Fanny Brice

Fanny Brice, professional name of Fannie Borach (1891-1951), American entertainer, born in New York. She made her stage debut at the age of 13. After a career in burlesque and vaudeville, she appeared in the musical revue Follies of 1910, produced by Florenz Ziegfeld. She was given major roles in nine subsequent editions of the revue. A versatile performer, both singer and comedian, she was noted for her moving versions of dramatic songs and her hilarious Yiddish dialect numbers. Among other theatrical productions in which she played leading roles were Music Box Revue (1924) and Crazy Quilt (1931). She began her film career with My Man (1928) and appeared in a number of other films. In 1936 she originated the part of a comic child character, Baby Snooks, on radio and played the role almost continuously until her death. A 1964 musical and a 1968 film, both called Funny Girl, were suggested by Brice's life.