 |
Martha RayeAmerican actress, comedian and singer
Date of Birth: 27.08.1916
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Biography of Martha Raye
- Music Career and Film Debut
- USO Tours and Television Success
- Later Life and Legacy
Biography of Martha Raye
Early Life and CareerMartha Raye, an American actress, comedian, and singer, gained fame for the incredible size of her mouth, earning her the nickname 'The Big Mouth'. Martha embraced this unique feature and successfully used it to create comedic effects, even exaggerating its size when necessary. She was born as Margy Reed in Butte, Montana, to Irish immigrants Peter F. Reed and Maybelle Hooper. Both of her parents performed in a local theater, and Maybelle returned to the stage just two days after giving birth to Martha. At the age of 3, Martha made her debut on the theatrical stage alongside her brother Bud. Soon, they developed their own act. Martha attended a regular school alongside her performances, but education was never her strong suit, as she only completed 5 grades. She struggled with reading and often relied on others for help in reading scripts and documents.
Music Career and Film Debut
In the early 1930s, Martha actively pursued a career in music and sang in orchestras led by Paul Ash and Boris Morros. She made her first appearance on the big screen in 1934 in the short film 'A Nite in the Nite Club'. A year later, she signed a contract with Paramount Pictures, which led to her first feature film, 'Rhythm on the Range', alongside Bing Crosby. Over the next 26 years, Martha had the opportunity to work with numerous well-known comedians, including Joe E. Brown, Bob Hope, W. C. Fields, Abbott and Costello, Charlie Chaplin, and Jimmy Durante. Despite her success as an actress, Martha's nickname 'The Big Mouth' remained her most notable characteristic.
USO Tours and Television Success
During World War II, as well as the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Martha actively traveled on concert tours organized by the USO. The USO included many popular artists who traveled to military bases to boost the morale of soldiers. Martha fulfilled her public duty despite her lifelong fear of flying.
Martha also found success on television at an early stage. By 1954, she had her own show, 'The Martha Raye Show', which ran for two years. The show featured appearances by former boxer Rocky Graziano, Cesar Romero, and Broadway star Wayne Lamb. However, Martha's career started to decline in 1956, coinciding with the end of her fifth marriage. She experienced depression and even attempted suicide by taking a large dose of sleeping pills. Fortunately, she was saved, and she later mentioned the sisters from St. Francis Hospital who helped her in her television programs.
Later Life and Legacy
In the 1970s and 1980s, Martha worked as the official spokesperson for the tooth-cleaning product line 'Polident'. Her personal life was filled with multiple marriages, totaling seven in her lifetime. Her final marriage, to Mark Harris, ended with Martha's death in 1994. Martha faced health problems throughout her life, including Alzheimer's disease, and in 1993, she had both legs amputated due to circulation issues. In October 1994, Martha passed away from a long-standing cardiovascular disease.
Despite her struggles, Martha Raye left a lasting legacy as a talented actress, comedian, and singer who fearlessly embraced her unique features and brought joy to audiences through her performances on stage, screen, and television.
