Ada May Weeks Potter Castegnaro (March 8, 1896 – April 25, 1978), sometimes billed as Ada May or Ada Mae Weeks, or referred to as the Countess Castegnaro, was an American actress and dancer, on stage, film, and radio.

Early life

Weeks was born in

Oyster Bay, New York The Town of Oyster Bay is the easternmost of the three towns which make up Nassau County, New York, United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is the only town in Nassau County to extend from the North Shore to the South Shore ...

, the daughter of Charles Meeks and Ada M. Thomson Weeks. She started dancing as a very young child. Her sisters Marion, Grace, and Ruth also became actresses.

Career

Weeks was a dancer, actress, and musical comedy performer. She used the name "Ada May" on advice from

Zelda Sears Zelda Sears (née Paldi; January 21, 1873 – February 19, 1935) was an American actress, screenwriter, novelist and businesswoman. Early life and background She was born as Zelda Paldi near Brockway Township, St. Clair County, Michigan, into ...

. Her stage credits included roles in ''Around the Map'' (1915 –1916, as understudy for

Marilyn Miller Marilyn Miller (born Mary Ellen Reynolds; September 1, 1898 – April 7, 1936) was one of the most popular Broadway musical stars of the 1920s and early 1930s. She was an accomplished tap dancer, singer and actress, and the combination of these ...

), ''Come to Bohemia'' (1916), ''Miss Springtime'' (1916 –1917), ''Miss 1917'' (1917), ''Listen, Lester'' (1918–1919, dancing with

Clifton Webb Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck (November 19, 1889 – October 13, 1966), known professionally as Clifton Webb, was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He worked extensively and was known for his stage appearances in the plays of Noël Coward, i ...

), ''Jim Jam Jems'' (1920–1921), ''The O'Brien Girl'' (1921 –1922), ''Lollipop'' (1924), '' Rio Rita'' (1927–1928), and '' The Good Fairy'' (1932–1933). She appeared in the films '' The Dancing Town'' (1928), ''The Shaming of the True'' (1930), '' Dance, Girl, Dance'' (1933), and ''

Monsieur Verdoux ''Monsieur Verdoux'' is a 1947 American black comedy film directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, who plays a bigamist wife killer inspired by serial killer Henri Désiré Landru. The supporting cast includes Martha Raye, William Frawley, a ...

'' (1947), and was seen on television in ''

Fireside Theatre ''Fireside Theatre'' (also known as ''Jane Wyman Presents'') is an American anthology drama series that ran on NBC from 1949 to 1958, and was the first successful filmed series on American television. Productions were low-budget and often base ...

'' (1950). She also performed on radio programs. In 1920, Weeks sued impresario John Cort for back pay. She also sought a court order to keep Cort from claiming she was under contract to him; his claims were preventing her from finding another theatrical role.

Personal life

Weeks married twice. Her first husband was American sportsman and big game hunter Wilson Potter; they married in 1924 and divorced in 1932. Her second husband was an Italian film editor, Count Mario Castegnaro; they married in California in 1946. They were still married when she died in 1978, aged 82 years, at her home in New York City.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weeks, Ada May 1896 births 1978 deaths American actresses American dancers People from Oyster Bay (town), New York