Image of Lyda Roberti

Lyda Roberti

Lyda's father was German clown Roberti, her mother a Polish trick rider. As a child performer, she toured Europe and Asia with the Circus in which she was born, leaving it (and her reportedly abusive father) in Shanghai, China. In this truly international city, Lyda became a child cafe entertainer and learned the fractured English that became her trademark. Around 1927, she emigrated to California, finding work in vaudeville, where she was "discovered" in 1930 by Broadway producer Lou Holtz and became an overnight star in his 1931 show 'You Said It'. Lyda's unforgettable stage and screen character was a sexy blonde whose charming accent and uninhibited man-chasing were played for hilarious laughs. From 1932-35 she made 8 comedy and musical films mainly at Paramount, with Fields, Cantor, and other great comedians; her unique singing style was also popular on the radio and records. Her health declining from premature heart disease, she briefly replaced the late Thelma Todd in Hal Roach comedy shorts with Patsy Kelly and appeared in 3 features for MGM and Columbia, then retired from film work a few months before her fatal heart attack at age 31. Date of Birth 20 May 1906, Warsaw, Poland, Russian Empire [now Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland] Date of Death 12 March 1938, Los Angeles, California, USA  (heart attack)


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Born:
May 20, 1906
Movie/TV Credits:
16
First Appeared:
In the movie The Roof Garden Revue 1929-05-05
Latest Project:
Movie Wide Open Faces 1938-04-18
Known For
Poster of Nobody's Baby
Poster of College Rhythm
Poster of Hollywood Rhythm
Poster of The Roof Garden Revue
Filmography
Movie Wide Open Faces Kitty Fredericks 1938-04-18
Movie Nobody's Baby Lena Marchetti 1937-04-23
Movie Pick a Star Dagmar 1937-05-21
Movie At Sea Ashore Lyda Roberti 1936-04-04
Movie Hill-Tillies Lyda Roberti 1936-04-24
Movie The Big Broadcast of 1936 Countess Ysobel de Naigila 1935-09-20
Movie George White's 1935 Scandals Manya 1935-03-29
Movie Hollywood Rhythm 1934-11-15
Movie College Rhythm Mimi 1934-11-23
Movie Meet the Baron College Girl (uncredited) 1933-10-20
Movie Three-Cornered Moon Jenny 1933-08-08
Movie Torch Singer Dora Nichols 1933-09-08
Movie Dancers in the Dark Fanny Zabowolski 1932-03-11
Movie The Kid from Spain Rosalie 1932-11-17
Movie Million Dollar Legs Mata Machree 1932-07-08
Movie The Roof Garden Revue Herself 1929-05-05