Alta L. King (March 21, 1899 – March 1981) was an American dancer, singer, and

Ziegfeld girl The term "Ziegfeld Girl" (or "Ziegfeld Follies Girl") is used broadly to describe the "singers, showgirls, comediennes, nddancers" who appeared in Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.'s theatrical Broadway revue spectaculars known as the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' ...

in musical theatre.

Early life

King was born in

Barnesville, Minnesota Barnesville is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, Clay County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,759 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Barnesville Potato Days is held annually in August. Interstate 94 in Minnesota, I ...

, the daughter of John F. King (1866–1939) and Alta Mae Kimpton King (1876–1956), who had both been born in

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. She had a younger brother named Kenneth. She left school after completing 10th grade.

Career

King's stage career began in a stock company in Minneapolis. Her Broadway credits included appearances in ''

Ziegfeld Follies of 1919 The ''Ziegfeld Follies of 1919'' was a revue produced by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. Billed as the thirteenth edition of the Ziegfeld Follies series, it had a tryout at Nixon's Apollo Theatre in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on June 10, 1919 and opened at B ...

, Ziegfeld Follies of 1920'', '' Sally'' (1920–1922), '' Orange Blossoms'' (1922), and ''Cinders'' (1923). She was also in the ''Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic'', and performed on the roof of the

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 214 West 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Manhattan in New York City, New Yor ...

. She was considered to have the "stage's most beautiful legs", along with Ann Pennington and

Mistinguett Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois (5 April 1873 – 5 January 1956), known professionally as Mistinguett (), was a French actress and singer. She was at one time the highest-paid female entertainer in the world. Early life The daughter of Antoine Bo ...

. She was in the same sextet of Ziegfeld dancers as Elizabeth Meehan and

Billie Dove Lillian Bohny (born Bertha Eugenie Bohny; May 14, 1903 – December 31, 1997), known professionally as Billie Dove, was an American actress. Early life and career Dove was born Bertha Eugenie Bohny in New York City in 1903 to Charles and Ber ...

. After her marriage, she gave recitals as a soprano singer.

Personal life

King married English-born theatrical producer and director James Edward Royce (1870–1964) in 1925. In 1940, her occupation was listed as model.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:King, Alta 1899 births 1981 deaths Ziegfeld girls American dancers People from Clay County, Minnesota Singers from Minnesota