Lyda Roberti

Polish-born actress and musician Lyda Roberti was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1906, but her roots were in the circus: her father was a German clown, her mother a Polish trick rider. She spent her childhood touring Europe and Asia as a performer with the circus, eventually leaving it in Shanghai, China, reportedly to escape an abusive father. In Shanghai, she became a child entertainer in cafes and picked up the fractured English that would later become a key part of her comedic persona.

Around 1927, Roberti emigrated to California and found work in vaudeville. Her big break came in 1930 when Broadway producer Lou Holtz discovered her, and she became an overnight star in his 1931 show "You Said It." On stage and screen, she played a sexy blonde whose charming accent and uninhibited pursuit of men were played for laughs. Over the next few years, she made eight comedy and musical films, mostly for Paramount, alongside comedy legends like W.C. Fields and Eddie Cantor. She also gained popularity on the radio and records for her unique singing style.

Her health declined due to premature heart disease, but she kept working: she briefly replaced the late Thelma Todd in Hal Roach comedy shorts with Patsy Kelly and appeared in three features for MGM and Columbia. Roberti retired from film work just a few months before suffering a fatal heart attack. She died in 1938 at the age of 31. She was 5'3" with an average build and naturally real boobs.