Birth certificate was lost in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906
As a result, her birth year is often cited as anywhere from 1895 to 1905
Was in a vaudeville act with her sister Bessie in 1909; and branched out with a solo vaudeville act in 1911
Always wore long sleeves to hide the scar from a pot of hot tea that fell on her when she was a child
In 1923, while attending secretarial school in Hoboken, N
J
, she met George Burns at a vaudeville theater in Union City, N
J
; called Burns "Nattie" (his real name was Nathan Birnbaum), he called her "Googie
" In his memoir Gracie: A Love Story, George said that "Gracie was the whole act
I didn't have to be a genius to understand that there was something wrong with a comedy act when the straight lines got more laughs than the punch lines
" Known primarily for radio and TV, Allen and Burns also appeared in several films, including an impressive turn in A Damsel in Distress (1937), Fred Astaire's first RKO musical without Ginger Rogers
Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6672 Hollywood Blvd
(Burns has three
) Married Burns in 1926 (her first marriage; his second)
They starred in a weekly radio show from 1932 until 1950; starred in TV's The Burns and Allen Show from 1950 until 1958, when she retired
Awards
1959Emmy-Best Actress in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Comedy Series:nominated
1958Emmy-Best Continuing Performance (Female) in a Series by a Comedienne, Singer, Hostess, Dancer, M.C., Announcer, Narrator, Panelist, or any Person who Essentially Plays Herself:nominated
1957Emmy-Best Continuing Performance by a Comedienne in a Series:nominated