Mae West was an American actress who is best known for her roles in She Done Him Wrong, I’m No Angel, and My Little Chickadee.
Personal and Family Life
Mae West was born on August 17, 1893, in Brooklyn, New York, to John Patrick West and Matilda Doelger. She was married twice, first to Guido Deiro and then to Frank Wallace, but both marriages ended in divorce. West had a vibrant personality and was known for her distinctive platinum blonde hair and deep voice.
Career Highlights
West began her career as a child star in vaudeville and later wrote and starred in several of her own plays. Her first significant film role was in Night After Night in 1932, but she quickly became a major star with her film She Done Him Wrong in 1933. Throughout her career, she starred in eight films and became widely acclaimed for her witty and risqué humor.
Death and Legacy
Mae West passed away on November 22, 1980, in Hollywood, California, due to complications from strokes. She left behind a legacy of breaking barriers in film and theater, influencing many future comedians and actresses with her bold and provocative style.
Filmography
| Title | Release Date | Character |
|---|---|---|
| I’m No Angel | 1933-10-06 | Tira |
| Myra Breckinridge | 1970-06-24 | Leticia Van Allen |
| My Little Chickadee | 1940-02-09 | Flower Belle Lee |
| She Done Him Wrong | 1933-02-09 | Lady Lou |
| Goin’ to Town | 1935-04-25 | Cleo Borden |
| Night After Night | 1932-10-29 | Maudie Triplett |
| Go West Young Man | 1936-11-18 | Mavis Arden |
| Belle of the Nineties | 1934-09-21 | Ruby Carter |
| The Heat’s On | 1943-12-02 | Fay Lawrence |
| Klondike Annie | 1936-02-21 | Rose Carlton / Annie Alden |
| Every Day’s a Holiday | 1937-12-18 | Peaches O’Day |
| Sextette | 1978-03-03 | Marlo Manners |
| The Fashion Side of Hollywood | 1935-11-04 | Self |
| Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? | 1975-08-06 | Self (archive footage) |
| Complicated Women | 2003-05-06 | Self (archive footage) |
| Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood | 2008-03-03 | Tira (archive footage) |
| The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful | 1996-03-17 | Self (archive footage) |
| Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema | 2007-05-23 | Self (archive footage) |
| The Love Goddesses | 1965-03-03 | (archive footage) |
| Et la femme créa Hollywood | 2016-05-16 | Herself (archive footage) |
| Hollywood Uncensored | 1987-12-01 | Self (archive footage) |
| Mae West: Dirty Blonde | 2020-06-16 | Self (archive footage) |
| Mae West and the Men Who Knew Her | 1994-08-09 | Self (archive footage) |
| Becoming Cary Grant | 2017-05-23 | Self (archive footage) |
| Betty Boop: Queen of the Cartoons | 1995-01-01 | Self (archive footage) |
| The Casting Couch | 1995-01-01 | (archive footage) |
| Going Hollywood: The ’30s | 1984-01-01 | Self (archive footage) |
| Hollywood on Parade No. B-5 | 1933-12-01 | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) |
| The Strange Case of the Cosmic Rays | 1957-10-25 | Miss Ultraviolet (voice, archive footage) |
| Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage | 1983-02-25 | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) |
| Hollywood Blue | 1970-11-18 | (archive footage) |
| Cary Grant: A Celebration of a Leading Man | 1988-06-05 | Self (archive footage) |
| Anthony Quinn: An Original | 1990-09-10 | Self (archive footage) |
| The Best of Laurel and Hardy | 1968-12-14 | (archive footage) |