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IMDbPro

Lillian Roth(1910-1980)

  • Actress
  • Writer
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Lillian Roth
Tragic songstress Lillian Roth (nee Lillian Rutstein) was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 13, 1910. She was given her first name in honor of singer Lillian Russell. She was the daughter of stage parents who groomed her and younger sister Ann for stardom at an early age.

The girls did not disappoint. In 1916, Lillian moved with her family to New York City, where the youngsters found work as extras in films. Lillian's precocious talent was picked up on quickly, and at age six she made her Broadway debut in "The Inner Man." All the while, the girls trained at the Professional Children's School. They became billed as "Broadway's Youngest Stars" after putting together a successful vaudeville tour billed as "The Roth Kids." In this act Lillian did serious dramatic impersonations of famous stars of the day, with Anna delivering amusing satires of Lillian's readings.

Lillian's vocal talents also impressed, and she was cast in the show "Artists and Models" at age 15. Shy by nature, the ever-increasing thrust into the limelight caused Lillian to develop severe nervous disorders, but somehow she persevered. At age 17, Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. signed her up as an ingénue headliner in his new show "Midnight Frolics."

This attention led to impresario Ernst Lubitsch's invitation to Hollywood for his glossy musical Prinssi-puoliso (1929) with Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. Lillian was a hit in her second lead role. She also impressed as Huguette in Kulkurien kuningas (1930), a rather dated early musical talkie. Paramount cast her in Honey (1930), in which she debuted her signature standard "Sing You Sinners." Other roles included Cecil B. DeMille's Madam Satan (1930) and the Marx Brothers' vehicle Iloiset soittoniekat (1930), which countered her vocal stylings with the boys' zany antics.

The sudden death of her fiancé in the early '30s drove Lillian over the brink. She found that liquor gave her a calming sensation, which led to a full-scale addiction. Marriages, one to renowned Municipal Court Justice Benjamin Shalleck, came and went at a steady pace. There would be six in all. Her career deteriorated as she spiraled further and further down into alcoholic delirium.

Decades would be spent in and out of mental institutions until she met and married T. Burt McGuire, Jr., a former alcoholic, in the late '40s. With his support, Lillian slowly revived her career with club work. She became a singing sensation again and toured throughout the world, receiving ecstatic reviews wherever she went. Lillian's daring autobiography, "I'll Cry Tomorrow," was published in 1954 and topped The New York Times Best Seller list. She left out few details of her sordid past and battles with substance abuse. She became the first celebrity to associate her name with alcoholism and Alcoholics Anonymous, putting a well-known face on the disease (as Rock Hudson would later do for AIDS, albeit less willingly) while doing her part in helping to remove the social stigma.

A bold, no-holds-barred film adaptation of Lillian's book followed. Susan Hayward's gutsy portrayal of Lillian won her a fourth Oscar nomination. Lillian herself would return to films in her twilight years, but only in small roles and to minor fanfare. A beautiful and touching vocalist and actress, she put her own wonderful spin on such vintage songs as "When the Red, Red Robin," "I Wish I Had My Old Gal Back Again," and "Eadie Was a Lady." She overcame unimaginable odds and somehow lived to tell about it.

Lillian's turbulent life came to an end in New York City after suffering a fatal stroke on May 12, 1980. She was 69.
BornDecember 13, 1910
DiedMay 12, 1980(69)
BornDecember 13, 1910
DiedMay 12, 1980(69)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 1 win

Photos26

Lillian Roth in Madam Satan (1930)
James Dunn, Cliff Edwards, June Knight, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, and Lillian Roth in Take a Chance (1933)
Lilian Bond, Robert Gleckler, Dorothy Lee, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, and Lillian Roth in Take a Chance (1933)
James Dunn, Cliff Edwards, Marjorie Kane, June Knight, Lillian Roth, Vivian Vance, and Mildred Webb in Take a Chance (1933)
Charles 'Buddy' Rogers and Lillian Roth in Paramount on Parade (1930)
Barbara Stanwyck and Lillian Roth in Viisi vuotta naisvankilassa (1933)
Barbara Stanwyck, Maude Eburne, and Lillian Roth in Viisi vuotta naisvankilassa (1933)
Lillian Roth in Madam Satan (1930)
Groucho Marx, Margaret Dumont, Robert Greig, Margaret Irving, Donald MacBride, Zeppo Marx, Edward Metcalfe, Kathryn Reece, Ann Roth, Lillian Roth, Louis Sorin, and Fredi Washington in Iloiset soittoniekat (1930)
Lillian Roth in Kulkurien kuningas (1930)
Lillian Roth
Lillian Roth

Known for:

Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Zeppo Marx, and The Marx Brothers in Iloiset soittoniekat (1930)
Iloiset soittoniekat
7.4
  • Arabella Rittenhouse
  • 1930
Kay Johnson in Madam Satan (1930)
Madam Satan
6.3
  • Trixie
  • 1930
Alice, Alice...! (1976)
Alice, Alice...!
6.4
  • Pathologist(as Miss Lillian Roth)
  • 1976
Dennis King and Jeanette MacDonald in Kulkurien kuningas (1930)
Kulkurien kuningas
5.4
  • Huguette
  • 1930

