Beatrice Lillie

About Beatrice Lillie

Who is it?: Actress, Soundtrack
Birth Day: May 29, 1894
Birth Place:  Cobourg, Ontario, Canada
Occupation: Stage and film actress, singer and comedic performer

Beatrice Lillie

Beatrice Lillie was born on May 29, 1894 in  Cobourg, Ontario, Canada, is Actress, Soundtrack. Dubbed "the funniest woman in the world", comedienne Beatrice Lillie was born the daughter of a Canadian government official and grew up in Toronto. She sang in a family trio act with her mother, Lucy, and her piano-playing older sister, Muriel. Times were hard and the ambitious mother eventually took the girls to England to test the waters. In 1914, Bea made her solo debut in London's West End and was an immediate hit with audiences. A valuable marquee player as a droll revue and stage artiste, she skillfully interwove sketches, songs and monologues with parody and witty satire. In 1924, she returned to America and was an instant success on Broadway, thus becoming the toast of two continents. For the next decade, she worked with the top stage headliners of her day, including Gertrude Lawrence, Bert Lahr and Jack Haley. Noël Coward and Cole Porter wrote songs and even shows for her. A top radio and comedy recording artist to boot, Bea's success in films was surprisingly limited, although she did achieve some recognition in such productions as Exit Smiling (1926) and Doctor Rhythm (1938). During the Second World War, Bea became a favourite performer with the troops and, in her post-war years, toured with her own show "An Evening with Beatrice Lillie". Her rather eccentric persona worked beautifully on Broadway and, in 1958, she replaced Rosalind Russell in "Auntie Mame". In 1964, she took on the role of "Madame Arcati" in the musical version of "Blithe Spirit", entitled "High Spirits". This was to be her last staged musical. Sadly, her style grew passé and outdated in the Vietnam era, and she quickly faded from view after a movie appearance in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). At this point, she had already begun to show early signs of Alzheimer's disease, although she managed to publish her biography in 1973. A year later, Bea suffered the first of two strokes and lived the next decade and a half in virtual seclusion. She died in 1989 at age 94.
Beatrice Lillie is a member of Actress

Does Beatrice Lillie Dead or Alive?

As per our current Database, Beatrice Lillie has been died on 20 January 1989(1989-01-20) (aged 94)\nHenley-on-Thames, England.

🎂 Beatrice Lillie - Age, Bio, Faces and Birthday

When Beatrice Lillie die, Beatrice Lillie was 94 years old.

Popular As Beatrice Lillie
Occupation Actress
Age 94 years old
Zodiac Sign Gemini
Born May 29, 1894 ( Cobourg, Ontario, Canada)
Birthday May 29
Town/City  Cobourg, Ontario, Canada
Nationality Canada

🌙 Zodiac

Beatrice Lillie’s zodiac sign is Gemini. According to astrologers, Gemini is expressive and quick-witted, it represents two different personalities in one and you will never be sure which one you will face. They are sociable, communicative and ready for fun, with a tendency to suddenly get serious, thoughtful and restless. They are fascinated with the world itself, extremely curious, with a constant feeling that there is not enough time to experience everything they want to see.

🌙 Chinese Zodiac Signs

Beatrice Lillie was born in the Year of the Horse. Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Horse love to roam free. They’re energetic, self-reliant, money-wise, and they enjoy traveling, love and intimacy. They’re great at seducing, sharp-witted, impatient and sometimes seen as a drifter. Compatible with Dog or Tiger.

Some Beatrice Lillie images

Awards and nominations:

For her contributions to film, in 1960 Beatrice Lillie was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6404 Hollywood Blvd. Her portrait, painted by Neysa McMein about 1948 or 1949, is in the collection of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in England.

Biography/Timeline

1914

Her father had been a British Army officer in India and later was a Canadian government official. Her mother was a concert singer. Lillie performed in Ontario towns as part of a family trio with her mother and older sister, Muriel. Eventually, her mother took the girls to London, England, where she made her West End début in the 1914 show Not Likely! In her revues, Lillie used sketches, songs and parodies that won her lavish praise from The New York Times after her 1924 New York début in André Charlot's Revue of 1924, starring Gertrude Lawrence.

1920

Lillie was married, on 20 January 1920, at the church of St. Paul, Drayton Bassett, Fazeley, Staffordshire, England, to Sir Robert Peel, 5th Baronet. Following the marriage, she was known in private life as Lady Peel. She eventually separated from her husband, but the couple never divorced. He died in 1934. Their only child, Sir Robert Peel, 6th Baronet, was killed in action aboard HMS Tenedos (H04) in Colombo Harbour, Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka) in 1942.

1926

In 1926 she returned to New York City to perform. While there, she starred in her first film, Exit Smiling (1927), opposite fellow Canadian Jack Pickford, the younger brother of Mary Pickford. This was followed by The Show of Shows (1929). After a 1927 tour on the Orpheum Circuit, Lillie made her Broadway debut in Vaudeville at the Palace Theatre in 1928 and performed there frequently after that. She also played at the London Palladium in 1928. On stage, she was long associated with the works of Noël Coward, beginning with This Year of Grace (1928) and giving the first public performance of "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" in Coward's The Third Little Show (1931). Cole Porter and others also wrote songs for her. From the late 1920s until the approach of World War II, Lillie repeatedly crossed the Atlantic to perform on both continents. With Bobby Clark she appeared in London in Walk a Little Faster, and with Bert Lahr she starred in New York in The Show is On (1936).

1944

In 1944, Lillie appeared in the film On Approval. Her few other film appearances included a cameo role as a revivalist in Around the World in 80 Days (1956) and as "Mrs. Meers" (a white slaver) in her last film, Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967).

1948

During World War II, Lillie was an inveterate entertainer of the troops. Before she went on stage one day, she learned that her son was killed in action. She refused to postpone the performance saying "I'll cry tomorrow." In 1948, while touring in the show Inside USA, she met singer/actor John Philip Huck, almost three decades younger, who became her friend and companion, and she boosted his career. As Lillie's mental abilities declined at the end of her career, she relied more and more on Huck, whom her friends viewed with suspicion. In 1977, a conservator was appointed over her property, and she retired to England.

1950

In 1950 she appeared on The Star Spangled Revue with Bob Hope. (This includes the "One Dozen Double Damask Dinner Napkins" Sketch.)

1953

During World War II, Lillie was an inveterate entertainer of the troops. She won a Tony Award in 1953 for her revue An Evening With Beatrice Lillie.

1960

For her contributions to film, in 1960 Beatrice Lillie was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6404 Hollywood Blvd. Her portrait, painted by Neysa McMein about 1948 or 1949, is in the collection of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in England.

1966

Lillie retired from the stage due to Alzheimer's disease. Julie Andrews remembered that Lillie, as Mrs. Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie (filmed in 1966 and released in 1967), had to be prompted through her lines and was often confused on set.

1989

Lillie died in 1989, aged 94, at Henley-on-Thames. Huck died of a heart attack 31 hours later and is interred next to her in the Peel family estate's cemetery near Peel Fold, Blackburn.

Beatrice Lillie trend