Ann Sothern Biography

Fast Facts

• Had one daughter, Tisha Sterling, with actor Robert Sterling
• Began taking piano lessons ate age five and went on to study at McPhail School of Music
• Her professional career took off after Broadway impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr․ offered her a role in one of his productions
• While performing in stage productions as a teenager, Sothern won three years in a row at the annual state sponsored contest for musical composers
• Quote: "Sometimes I'll watch an old movie on TV and once in a while one of mine will come on and I'll watch it․ And you know something? I'm always amazed at what a lousy actress I was․ I guess in the old days we just got by on glamour․"
• Quote: "I think Hollywood has been terrible to me․ Hollywood doesn't respond to a strong woman, not at all․ I was too independent․ How dare a woman be competitive or produce her own shows?"
• Her grandfather was Simon Lake, the inventor of the modern submarine