MISTINGUETT

Mistinguett (born Jeanne Bourgeois) was a French singer, dancer and actress from the 1900s to the 1930s. She was born in 1875, and she was a dancer in music halls when she was a teenager. She became a leading French stage star (both singing and dancing), and in 1911, she "stole" Maurice Chevalier from his dance partner and girlfriend, Frehel, and Mistinguett and Chevalier became major stars (poor Frehel tried to commit suicide and had drug and alcohol problems the rest of her life). Mistinguett and Chevalier performed the 'danse de apaches', and they appeared in two movies together. Chevalier then served in World War I, and he started his solo act after the war. Mistinguett appeared solo in movies and on stage for many years. She passed away in 1956 at the age of 80.