- Born
- 17 August 1893, New York City, New York, United States
- First work
- 1932: Night After Night
- Peak
- 1932 to 1940 (estimated)
- Last work
- 1978: Sextette
- Died
- 22 November 1980, Los Angeles, United States; aged 87; natural
Mae West
Film: actress, comedian, screenwriter, singer, United States
Mae West was an American actress, playwright, and screenwriter whose bawdy double entendres, sexual candour, and hourglass figure shook American entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s. After writing and headlining controversial Broadway plays such as Diamond Lil, she moved to Hollywood in 1932, scoring immediate triumphs with She Done Him Wrong and I'm No Angel. Her immense box-office clout is widely credited with saving Paramount Pictures from bankruptcy, even as her scripts prompted stricter enforcement of the Hays Production Code. Retaining total creative autonomy, she remained a cultural icon of independent womanhood for decades. West passed away at her Hollywood residence in November 1980 at the age of eighty-seven.
Who else was born on 17 August or who died on 22 November.
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Signature works
- Night After Night film1932
- She Done Him Wrong film1933
- I'm No Angel film1933
- Belle of the Nineties film1934
- Klondike Annie film1936
- My Little Chickadee film1940
- Myra Breckinridge film1970
Honours
- Hollywood Walk of Fame star (1960)