Frances Williams

Frances Williams was born Frances Jellinek in St. Paul, Minnesota. She started performing when she was 14 and left home at 16 to join an acrobatic troupe. Her first chance to display her vocal talent came in George M. Cohan's musical "Mary." She became known for roles in "Artists and Models," "The Cocoanuts" with the Marx Brothers, and several editions of George White's Scandals. In one of those editions, she is credited with introducing the Charleston to the general public.

Another notable production was "Everybody's Welcome" in 1932, remembered for introducing the standard "As Time Goes By," which she sang. She made several film appearances and only five recording sessions between 1931 and 1937, which showcase her voice. She also performed in vaudeville, headlining the Palace twice, once in the early 1930s and again in 1950. Throughout the 1950s, she appeared on television. She fell ill with cancer in 1956. She had been living with her mother at the Shoreham Hotel. She died at Lenox Hill Hospital on January 27, 1959. She was 57. An American actress, she was survived by her mother Maude Williams and brother William Jellinek. Her marriages to Lester Clark, Michael Angelo de Sousa, Robert A. Wachtsman, and Frank Lovejoy all ended in divorce or annulment.