Fanny Brice

Fanny Brice
Undated publicity photo
Born	Fania Borach (1891-10-29)October 29, 1891 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	May 29, 1951(1951-05-29) (aged 59) Hollywood, California, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Frank White (m. 1910–13) Julius "Nicky" Arnstein (m. 1919–27) Billy Rose (m. 1929–38)
Children	Frances (1919–1992) William (1921–2008)

Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice, was an American illustrated song model, comedian, singer, theater and film actress who made many stage, radio and film appearances and is known as the creator and star of the top-rated radio comedy series The Baby Snooks Show. Thirteen years after her death, she was portrayed on the Broadway stage by Barbra Streisand in the musical Funny Girl and its 1968 film adaptation, for which Streisand won an Oscar.

Fania Borach was born in New York City, the third child of Rose (née Stern 1867-1941), a Hungarian Jewish woman who emigrated to America at age ten, and Alsatian immigrant Charles Borach. The Boraches were saloon owners and had four children: Phillip, born in 1887; Carrie, born in 1889; Fania, born in 1891; and Louis, born in 1893. Under the name Lew Brice, her younger brother also became an entertainer and was the first husband of actress Mae Clarke. In 1908, Brice dropped out of school to work in a burlesque revue, "The Girls from Happy Land Starring Sliding Billy Watson". Two years later she began her association with Florenz Ziegfeld, headlining his Ziegfeld Follies from 1910 to 1911. She was hired again in 1921 and performed in the Follies into the 1930s. In the 1921 Follies, she was featured singing "My Man", which became both a big hit and her signature song. She made a popular recording of it for Victor Records. The second song most associated with Brice is "Second Hand Rose", which she also introduced in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1921.