Alta L. King (March 21, 1899 – March 1981) was an American dancer, singer, and

Ziegfeld girl Ziegfeld Girls were the chorus girls and showgirls from Florenz Ziegfeld's theatrical Broadway revue spectaculars known as the '' Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), in New York City, which were based on the Folies Bergère of Paris. Desc ...

in musical theatre.

Early life

King was born in Barnesville, Minnesota, the daughter of John F. King (1866–1939) and Alta Mae Kimpton King (1876–1956), who had both been born in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. She had a younger brother named Kenneth. She left school after completing 10th grade.

Career

King's stage career began in a stock company in Minneapolis. Her Broadway credits included appearances in ''

Ziegfeld Follies of 1919 The ''Ziegfeld Follies of 1919'' was a revue produced by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. Billed as the thirteenth edition of the Ziegfeld Follies series, it had a tryout at Nixon's Apollo Theatre in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on June 10, 1919 and opened at Br ...

Ziegfeld Follies of 1920 The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air ...

'', ''

Sally Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military * Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting na ...

'' (1920–1922), '' Orange Blossoms'' (1922), and ''Cinders'' (1923). She was also in the ''Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic'', and performed on the roof of the

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater on 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the New Amsterdam was built fro ...

. She was considered to have the "stage's most beautiful legs", along with Ann Pennington and

Mistinguett Mistinguett (, born Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois; 5 April 1873 – 5 January 1956) was a French actress and singer. She was at one time the highest-paid female entertainer in the world. Early life The daughter of Antoine Bourgeois, a 31-year- ...

. She was in the same sextet of Ziegfeld dancers as

Elizabeth Meehan Elizabeth Meehan (22 August 1894 – 24 April 1967) was a British screenwriter who worked in both Britain and Hollywood. Early life Meehan was born on the Isle of Wight, and lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Career As a young woman, B ...

and

Billie Dove Lillian Bohny (born Bertha Eugenie Bohny; May 14, 1903 – December 31, 1997), known professionally as Billie Dove, was an American actress. Early life and career Dove was born Bertha Eugenie Bohny in New York City in 1903 to Charles and Ber ...

. After her marriage, she gave recitals as a soprano singer.

Personal life

King married English-born theatrical producer and director James Edward Royce (1870-1964) in 1925. In 1940, her occupation was listed as model.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:King, Alta 1899 births 1981 deaths Ziegfeld girls American dancers People from Clay County, Minnesota Singers from Minnesota