Biography

Tess Gardella was born on December 19, 1894 in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Show Boat (1929), Stand Up and Cheer! (1934) and Honey (1930). She died on January 3, 1950 in Brooklyn, New York, USA.

Ms. Gardella was a white Italian-American stage performer, but her usual stage persona, and actual stage name, was "Aunt Jemima", which she performed in blackface. It was in this persona that she played Queenie, the African-American cook, and wife of Joe, the deckhand, in the original Broadway production of "Show Boat" in 1927, as well as the first Broadway revival in 1932. She was the only white performer in the entire cast to play a role in blackface. She also appeared in the prologue of the first film adaptation, Show Boat (1929).