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • Night-Flowers (1979)
    Night-Flowers
    6.1
    • Deaf Neighbor
    • 1979
  • Boardwalk (1979)
    Boardwalk
    6.2
    • Ruth
    • 1979
  • Alice, Alice...! (1976)
    Alice, Alice...!
    6.4
    • Pathologist (as Miss Lillian Roth)
    • 1976
  • "Eighty Yard Run, The" (Playhouse 90) Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. 1957 CBS
    Playhouse 90
    8.4
    TV Series
    • Irene Contino
    • 1957
  • Matinee Theater (1955)
    Matinee Theater
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Nurse
    • 1956
  • Kraft Television Theatre (1947)
    The United States Steel Hour
    8.0
    TV Series
    • Elaine
    • 1955
  • Snow Follies
    Short
    • Lillian Roth, Singer
    • 1939
  • Arcade Varieties
    Short
    • Lillian Roth
    • 1939
  • With Best Dishes
    Short
    • Singer
    • 1939
  • Lillian Roth in Masks and Memories (1934)
    Masks and Memories
    6.0
    Short
    • Julie
    • Emmy Lou
    • 1934
  • Story Conference (1934)
    Story Conference
    6.1
    Short
    • Lillian Roth
    • 1934
  • James Dunn, June Knight, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, and Lillian Roth in Take a Chance (1933)
    Take a Chance
    6.4
    • Wanda Hill
    • 1933
  • Lillian Roth in Million Dollar Melody (1933)
    Million Dollar Melody
    Short
    • 1933
  • Barbara Stanwyck in Viisi vuotta naisvankilassa (1933)
    Viisi vuotta naisvankilassa
    6.6
    • Linda
    • 1933
  • Down Among the Sugar Cane
    7.1
    Short
    • Lillian Roth
    • 1932

Writer

  • Itken vasta huomenna (1955)
    Itken vasta huomenna
    7.2
    • book "I'll Cry Tomorrow"
    • 1955

Soundtrack

  • Lillian Roth in Masks and Memories (1934)
    Masks and Memories
    6.0
    Short
    • performer: "Mardi Gras", "Alone", "Sophisticated Lady" (uncredited)
    • 1934
  • Story Conference (1934)
    Story Conference
    6.1
    Short
    • performer: "Alimony Sal", "My Man Blues", "If I Were a Millionaire" (uncredited)
    • 1934
  • James Dunn, June Knight, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, and Lillian Roth in Take a Chance (1933)
    Take a Chance
    6.4
    • performer: "Come Up and See Me Sometime", "Eadie Was a Lady" (uncredited)
    • 1933
  • Barbara Stanwyck in Viisi vuotta naisvankilassa (1933)
    Viisi vuotta naisvankilassa
    6.6
    • performer: "If I Could Be with You" (1926) (uncredited)
    • 1933
  • Ain't She Sweet? (1932)
    Ain't She Sweet?
    6.5
    Short
    • performer: "Ain't She Sweet"
    • 1932
  • Down Among the Sugar Cane
    7.1
    Short
    • performer: "Down Among the Sugar Cane"
    • 1932
  • Naughty-Cal
    Short
    • performer: "True to the Navy", "Sailor Go for It", "Says Who ?"
    • 1932
  • Puff Your Blues Away
    Short
    • performer: "Puff Your Blues Away"
    • 1931
  • Kay Johnson in Madam Satan (1930)
    Madam Satan
    6.3
    • performer: "Low Down" (1930) (uncredited)
    • 1930
  • Favorite Melodies (1929)
    Meet the Boy Friend
    6.6
    Short
    • performer: "So Alonesome", "Just Like Jimmy and Me"
    • 1930
  • Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Zeppo Marx, and The Marx Brothers in Iloiset soittoniekat (1930)
    Iloiset soittoniekat
    7.4
    • performer: "Why Am I So Romantic?" (1930) (uncredited)
    • 1930
  • Paramount on Parade (1930)
    Paramount on Parade
    5.8
    • performer: "Anytime's the Time to Fall in Love"
    • 1930
  • Nancy Carroll and Stanley Smith in Honey (1930)
    Honey
    5.7
    • performer: "Let's Be Domestic", "I Don't Need Atmosphere (to Fall in Love With You)", "Sing You Sinners"
    • 1930
  • Dennis King and Jeanette MacDonald in Kulkurien kuningas (1930)
    Kulkurien kuningas
    5.4
    • performer: "Huguette Waltz" (uncredited)
    • 1930
  • Prinssi-puoliso (1929)
    Prinssi-puoliso
    7.0
    • performer: "Let's Be Common" (1929), "The Queen Is Always Right" (1929) (uncredited)
    • 1929

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Miss Lillian Roth
  • Height
    • 1.60 m
  • Born
    • December 13, 1910
    • Boston, Massachusetts, USA
  • Died
    • May 12, 1980
    • New York City, New York, USA(stroke)
  • Spouses
      Thomas Burt McGuireJanuary 1947 - September 26, 1963 (divorced)
  • Parents
      Arthur Rutstein
  • Other works
    Stage: Appeared in "Penrod" on Broadway. Written by Edward E. Rose from the stories by Booth Tarkington. Directed by Dudley Digges and Edward E. Rose. Globe Theatre (moved to Punch and Judy Theatre on 7 Oct 1918 to close): 2 Sep 1918-Nov 1918 (closing date unknown/48 performances). Cast: Bevor Alverez, William F. Canfield, Helen Chandler, Jack Ellis, May Ellis, Katherine Emmett, Thomas Ford, Ben F. Grauer, Maud Hosford, Flo Irwin, Paul Kelly, Thomas McCann, Henry Quinn, Richard Ross, Lillian Roth [Broadway debut], Robert Vaughn, Charles Whitfield. Produced by George C. Tyler and Klaw & Erlanger.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Biographical Movie
    • 2 Print Biographies
    • 4 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    In 1953 Ralph Edwards aired Lillian's tragic story on a special telecast of his This Is Your Life (1950) series. It drew the largest amount of mail in the show's history.
  • Quotes
    My life was never my own. It was charted before I was born.
  • Nickname
    • Butterfingers

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