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Actress Mae West was born August 17, 1893 in Brooklyn, New York. As a young lady she worked in vaudeville theaters and began acting in 1911 on Broadway. West decked her trademark hourglass figure with tight dresses and diamond necklaces and bangles. She was a natural comic and was known for her irreverent style and sultry voice. For 50 years West was a Hollywood sex symbol.
Her first Broadway role was in "A la Bradway and Hello, Paris" and was quickly followed by a starring role with Al Jolson in "Vera Violetta". West become known for adding spicy comments to scripts and was frequently censored by producers.
After appearing in Broadway's "A Winsome Widow," West went back to the vaudeville stage and then went on to try playwriting and movie acting. Her plays include "The Pleasure Man" and "The Constant Sinner." Each contained shocking material. "The Pleasure man" was raided by police and closed down. "The Constant Sinner" was closed down by police in Washington but did play to huge crowds in New York for a year.
In films, Mae West co-starred with such famous leading men as Cary Grant and W.C. Fields. her movies included "Night After Night" in 1932, followed by "She Done Him Wrong", "I'm No Angel", "Go West Young Man," "My Little Chickadee," "The Heat's On" and "Sextette" in 1977.
West also recorded three albums; "The Fabulous Mae West," "Way Out West," and "Wild Christmas."
Mae West passed away on November 22, 1980 in Los Angeles, California.
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