Florenz Ziegfeld

Florenz Ziegfeld , 1869-1932, American theatrical producer, b. Chicago. In 1907 he first produced the Ziegfeld Follies, for 24 years an annual revue famous for its extraordinarily elaborate staging, variety of performers, and chorus of beautiful women. Anna Held , Billie Burke, Fannie Brice, Eddie Cantor, Will Rogers, and W. C. Fields were among his stars. His other spectacular productions included Sally, Rio Rita, Rosalie, Show Boat, and Bitter Sweet. He was married to Anna Held from 1897 to 1913 and in 1914 married Billie Burke.

Bibliography: See M. Farnsworth, The Ziegfeld Follies (1956).

Ziegfeld, Florenz (1867–1932), American theatre manager, producer, and showman, who perfected the American form of revue in the Follies, which began in 1907 and continued almost annually until his death, being seen intermittently thereafter until 1957; ‘Ziegfeld’ was added to the title in 1911. Ziegfeld based his show on that of the Folies-Bergère in Paris, with the emphasis on scenic splendour, comic sketches, vaudeville specialities, and beautiful girls, many of whom later became film stars. He was also responsible for fostering the talents of such light entertainers as Fanny Brice, W. C. Fields, Eddie Cantor, and Bert Williams, and many famous foreign artistes appeared in New York under his management, including Maurice Chevalier. Among the many musicals he presented the best was Kern and Hammerstein's Show Boat (1927 and 1932); others were Sally (1920), Rio Rita (1927), Whoopee (1928), and Coward's Bitter Sweet (1929). He also presented straight plays. His shows were seen mainly at the New Amsterdam theatres and Ziegfeld theatres.