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Fanny Brice

Fanny Brice, early Ziegfeld Follies portrait photograph

Fanny Brice (October 29, 1891 - May 29, 1951) was a United States comedian, singer, and entertainer.

"Fanny Brice" was the stage name of Fania Borach, born in New York City, the third child of relatively well-off saloon owners of Hungarian Jewish decent. In 1908, she dropped out of school to work in a burlesque review. She is best known for her association with Florenz Ziegfeld, and headlined his Ziegfield Follies starting in 1910 and continuing into the 1930s.

In the 1921 "Follies" she was featured singing the tango "My Man", which became a big hit and was much associated with Brice in the United States for many years. She made phonograph records of it and appeared singing it in sound film.

During the late 1930s, she had her own radio show which featured her as a bratty toddler known as "Baby Snooks."

Best known as a comic, Brice was a multitalented performer, able to sing songs humorously or with great serious emotion. She was a master at both verbal and physical comedy.

Fanny Brice died in Hollywood, California.

Film tributes

A Hollywood biopic of Brice appeared in 1939 entitled Rose of Washington Square.

Barbra Streisand made two movies that were (very) loosely based upon the life of Fanny Brice: Funny Girl and Funny Lady.

Film stories verses reality

Brice's second husband was gambler Julius "Nicky" Arnstein. Funny Girl is a prime example of how films usually take liberties with the lives of historical figures and/or events. The film suggested that Arnstein turned to crime because he didn't want to live off of Fanny; the real Nicky shamelessly sponged off her. The film also suggested he sold phony bonds. He was actually part of a gang that stole $5 million of Wall Street securities. Instead of turning himself in, as he did in the movie, Nicky went into hiding. When he finally surrendered, he did not plead guilty, as, again, he did in the movie, but fought the charges for 4 years. Two children were born of the marriage, but only their daughter is depicted.

After Arnstein served his sentence at Fort Leavenworth (he previously did time at Sing Sing, where Fanny visited him every week), a heartsick Brice divorced him. She later married Billy Rose. That marriage, too, failed.


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That marriage, too, failed. Series: Northern Exposure, The Equalizer, Once A Hero, Moonlighting, Sex And The City, Law And Order ("Menace", "Juvenile", "Stiff").
Movies: Mayflower Madam (1986), Love, Lies and Murder (1991), The Stepford Husbands (1996). She later married Billy Rose.
Dragonslayer (1981), Crocodile Dundee (1983), Kenny (aka The Kid Brother) (1985), Penn And Teller Get Killed (1989), The Big Picture (1989), Blown Away (1994), A Cure For Serpents (1997), Kiss And Tell (1997), Cost of Living (1997), Joe The King (1998),Never Again (2002). After Arnstein served his sentence at Fort Leavenworth (he previously did time at Sing Sing, where Fanny visited him every week), a heartsick Brice divorced him. Warren's Profession (New Haven, 1996), Indiscretions (Dallas, 1997), The Glass Menagerie (Portland, Maine, 1997), Griller (Baltimore, 1999), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Rochester, NY, 2000), Charlotte: Life? or Theater? (Philadelphia, 2001), The Gigli Concert (Pittsburgh, 2002), Aristocrats (Pittsburgh, 2002). Two children were born of the marriage, but only their daughter is depicted. Broadway: Teaneck Tanzi: The Venus Flytrap (1983), Strange Interlude (1985), Arms and the Man (1985), The Marriage of Figaro (1985), Titanic: A New Musical (1998).
Off-Broadway: Othello (1979), No End of Blame (1981), Summer (1983), Quartermaine's Terms (1984), Thin Ice (1984), Total Eclipse (1984), Three Birds Alighting On A Field (1994), Unexpected Tenderness (1994).
Regional: Tales From The Vienna Woods (New Haven, 1978), The Winter's Tale (Washington, 1979), Bal (Chicago, 1980), Plenty (Chicago, 1981), Summer Vacation Madness (Minneapolis, 1982), Not Quite Jerusalem (New Haven, 1984), As You Like It (San Diego, 1984), Our Country's Good (Los Angeles, 1989), The Queen And The Rebels (Baltimore, 1991), Mrs.

When he finally surrendered, he did not plead guilty, as, again, he did in the movie, but fought the charges for 4 years. She died after a long battle with ovarian cancer. He was actually part of a gang that stole $5 million of Wall Street securities. Instead of turning himself in, as he did in the movie, Nicky went into hiding. A US stage and film actress of the 1980s and 1990s, she was best known for her film role of Valerian in the 1981 fantasy film Dragonslayer, and for her stage role of Charlotte Cardoza in the 1998-1999 Broadway musical Titanic. The film also suggested he sold phony bonds. Caitlin Clarke (May 3, 1952 - September 9, 2004) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The film suggested that Arnstein turned to crime because he didn't want to live off of Fanny; the real Nicky shamelessly sponged off her.

Funny Girl is a prime example of how films usually take liberties with the lives of historical figures and/or events. Brice's second husband was gambler Julius "Nicky" Arnstein. Barbra Streisand made two movies that were (very) loosely based upon the life of Fanny Brice: Funny Girl and Funny Lady. A Hollywood biopic of Brice appeared in 1939 entitled Rose of Washington Square.

Fanny Brice died in Hollywood, California. She was a master at both verbal and physical comedy. Best known as a comic, Brice was a multitalented performer, able to sing songs humorously or with great serious emotion. During the late 1930s, she had her own radio show which featured her as a bratty toddler known as "Baby Snooks.".

In the 1921 "Follies" she was featured singing the tango "My Man", which became a big hit and was much associated with Brice in the United States for many years. She made phonograph records of it and appeared singing it in sound film. She is best known for her association with Florenz Ziegfeld, and headlined his Ziegfield Follies starting in 1910 and continuing into the 1930s. In 1908, she dropped out of school to work in a burlesque review. "Fanny Brice" was the stage name of Fania Borach, born in New York City, the third child of relatively well-off saloon owners of Hungarian Jewish decent.

Fanny Brice (October 29, 1891 - May 29, 1951) was a United States comedian, singer, and entertainer.