Rose Marie Brown (April 15, 1919 – January 19, 2015) was an American theater actress who was crowned Miss Virginia in 1939. Then known by her birth name, Rose Marie Elliott, she placed fourth in the 13th

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...

pageant in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

. However, despite losing the pageant, she was discovered by Rodgers and Hammerstein, which led to a career on Broadway during the late 1930s and 1940s.

Biography

Brown was born Rose Marie Elliott on April 15, 1919, in

Suffolk, Virginia Suffolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and as such has no county. As of the 2020 census, the population was 94,324. It is the 9th most populous city in Virginia and the largest city in Virginia by boundary land area as ...

, to Rosa Marie (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Bruce) Elliott and Milton T. Elliott III. She attended

Simmons College Institutions of learning called Simmons College or Simmons University include: * Simmons University, a women's liberal arts college in Boston, Massachusetts * Simmons College of Kentucky, a historically black college in Louisville, Kentucky * Har ...

before entering local beauty pageants. In 1939, Elliott won her first local pageant, winning the title Miss Peanut. She went on to win the sixth Miss Virginia pageant later that year. Elliott competed as Miss Virginia in the 13th

competition in 1939, the last to be held at the

Steel Pier The Steel Pier is a 1,000-foot-long () amusement park built on a pier of the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, across from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City (formerly the Trump Taj Mahal). Begun in 1898, it was one of the most po ...

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

. She ultimately placed fourth, losing to

Miss Michigan The Miss Michigan competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Michigan in the Miss America pageant. Michigan has won the Miss America crown on five occasions. Melissa Beyrand of Milford was crowned Miss Michig ...

Patricia Donnelly. However, Elliott was spotted by a talent agent with MCA Inc., Maynard Morris, who invited her to audition for roles on Broadway. He reportedly told her father, "She’s got talent — you should send her to New York City." Elliott moved to New York, where she enrolled as student at

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...

, then located at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

. She accompanied a roommate to an audition, where she was noticed by

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most ...

and

Oscar Hammerstein Oscar Hammerstein may refer to: *Oscar Hammerstein I (1846–1919), cigar manufacturer, opera impresario and theatre builder *Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) w ...

, who were in the audience observing the auditions. Rodgers and Hammerstein invited her to meet with them at their office the next morning. She was soon cast in her first Broadway production, ''

One Touch of Venus ''One Touch of Venus'' is a 1943 musical with music written by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ogden Nash, and book by S. J. Perelman and Nash, based on the 1885 novella ''The Tinted Venus'' by Thomas Anstey Guthrie, and very loosely spoofing the Pygma ...

'', opposite actress Mary Martin. Elliott appeared in a string of Broadway productions, including the 1946

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

'' Annie Get Your Gun'' with Bert Lahr and Ethel Merman. She married her husband, W. Donald Brown, following a meeting at a party, taking the name Rose Marie Brown. The couple, who had two sons, Josh Brown and Jeffrey Brown, were longtime residents of Darien, Connecticut. She died in her sleep at the Edgehill retirement community in Stamford, Connecticut, on January 19, 2015, at the age of 95. She was survived by her sons. Her husband died in 1999.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Rose Marie 1919 births 2015 deaths Miss Virginia winners American stage actresses American musical theatre actresses American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni People from Darien, Connecticut Actresses from Stamford, Connecticut People from Suffolk, Virginia 21st-century American women