Gilbert Saroni, also written Gilbert Sarony, was a
cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes usually worn by a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and self-express oneself.
Cross-dressing has play ...
performer in
vaudeville as well as early
Edison Manufacturing,
American Mutoscope, and
Siegmund Lubin films. In his obituary in ''Variety'' he was described as one of the first impersonators of the "
old maid" type and was said to be "considered one of the funniest men in the show business."
[
His vaudeville performances included minstrel shows where he donned ]blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person.
In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...
using burnt cork and mimicked African-American characters.[ He also performed with song and dance team Kelly and Waters. He appeared in a series of early Edison films with Old Maid in the title and had catchphrases.]
Filmography
*''How Bridget Made the Fire'' (1900)
*''The Finish of Bridget McKeen'' (1901)
*''Old Maid in the Drawing Room'' (1901)[
]
References
1910 deaths
20th-century American male actors
American male silent film actors
Blackface minstrel performers
Female impersonators
Place of birth missing
Vaudeville performers
Year of birth missing
{{US-actor-stub