Valli Valli, born Valli Knust (11 February 1882 – 4 November 1927), was a musical comedy actress and silent film performer born in

Berlin, Germany Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constituent ...

. She was descended from an old English family and lived most of her life in England. Her brother was a captain in the

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

, who fought for the British in France in World War I. Her sisters Lulu (1887–1964) and Ida were both actresses, who used the stage names Lulu Valli and Ida Valli.Profile at Stage Beauty site
/ref> Her brother-in-law, Philip Curtiss (Ida's husband), wrote ''Mummers in Mufti'' in 1921. She also had a brother named Cyril Knust.

Early years and stage work

Valli was educated in London and Paris. As a twelve-year-old, she made her first stage appearance in ''Gentle Ivy'' (1894) at

Terry's Theatre Terry's Theatre was a West End theatre in the Strand, in the City of Westminster, London. Built in 1887, it became a cinema in 1910 before being demolished in 1923. History The theatre was built in 1887, near Fountain's Court, on the site of a ...

in London. She demonstrated her theatrical skill in Berlin in 1895 with a successful run in the musical comedy '' Morocco Bound''. She returned to London's

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Drur ...

, performing the role of the dancing doll in a pantomime version of '' Cinderella'' the following Christmas. A strikingly beautiful woman, Valli played mostly in England thereafter, appearing in ''The Queen of Hearts'', ''Purple Road'' and ''The Duke's Motto'', among other pieces. She toured the United States a number of times. Her first American tour was in the

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

'' Veronique'' in 1905, where she played the part of ''Sophie''. In London in 1907, when she played Polly Love in a revival of ''The Christian'' at the Lyceum Theatre. She appeared in 1908 in the London musical ''Kitty Grey''. This was followed the next autumn by an appearance in the long-running American version of '' The Dollar Princess'' (1909). Valli had the role of Alice Cowder. In 1916, she participated in

George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

's ''The Cohan Revue''. Her last New York City performance was in ''Miss Millions'' in 1919 at the Punch and Judy Theatre.''Time Magazine'' death notice
/ref>

Films and later years

Valli made four films in the years 1915 and 1916. One of these is '' The Turmoil'', an adaptation of a

Booth Tarkington Newton Booth Tarkington (July 29, 1869 – May 19, 1946) was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' (1918) and '' Alice Adams'' (1921). He is one of only four novelists to win the Pulitze ...

novel. Valli's character is ''Mary Vertrees'', a lady with an aristocratic bearing. Her other screen credits are for appearances as Mary Page in '' The High Road'' (1915), Beth Coventry in ''The Woman Pays'' (1915), Marian Delmar in '' Her Debt of Honor'' (1916). In 1917, she married Louis Dreyfus, head of the music publishing house Harms, Day and Hunter and later a theatrical producer. Valli died at her home in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

, London, in 1927 at the age of 45, survived by her husband.

Notes

References

* *Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, ''Valli Valli, Starred In The Turmoil'', January 15, 1916, Page 10. * New York Times, ''Valli Valli, Star Of Operettas, Dies'', November 5, 1927, Page 19.

External links

*
Photos of ValliValli Valli
portrait at NY Public Library Billy Rose Collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Valli, Valli 1882 births 1927 deaths English stage actresses English film actresses English silent film actresses 20th-century English actresses British expatriates in Germany British expatriates in France British expatriate actresses in the United States