Anita Kert Ellis
| Anita Kert Ellis | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Anita Kurt April 12, 1920 (age 96) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | College of Music, Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Known for | Singing on old-time radio programs |
| Spouse(s) | Frank Ellis (1943-1946; divorce) Mortimer Fromberg Shapiro (1960-1995; his death) |
| Parent(s) | Harry and Lillian Pearson Kurt |
Anita Kert Ellis (born Anita Kurt; April 12, 1920, Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a Canadian-born American singer and actress.
Anita Kurtwas born to Orthodox Jewish parents, Harry and Lillian (née Pearson; originally Peretz) Kurt, the eldest of four children. She had two younger sisters and a brother, Lawrence Frederick Kurt, who became actor/singer Larry Kert (1930–1991). The family moved to Hollywood when she was nine years old. She graduated from Hollywood High School in 1938 and attended the College of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Ellis became a naturalized United States citizen in 1950.
Ellis dubbed the singing voices of such actresses as Rita Hayworth (notably in Gilda, 1946), Vera-Ellen and Jeanne Crain.
Twenty-eight years after Gilda came out, entertainment writer Rex Reed reminisced in print about Ellis's voice: "I fell in love with Anita Ellis when I was 8 years old. ... Only I didn't know she was Anita Ellis, I thought she was Rita Hayworth. ... That was the sexiest voice in 1946, and it kept turning people on for years ..."
In 1941, she joined WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio, as a singer. Billed as Anita Kurt, she was a regular on Open House (also known as The Ona Munson Show),The New Jack Carson Show,Tommy Riggs and Betty Lou.
Billed as Anita Ellis, she was also a regular on The Charlie McCarthy Show and The Jack Carson Show. She was a regular guest on The Red Skelton Show. (Two sources list Ellis as one of the vocalists on Skelton's show, without the "guest" modifier.)
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