Sherry Britton
| Sherry Britton | ||
 Britton in 1945 | ||
| Background information | ||
| Born as: | Edith Zack | |
| Born | Jul 28, 1918 New Brunswick, New Jersey | |
| Died | Apr 01, 2008 - age 90 Manhattan, New York Natural causes (at age 90) | |
| Alma Mater: | Fordham University | |
| Occupation: | Burlesque dancer, actress | |
- This article is about a deceased Burlesque performer
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Sherry Britton (born Edith Zack ✦July 28, 1918 - †April 1, 2008) was one of the most stunning burlesque performers of the 1930's and early 1940's. The 5'3" (160 cm) Britton had an 18" (46cm) waist, and was once said to have a "figure to die for". She was born Edith Zack, in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Britton performed in many theaters and clubs during the Golden Age of burlesque. She once said, "I despised burlesque." However, she did enjoy stripping in nightclubs, like Leon and Eddie's nightclub where she was a regular for seven years. She stripped to classical music, wore lovely long gowns and tiaras and crowns.
When burlesque went by the wayside due to the NYC ban in 1940, Britton turned to plays, eventually appearing in almost 40 of them. Britton also spent much time during WWII entertaining troops, for which she was made an honorary Brigadier General by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was also a trained belly dancer and acted on Broadway.
Britton was performing in Washington, D.C. clubs as late as 1958 (at or near age 40). She was barred from appearing at the 1964 New York World's Fair, because she was too risque. She instead became a cabaret singer and appeared in many theater productions.
In 1971. Britton, who had been married twice previously, and who once said she'd been engaged "14 times", married wealthy businessman Robert Gross (no relation to aviator Robert E. Gross). Gross urged her to attend Fordham University. Although Britton had never attended high school, she was said to have a very high IQ. She attended Fordham and graduated pre-law in 1982, magna cum laude, at the age of 63.
After Gross died in 1990, Britton lived a fairly quiet life of retirement, stepping back into the limelight in 1993 on her 75th birthday performing at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on Broadway in NYC.
Britton died of natural causes on April 1, 2008.
Pin-up Gallery
- Sherry Britton appeared in YANK magazine on 9 December 1945
"A burlesque dancer and stripper who worked at such famous theaters as Minsky's Gaiety at 46th and Broadway in NYC, Sherry appeared in the December 7, 1945 issue of YANK. One GI who kept this pinup of Sherry inside his footlocker throughout the war was forced to throw it out by his wife when he got home. "She hated it!" he says. For him and any other dogface who had to deep-six this shot 60 years ago, here it is again."
Filmography
References
External links
- More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Sherry_Britton ]
Sherry Britton at the Internet Movie Database
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