist and accompanist for Edna Wallace Hopper. Kern later became one of the best known musical theatre composers of the early 20th century. | [447] | |
| J. Warren Kerrigan | 1916 | August 4, 2004 | American | Singer. Later he became a noted disc jockey. | ||
| Joseph Kesselring | July 25, 1879 | June 9, 1947 | American | Actor. | ||
| Victor Kilian | March 6, 1891 | March 11, 1979 | American | Actor. | [448] | |
| Charles King | 1889 | 1941 | American | Song and dance man later on Broadway and in the Ziegfeld Follies. | [449] | |
| Hetty King | 1883 | September 28, 1972 | British | Male impersonator and singer. | [450] | |
| Johnny Kling | February 25, 1875 | January 31, 1947 | American | Baseball player who appeared in vaudeville with a monologue and a champ billiards exhibition act. | [131] | |
| Fred Kohler | April 20, 1888 | October 28, 1938 | American | Character actor. | [451] | |
| Kolb and Dill | American | Dutch dialect knockabout comic duo with Clarence Kolb (July 31, 1874 – November 25, 1964) and Max Dill (September 15, 1876 – November 21, 1949). | [452] | |||
| Hatsu Kuma | 1907 | Japanese-American | Japanese-American Singer who began performing at the age of four. Performed as part of the Kuma Four and later under her own name. She was a Soprano and performed with Anna Chang in the Paramount Pictures short "Two Little Chinese Maids" (1929). Her father was magician Kinjiro Tanaka Kumajo who performed as Aki Kuma and later as Kim Yen Soo. She performed on the Pantages Circuit and was active from 1912 to 1931. | [453][454] | ||
| Tanaka "Aki" Kuma | 1884 | 1963 | Japanese-American | Magician Kinjiro Tanaka Kumajo was one of the longest practicing Illusionists in vaudeville and was active from 1914 to 1957. He performed as Tanaka Kuma through the 1930s and changed his performing name to Kim Yen Soo from the 1940s to the 1950s. | [453][455] | |
| Isa Kremer | October 21, 1887 | July 7, 1956 | Russian-American | Soprano | [456] |
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