18 Facts About Odette Myrtil

Odette Myrtil began her career as a violinist on the vaudeville stage in Paris at 14.

Odette Myrtil expanded into acting and singing and had her first major success at 18 on the London stage in the 1916 musical revue The Bing Boys Are Here.

Odette Myrtil was a staple in Broadway productions from 1924 to 1932, after which she returned only periodically to Broadway through 1960.

Odette Myrtil appeared on the stages of Chicago, London, Los Angeles, and Paris several times during her career.

From 1923 to 1972, Myrtil appeared as an actress in a total of 28 feature films, most of which were made from the mid-1930s through the mid-1950s.

Odette Myrtil made only one television appearance during her career: in the Studio One in Hollywood 1953 episode "The Paris Feeling".

Odette Myrtil worked as a costume designer for nine motion pictures from 1944 to 1950.

Odette Myrtil was born Odette Laure Clotilde Quignarde, although some sources cite Belza as her surname at birth, in Paris, the daughter of two stage actors.

Odette Myrtil studied the violin at a boarding school in Brussels and began performing the violin professionally at the age of 13.

Odette Myrtil spent the next several years appearing successfully on the London stage and in vaudeville productions in major European cities.

Odette Myrtil became a staple of the theatre scene in New York City into the early 1930s, often appearing in Broadway musicals that featured her singing and violinist abilities.

Odette Myrtil had a particular triumph as Odette in Jerome Kern's 1931 musical The Cat and the Fiddle, which was written specifically as a vehicle for her.

Odette Myrtil spent several years in the early 1950s portraying Bloody Mary in the original run of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, having succeeded Juanita Hall in the role.

Odette Myrtil had a fairly prolific career as a film actress, appearing in mainly mid-sized roles in 25 films from 1936 to 1952.

Odette Myrtil's first speaking role was as Renee De Penable in Dodsworth.

Odette Myrtil sang the title song on camera as herself in the 1954 film The Last Time I Saw Paris and again portrayed herself in her last film appearance in the film Hot Pants Holiday.

Odette Myrtil resided in New Hope, Pennsylvania during most of her later life.

Odette Myrtil died in nearby Doylestown, Pennsylvania in 1978, aged 80.