Lyda Roberti
1

Lyda Roberti

Born

May 20, 1906

Died

December 3, 1938 (32 years old)

Known For

Acting

Place of Birth

Warsaw, Poland, Russian Empire [now Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland]

Lyda's father was German clown Roberti, her mother a Polish trick rider. As a child performer, she toured Europe and Asia with the Circus in which she was born, leaving it (and her reportedly abusive father) in Shanghai, China. In this truly international city, Lyda became a child cafe entertainer and learned the fractured English that became her trademark. Around 1927, she emigrated to California, finding work in vaudeville, where she was "discovered" in 1930 by Broadway producer Lou Holtz and became an overnight star in his 1931 show 'You Said It'. Lyda's unforgettable stage and screen character was a sexy blonde whose charming accent and uninhibited man-chasing were played for hilarious laughs. From 1932-35 she made 8 comedy and musical films mainly at Paramount, with Fields, Cantor, and other great comedians; her unique singing style was also popular on the radio and records. Her health declining from premature heart disease, she briefly replaced the late Thelma Todd in Hal Roach comedy shorts with Patsy Kelly and appeared in 3 features for MGM and Columbia, then retired from film work a few months before her fatal heart attack at age 31.

Date of Birth 20 May 1906, Warsaw, Poland, Russian Empire [now Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland]

Date of Death 12 March 1938, Los Angeles, California, USA  (heart attack)

Wide Open Faces

Wide Open Faces

Kitty Fredericks

8.5

1938

Pick a Star

Pick a Star

Dagmar

4.8

1937

Nobody's Baby

Nobody's Baby

Lena Marchetti

5.7

1937

Hill-Tillies

Lyda Roberti

4.0

1936

At Sea Ashore

At Sea Ashore

Lyda Roberti

0.0

1936

The Big Broadcast of 1936

The Big Broadcast of 1936

Countess Ysobel de Naigila

5.5

1935

George White's 1935 Scandals

George White's 1935 Scandals

Manya

4.0

1935

College Rhythm

College Rhythm

Mimi

4.7

1934

Hollywood Rhythm

0.0

1934

Meet the Baron

Meet the Baron

College Girl (uncredited)

4.3

1933

Torch Singer

Torch Singer

Dora Nichols

5.2

1933

Three-Cornered Moon

Three-Cornered Moon

Jenny

5.2

1933

The Kid from Spain

The Kid from Spain

Rosalie

6.6

1932

Million Dollar Legs

Million Dollar Legs

Mata Machree

6.6

1932

Dancers in the Dark

Dancers in the Dark

Fanny Zabowolski

4.8

1932

The Roof Garden Revue

Herself

1.0

1929