Annette Kellerman

Annette Kellerman

Australian professional swimmer, film and vaudeville star and author
Date of Birth: 06.07.1886
Country: Australia

Content:
  1. Early Life and Swimming Career
  2. Channel Swimming and Advocacy for Women's Swimwear
  3. Movie Career and Personal Life
  4. Annette Kellerman has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Early Life and Swimming Career

Annette Marie Sarah Kellerman was born on July 6, 1886, in New South Wales, Australia. She was the daughter of Frederick William Kellerman, a violinist, and Alice Ellen Charbonnet, a pianist and music teacher. At the age of six, Annette had to wear steel braces on her legs to strengthen them, which caused discomfort and pain. In an effort to help her daughter, Annette's parents enrolled her in swimming classes in Sydney.

Annette Kellerman

By the age of thirteen, Annette had made significant progress in swimming and by fifteen, she won her first competitions. In 1902, Annette's family moved to Melbourne, where she continued to improve her skills and even performed as a mermaid in an entertainment center. She gave daily performances surrounded by fish in an oceanarium. In June and July of 1903, Annette amazed audiences by diving to incredible depths in a scene from the play "Breaking of the Drought" at the Melbourne Theatre Royal.

Annette Kellerman

Channel Swimming and Advocacy for Women's Swimwear

On August 24, 1905, at the age of 18, Annette became the first woman to successfully swim across the English Channel. After three failed attempts, she declared, "I had the endurance, but lacked brute strength." Annette Kellerman was known for her fight for women's right to wear one-piece swimsuits, which was a subject of controversy at the time. In 1907, during the height of her popularity, she was even arrested for indecency at Revere Beach, Massachusetts, for wearing one of her form-fitting one-piece suits.

Annette Kellerman

Her swimsuits gained popularity and she launched her own line called "Annette Kellerman." In the world of swimming, her main competitor was Beatrice Kerr, although they never competed face to face in any events.

Annette Kellerman

Movie Career and Personal Life

In 1912, Annette married James Raymond Louis Sullivan, an American manager. Four years later, Annette shocked the public once again by appearing fully nude in the film "A Daughter of the Gods." The film grossed approximately one million dollars, but unfortunately, no copies of it are known to exist.

As an actress, Annette mostly starred in movies with aquatic adventure themes. She performed her own stunts, including diving from a height of 28 meters into the sea and from a two-meter height into a pool with crocodiles. She often appeared on screen as a mermaid, siren, or underwater fairy.

Throughout her life, Kellerman adhered to vegetarianism and owned a health food store in Long Beach, California. She and her husband returned to Australia in 1970. Annette passed away at the age of 90 and was cremated. Her ashes were scattered at the Great Barrier Reef. She did not have any children.

Annette Kellerman has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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