Martha Raye
| Martha Raye | |
|---|---|
Raye in the 1940s
|
|
| Born |
Margy Reed August 27, 1916 Butte, Montana, U.S. |
| Died | October 19, 1994 (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Cardiovascular disease |
| Resting place | Main Post Cemetery, Fort Bragg NC |
| Occupation | Actress singer and comedian |
| Years active | 1934–1989 |
| Spouse(s) |
Bud Westmore (1937) David Rose (1938–1941) Neal Lang (1941–1944) Nick Condos (1944–1953) Edward T. Begley (1954–1956) Robert O'Shea (1956–1960) Mark Harris (1991–1994; her death) |
Martha Raye (August 27, 1916 – October 19, 1994) was an American comic actress and singer who performed in movies, and later on television. She also acted in plays, including Broadway. She was honored in 1969 with an Academy Award as the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient for her volunteer efforts and services to the troops.
Raye's life as a singer and comedic performer began in very early childhood. She was born at St. James Hospital in Butte, Montana, as Margy Reed, some sources give her real name as Maggie O'Reed.
Her father, Peter F. Reed Jr., was an Irish immigrant, while her mother, Maybelle Hazel (Hooper) Reed, was raised in Milwaukee and Montana. Her parents were performing in a local vaudeville theatre as "Reed and Hooper" when their daughter was born. Two days later, her mother was performing again. Martha first appeared in their act when she was three years old. She later performed with her brother "Bud", and the children became so popular that their parents' act was renamed "Margie and Bud."
In the early 1930s, Raye was a band vocalist with the Paul Ash and Boris Morros orchestras. She made her first film appearance in 1934 in a band short titled A Nite in the Nite Club. In 1936, she was signed for comic roles by Paramount Pictures, and made her first picture for Paramount. Her first feature film was Rhythm on the Range with crooner Bing Crosby.
From 1936–39, she was a featured cast member in 39 episodes of Al Jolson's weekly CBS radio show, The Lifebuoy Program, also called Cafe Trocadero. In addition to comedy, Martha sang both solos and duets with Jolson. Over the next quarter century, she would appear with many of the leading comics of her day, including Joe E. Brown, Bob Hope, W. C. Fields, Abbott and Costello, Charlie Chaplin, and Jimmy Durante. She joined the USO in 1942, soon after the US entered World War II.
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