Gypsy Rose Lee: Photos and Brief biography

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San Francisco (GaeaTimes.com) - Gypsy Rose Lee was an American Burlesque Entertainer famous for her striptease act in which she never really took off her clothes. Her performances combined music with a wry sense of humor that led her to become one of the biggest stars of burlesque entertainment of 1930’s. She often performed at high society balls and parties and later on her life she went on to become an actress. Her writing prowess is revealed in her 1957 memoir titled “Gypsy”, written to her overbearing mother who forced her into show business as a child. The memoir was later used as a basis for the hit Broadway musical “Gypsy: A musical fable”.

Gypsy Rose Lee was born in Seatle, Washington in 1911. Her birth name was Rose Louise Hovick and she was known by her middle name Louise. Her mother, Rose Hovick married John Olaf Hovick, who was a newspaper advertising salesman. After her parents divorced, Gypsy Rose Lee supported her family by appearing in vaudeville. Later she came to Burlesque to make money which earned her the legendary status.

She innovated the casual strip style emphasizing on the “tease” more in the “striptease”. She also brought a sharp sense of humor into the act and became famous for her onstage wit as for his strip style. She changes her stage name to Gypsy Rose Lee and became one of the biggest stars of that time.

Her mother died in 1954 and she felt to write about her. The memoir, titled “Gypsy”, were published in 1957 and were taken as inspirational material for the musical “Gypsy: A Musical Fable”. The play and the subsequent movie deal assured Gypsy a steady income. She was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1969 and died in Los Angeles in 1970.

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