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Dorothy Young

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Years active
  
1925–2007

Name
  
Dorothy Young

Role
  
Actress


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Full Name
  
Dorothy Lena Young

Born
  
May 3, 1907 (
1907-05-03
)

Occupation
  
Actress, stage assistant to Harry Houdini, novelist

Died
  
March 20, 2011, Tinton Falls, New Jersey, United States

Dorothy Young


Dorothy Lena Young (May 3, 1907 – March 20, 2011) was an American entertainer who worked as a stage assistant to magician Harry Houdini from 1925 to 1926. She later became a Broadway actress as well as a touring dancer.

Contents

Dorothy Young 100 Years of Dorothy Young on Vimeo

Career

She was selected by Houdini because she was shorter than he was. She left the act two months prior to his death on October 31, 1926. She appeared in the several Houdini documentaries.

After his death, Young, the daughter of a Methodist minister, appeared on Broadway in Jarnegan (1928–29), Conquest (1933), and New Faces of 1936 (1936). After leaving acting, she and her second husband, Gilbert Kiamie, toured the world as the Latin dancing team of "Dorothy and Gilbert".

She was the author of two novels loosely based on her life: Diary Without Dates and Dancing on a Dime, the latter of which was made into a feature film in 1940 by Universal Studios, as well as the booklet Touring with Houdini, published in 2003.

Personal life

Her first husband, Robert Perkins, died after 13 years of marriage. Her second husband, Gilbert Kiamie, died in 1992. Young, the last surviving member of Houdini's touring show, died in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, on March 20, 2011, aged 103.

Legacy

  • The Dorothy Young Center for the Arts, housed at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey.
  • Filmography

    Actress
    1933
    Flying Down to Rio as
    Dancer (uncredited)
    Self
    2007
    100 Years of Dorothy Young (Short) as
    Self
    2005
    Houdini: Unlocking the Mystery (TV Movie documentary)
    1998
    E! Mysteries & Scandals (TV Series documentary) as
    Self
    - Harry Houdini (1998) - Self
    1994
    Biography (TV Series documentary) as
    Self
    - Houdini: The Great Escape (1994) - Self

    References

    Dorothy Young Wikipedia


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