Clayton, Bessie (c. 1878–1948)

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Clayton, Bessie (c. 1878–1948)

American vaudeville star. Born c. 1878 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died July 16, 1948, in Long Branch, New Jersey; m. Julian Mitchell (director, div.).

Made Broadway debut in A Trip to Chinatown (1891); appeared with Weber and Fields until 1904; was cast as a specialty dancer in Broadway musicals, including The Belle of Mayfair (1906) and Hip! Hip! Hooray! (1907); after dancing in Ziegfeld Follies of 1909, worked in Europe (1910–13), where she performed the staircase dance, a later trademark; had long career as dancer in vaudeville; retired (1924).

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Clayton, Bessie (c. 1878–1948)

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