Beatrice Lillie

Dubbed "the funniest woman in the world", comedienne Beatrice Lillie was born the daughter of a Canadian government official and grew up in Toronto. She sang in a family trio act with her mother, Lucy, and her piano-playing older sister, Muriel. Times were hard and the ambitious mother eventually took the girls to England to test the waters. In 1914, Bea made her solo debut in London's West End and was an immediate hit with audiences. A valuable marquee player as a droll revue and stage artiste, she skillfully interwove sketches, songs and monologues with parody and witty satire.

She married Robert Peel in 1920, the extravagant heir of Lord Peel. When her father-in-law died in the mid-1920s, she and Robert became Lord and Lady Peel. When husband Robert died of peritonitis in 1934, he left behind huge debts which forced Bea to continue working non-stop for years to come.

In 1924, she returned to America and was an instant success on Broadway, thus becoming the toast of two continents. For the next decade, she worked with the top stage headliners of her day, including Gertrude Lawrence, Bert Lahr and Jack Haley. Noël Coward and Cole Porter wrote songs and even shows for her.

A top radio and comedy recording artist to boot, Bea's success in films was surprisingly limited, although she did achieve some recognition in such productions as Exit Smiling (1926) and Doctor Rhythm (1938). During the Second World War, Bea became a favourite performer with the troops and, in her post-war years, toured with her own show "An Evening with Beatrice Lillie".

According to Axel Madsen in "The Sewing Circle", she was considered for the role of "The Good Witch" in The Wizard of Oz (1939) in 1936, but was thought too funny for the role.

Her son, who had enlisted in the Royal Navy, was killed in 1942 during a Japanese air raid on the port of Colombo, Ceylon.

In 1948, at age 54, she met singer/actor John Philip Huck, 28 years her junior. Despite their huge age difference, he became her manager and her companion for the rest of her life. Huck died of a heart attack the day after Bea passed away. They were buried side by side near her mother and sister in a small cemetery near Peel Fold.

Her rather eccentric persona worked beautifully on Broadway and, in 1958, she replaced Rosalind Russell in "Auntie Mame".

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6404 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.

In 1964, she took on the role of "Madame Arcati" in the musical version of "Blithe Spirit", entitled "High Spirits". This was to be her last staged musical.

Sadly, her style grew passé and outdated in the Vietnam era, and she quickly faded from view after a movie appearance in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967).

At this point, she had already begun to show early signs of Alzheimer's disease, although she managed to publish her biography in 1973. A year later, Bea suffered the first of two strokes and lived the next decade and a half in virtual seclusion.

Profiled in the book, "Funny Ladies", by Stephen M. Silverman. [1999]

Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 361-363 New York: Oxford University Press. [2002]