Marjorie White

Ballet Dancer Musician

Born: Jul 22, 1904
height: 4'11" (or 149 cm)
nationality: Canadian

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Career

Active 1908 – 1935

Biography

About Marjorie White

Edited by the community

Marjorie White was a Canadian performer whose career spanned vaudeville, Broadway, and early Hollywood film. She was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on July 22, 1904, to a railroad worker father. Her stage life began remarkably early: at age four, she joined the Winnipeg Kiddies, a troupe of child performers that toured Canada and the United States. She danced and sang with the troupe until she outgrew it, then, at twenty, moved to New York to play in vaudeville. There she teamed with Thelma White as "The White Sisters," and she kept the name White even after the act dissolved. In 1924, she married Eddie Tierney, who also became her partner in a vaudeville act.

White appeared on Broadway in several musicals between 1926 and 1929, at which point she and Tierney relocated to Hollywood. Her film career began with leading roles in Happy Days (1929) and Sunny Side Up (1929). She returned to Broadway for the musical "Hot-Cha" in 1932, but soon came back to Hollywood. Today, her best-remembered films are Just Imagine (1930) and the Columbia short Woman Haters (1934), the first Three Stooges film, where she played the wife that Larry Fine keeps secret. That turned out to be her final picture. On August 20, 1935, in Santa Monica, California, White was a passenger in a car driven by Marlow Lovell when the vehicle sideswiped a newlywed couple and overturned. She was the only person seriously injured and died of internal hemorrhaging the next day at a Hollywood hospital. She was buried at Hollywood Memorial Cemetery, now known as Hollywood Forever Cemetery. White was 31 years old. She was survived by her husband, parents, and several siblings.

Standing at just 4'11", White was a petite presence on screen. She was of Caucasian ethnicity and identified as straight. Her career, active from 1908 to 1935, lasted 27 years, though her life was cut short just as her film work was gaining notice. She is remembered as a lively comedienne whose potential was never fully realized.

Profile details

Personal

Died: Wednesday 21st of August 1935 (age 31)
Years Active: 1908-1935 (27 years active)
Birthplace: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexuality: Straight

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Frequently asked

How did Marjorie White get her start in show business?

She began performing at age four with the Winnipeg Kiddies, a children's troupe that toured Canada and the US, before moving on to vaudeville and Broadway.

What was "The White Sisters" act?

Marjorie White and Thelma White performed together as "The White Sisters" in vaudeville, and Marjorie kept the stage name White after the duo split up.

Who was Marjorie White's husband?

She married Eddie Tierney in 1924; he was also her vaudeville partner, and they remained married until her death in 1935.

What are Marjorie White's most remembered film roles?

She is best remembered for Just Imagine (1930) and Woman Haters (1934), the first Three Stooges short, in which she played Larry Fine's wife.

How did Marjorie White die?

She was injured in a car accident on August 20, 1935, when the car she was riding in overturned; she died the next day from internal hemorrhaging.

Did you know

Marjorie White was only 4'11" tall, which made her a notably petite performer.
She began performing at age 4 and remained active for 27 years, until 1935.
Her final film, Woman Haters, was the first Columbia short featuring The Three Stooges.
She was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and was of Caucasian ethnicity.
Her husband Eddie Tierney was also her vaudeville partner.