Mae Questel

Questel died from Alzheimer's Disease. Her second daughter, Tracee Ellis Ross, is an actress who received claim to fame as one of the stars the sitcom "Girlfriends" (2003). She made her first on-screen appearance in the 1960s, and was widely seen as one of Fanny Brice's card-playing friends in Funny Girl (1968), and also appeared in Zelig, New York Stories (1985) and her final film appearance in Christmas Vacation (1989). She provided the voice for her old character Betty Boop who made a cameo appearance in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988). Her oldest daughter, Rhonda Ross Kendrick, is a songstress and actress. She based her vocal style on the actress ZaSu Pitts ultimately playing the role for more than twenty years. She also has a daughter, Rhonda, with Motown founder Berry Gordy. From the mid 1930s Questel also provided the voice for Olive Oyl in the Popeye animated shorts. (Nęss died in a South African mountain accident in January 2004).

During the 1930s she released a recording of "On The Good Ship Lollypop" which sold more than 2 million copies. From 1985 to 2000, she was married to Norwegian businessman Arne Nęss Jr., with whom she has two sons. From 1930 until 1939 Questel provided the voice of Betty Boop in more than 150 animated shorts. From 1971 to 1977, Diana Ross was married to music promoter Robert Ellis Silberstein, with whom she has two daughters (Tracee and Chudney). Questel's "Boop-a-doop" routine was exactly what Fleischer had been looking for. Diana Ross is the second of six children, three girls and three boys, from factory worker Fred Ross and teacher Ernestine Earle Ross. She was seen by Max Fleischer who was looking for an actress to provide the voice for his Betty Boop character. After a downturn in record sales during the mid to late 80s she returned to the Motown fold with Workin' Overtime.

Born in New York, New York, Questel won a talent contest at the age of 17, and began performing on vaudeville. She signed to RCA and had several successful releases, beginning with Why Do Fools Fall in Love, which featured a cover of the Frankie Lymon hit. Mae Questel (September 13, 1908 - January 4, 1998) was an American actress. A duet with Lionel Richie called "Endless Love" in 1981 proved to be the biggest record of her career and her last hit on the Motown label. The Wiz, which cost $24 million to make, only brought in $13 million dollars during its original theatrical release. Many eyebrows were raised at Ross, then age 34, playing Dorothy, who in all other versions of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was portrayed as a young girl.

1978 saw Ross starring in the film version of the successful Broadway play The Wiz, with Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, and Richard Pryor. Her second self titled album, Diana-Ross (1976), charted in the Top Ten, and featured the disco hit "Love Hangover". In 1975 another return to acting, this time in the film Mahogany (1975) saw the theme song "The Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To?)" reach #1. Ross released a duets album with Marvin Gaye in 1973, entitled Diana and Marvin, scoring several chart hits.

Ross also starred in a biopic of Billie Holliday, Lady Sings the Blues (1972), which earned her an Academy Award nomination and a #1 album soundtrack. She found chart success with a number of her early releases, most notably with the #1 single "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (1970). In January 1970 Diana Ross officially departed from the Supremes and recorded her first solo album, the self-titled Diana Ross. During this period, the group had two more #1 hits as Motown began plans for a Diana Ross solo career, which was announced in November 1969.

At this time, the group was also renamed "Diana Ross & The Supremes," officially recognizing Ross as the focal point of the group. In July 1967, Florence Ballard was fired from The Supremes and replaced with Cindy Birdsong. Between the summer of 1964 and the summer of 1967, The Supremes released nine #1 hit singles and became the most successful black group of the decade. Diane also began using her given name of "Diana" at this time.

Although all the girls originally took turns singing lead, Motown chief Berry Gordy made Diane Ross the permanent lead singer starting in 1964, because he felt her soprano voice had the pop appeal The Supremes needed to cross over to white audiences. Barbara Martin left the group shortly afterwards, and The Supremes carried on as a trio. After signing to Motown in 1961 and replacing McGlown with Barbara Martin, they changed the name of the group to The Supremes. Diane Ross (although she originally went by "Diane," "Diana" is what is on her birth certificate), together with Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard and Betty McGlown formed The Primettes in 1959.

Diana Ernestine Ross (born March 26, 1944 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American soul, R&B and pop artist, and one of the most successful female artists of her era. 1999: Double Platinum (telefilm). 1994: Out of Darkness (telefilm). 1978: The Wiz.

1975: Mahogany. 1972: Lady Sings the Blues (Nominee for the Academy Award for Best Actress of 1972). 1999: Every Day Is A New Day. 1998: Very Special Season (Christmas album).

1995: Take Me Higher. 1993: Stolen Moments: The Lady Sings Jazz & Blues (live). 1993: Christmas in Vienna (live, with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras). 1991: The Force Behind the Power.

1989: The Greatest Hits Live. 1989: Workin' Overtime. 1987: Red Hot Rhythm & Blues. 1985: Eaten Alive.

1984: Swept Away. 1983: Ross. 1982: Silk Electric. 1981: Why Do Fools Fall In Love?.

1980: diana. 1979: The Boss. 1978: Ross. 1977: Baby, It's Me.

1977: An Evening with Diana Ross (live). 1976: Diana Ross. 1974: Live at Caesar's Palace. 1973: Last Time I Saw Him.

1973: Diana & Marvin (duets album with Marvin Gaye). 1973: Touch Me In The Morning. 1972: Lady Sings the Blues (soundtrack from the Billie Holliday bio-pic Ross starred in the same year). 1971: Surrender.

1971: Diana! (soundtrack from a 1971 television special). 1970: Everything is Everything. 1970: Diana Ross (reissued the same year as Ain't No Mountain High Enough).