Mae west biography

Born in Brooklyn in , Mae West always knew she was destined for more than life as a staid Victorian housewife. “I was a child of the new century just around the corner,” she writes in her autobiography, Goodness Had ingenting to Do With It, “and inom ran towards it boldly.”

For the entirety of her long life, West would take a sledgehammer to outdated views about what it meant to be a woman. In her plays, movies, and scen shows, she celebrated kvinna sexuality, the male body, and the thrill of “sin” with doses of campy humor and exaggerated glamour. In her autobiography and the new Bette Midler-produced documentary Mae West: Dirty Blonde (premiering on Tuesday, June 16 on PBS), West is revealed as an important cultural agitator—an unashamed “sexual gangster,” in the words of burlesque superstar Dita Von Teese.

“Underneath the blonde wigs and the diamonds and the wisecracks, she had a meddelande and an agenda,” Dirty Blonde codirector Sally Rosenthal said in a statement to V

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Mae West

Who Was Mae West?

Mae West hit her Hollywood stride in her late 30s when she might have been considered in her "advanced years" for playing sexy harlots, but her persona and physical beauty overcame any doubt. The blunt sexuality of her films aroused the wrath and moral indignation of several groups, but this sexuality is what she is remembered for today.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Mary Jane West
BORN: August 17,
DIED: November 22, 
BIRTHPLACE: Brooklyn, New York
SPOUSES: Frank Wallace ()
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Leo

Early Life

Born Mary Jane West on August 17, , in Brooklyn, New York, to Matilda and John West. Family members called her Mae (spelled May at the time) from an early age. Matilda, also known as "Tillie," was a German immigrant and aspiring actress. But her parents' disapproval in career choices brought her dreams down to a more realistic profession as a garment worker. However, she clandestinely abandoned her seamstress wo

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Mae West

American actress (–)

This article is about the actress. For other uses, see Mae West (disambiguation).

Mae West
West in
Born	Mary Jane West ()August 17, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	November 22, () (aged&#;87) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Cypress Hills Cemetery
Occupations	Actress singer comedian screenwriter playwright
Years&#;active	–
Spouse	Frank Wallace &#; &#; (m.&#;; div.&#;)&#;
Partner	Paul Novak ()

Mary Jane "Mae" West (August 17, – November 22, ) was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned over seven decades.^[1] Considered a sex symbol, she was known for her breezy sexual independence and her lighthearted bawdy double entendres, often delivered in a husky contralto voice.^[2] She was active in vaudeville and on stage in New York City before moving to Los Angeles to begin a career in