Louis Edward Walters was a British-born American booking agent, theatrical producer and the founder of the famed Latin Quarter nightclub in New York.
17 Facts About Lou Walters
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Lou Walters was born in Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, London, on January 26,1896, as Louis Abraham Warmwater to Abraham Isaac Warmwater and Lillian Schwartz.
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Lou Walters was one of 7 children, and the eldest son.
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Lou Walters found a job working as an office boy at a vaudeville booking office, and soon began booking acts himself.
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Lou Walters moved his family to Miami Beach, Florida, where he took over the Palm Island Club from Earl Carroll and relaunched it as another Latin Quarter.
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Two years later, in 1942, Lou Walters opened a Latin Quarter nightclub on Times Square in New York City.
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Lou Walters's nightclubs were known for their luxurious atmosphere and good food.
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In 1943, Lou Walters produced a successful revival of the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway, which ran for 553 performances.
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Lou Walters produced two other Broadway shows, Artists and Models, and Star Time, but neither were popular.
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Lou Walters sold his share of the Latin Quarter chain to Loew in 1956 for $500,000.
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Lou Walters was convinced that he could recreate his success with a new chain of clubs called Cafe de Paris.
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Lou Walters's family covered this up, convincing the press that Walters had only had a heart attack.
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Lou Walters was sued by New York for failing to pay income or payroll taxes while he operated the Cafe de Paris.
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The court case lasted two years, and Lou Walters began missing court appearances, claiming he did not have the funds to travel to New York.
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Lou Walters later produced entertainment for the Casino de Paris in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
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In 1965, Lou Walters returned to managing the Latin Quarter chain, now as an employee rather than owner.
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Lou Walters died of a heart attack in Miami on August 15,1977.