Marilyn Miller Biography

Fast Facts

• Was discovered by Lee Shubert at the Lotus Club in London in 1914 and made her Broadway debut in 1914's "The Passing Show․"
• First began performing in her family's "Columbian Trio" vaudeville act as Mademoiselle Sugarlump․"
• Appeared in film adaptations of her most popular Broadway shows: "Sally" in 1929, "Sunny" in 1930, and "Her Majesty Love" in 1931
• Became a star after appearing in Florenz Ziegfeld's "Ziegfeld Follies" in 1918 alongside Eddie Cantor, W․ C․ Fields, and Will Rogers
• Best known as a Broadway musical star who appeared in productions of "Sunny," "Peter Pan," and "Sally․"
• Following her rise to popularity in the 1930s, the name "Marilyn" went from appearing in only six 1900 census records to being the 16th most common female first name in America
• Her performance of Jerome Kern's "Look for the Silver Lining" in "Sally" in 1920 was especially popular, running for 570 performances
• In the late 1940s, casting director Ben Lyon urged an up-and-coming actress named Norma Jeane Baker to take on the name "Marilyn Monroe" because she reminded him of Marilyn Miller