Francine Larrimore(1898-1975)
- Actress
French-born Francine Larrimore arrived in the United States as a child
and first appeared on stage at the age of 12 in
'Where There's a Will'
in 1910. A member of the Adler dynasty of actors (cousin of Luther,
Stella and Jay Adler), she had her first major theatrical successes in
the Rudolf Friml
musical
'Sometime' (1918) and in the comedy 'Nice
People'(1921), with Tallulah Bankhead
and Katharine Cornell. She was best
known for her portrayals of exuberant 'pouty girls', but she could also
dance, had a good singing voice and a talent for delivering humorous
lines. At the height of her theatrical fame in 1926, Francine created
the role of Chicago showgirl Roxie Hart at the Music Box Theatre in New
York (a part played on screen by
Ginger Rogers in 1942). Her one
significant foray into talking pictures,
John Meade's Woman (1937), was
poorly received and Francine promptly returned to the stage. Her last
performance was in
'Temporarily, Mrs. Smith', in 1946.
Her first husband was the well-known songwriter Con Conrad.
