Gaby Deslys facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gaby Deslys
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Publicity photo of Deslys, c. 1910s
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| Born |
Marie-Elise-Gabrielle Caire
4 November 1881 |
| Died | 11 February 1920 (aged 38) |
| Occupation | Actress, singer, dancer |
| Years active | c. 1901–1919 |
Gaby Deslys (born Marie-Elise-Gabrielle Caire, November 4, 1881 – February 11, 1920) was a famous singer, actress, and dancer in the early 1900s. She chose her stage name, Gaby Deslys, which means "Gabrielle of the Lillies."
During the 1910s, Gaby was incredibly popular around the world. She earned a lot of money, making $4,000 a week in the United States alone. She performed many times on Broadway, including at the Winter Garden Theatre. She even performed in a show with a young Al Jolson. Her dancing was so well-known that a dance move called The Gaby Glide was named after her!
Gaby was known for her beauty and was admired by many important people, including King Manuel II of Portugal. Later, she started acting in silent films. Her only American movie was Her Triumph in 1915. She made a few more films in France before she passed away. In 1919, she became very sick with the Spanish influenza. She had several operations to try and cure a throat infection caused by the illness. Sadly, she died from these problems in Paris in 1920, when she was only 38 years old.
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Early Life and Background
Gaby Deslys had many fans, including kings and other important people. Because she was so famous, some people wondered about where she really came from. There were rumors that she was actually a Czech peasant girl.
However, after Gaby's death, the French government looked into her background. In 1930, the French foreign minister announced that Gaby Deslys was born in Marseilles, France, on November 4, 1881. Her parents were Hippolyte Caire and Mathilde Terras. This showed that the rumors about her being Czech were not true.
Gaby's Amazing Career
Gaby Deslys was a talented performer who excelled in dancing, singing, and acting.
Dancing Star
Gaby became very popular in dance halls in Paris and London. She was great at many different dance styles, like the Ju-Jitsu waltz, Ballroom, Grizzly Bear, and Turkey Trot. Her most famous dance was The Gaby Glide. She was very dedicated to her dancing and always wanted to entertain her audiences.
One time, in November 1911, Gaby was dancing at the Hyperion Theater at Yale University. After a football game, students rushed the stage! Gaby had to go to her room while theater workers used fire extinguishers to calm everyone down. In the same month, Gaby performed in a show called Vera Violetta at the Winter Garden Theatre. In 1913, she appeared with Al Jolson in the musical comedy The Honeymoon Express.
Gaby often performed at the Grand Casino in Marseilles, her hometown. Her last show there was in 1919. She loved Marseilles very much. During the early 1900s, Gaby's picture was even on many cigarette trading cards in the United States and United Kingdom. These cards featured famous beauties and performers.
Singing Voice
In 1910, Gaby Deslys recorded two songs in Paris: "Tout en Rose" and "Philomene." Both songs were released on records by HMV and you can still find them today! She also recorded another song called "La Parisienne" at the same time, but it was never released.
Silent Films
Gaby started her movie career in 1914 with a short film called Rosy Rapture. Her first American movie was Her Triumph in 1915, where she starred with her dancer friend Harry Pilcer. This film showed Gaby doing one of her famous dances with Harry. Sadly, Her Triumph is now a lost film, meaning copies of it no longer exist. However, some pictures from the movie still survive. Gaby made only two more French silent films in 1918 and 1919, both also with Harry Pilcer, before she became ill.
Personal Life
Gaby Deslys became even more famous because of newspaper stories about King Manuel II of Portugal being very interested in her. When the King visited Paris in December 1909, he met Gaby, and they started a friendship.
It was rumored that the King sent Gaby a very expensive pearl necklace. Their friendship was not a secret, and it was often reported in newspapers across Europe and North America, especially after the King lost his throne in 1910.
In interviews, Gaby never denied her connection with the King, but she always refused to talk about their relationship. Even after he was no longer king, they continued to meet, especially when she was performing in London.
When Gaby moved to New York in 1911, her friendship with the King became less close. Gaby then became close with a fellow stage actor, Harry Pilcer, and King Manuel got married in 1913. Gaby and Harry Pilcer became a very successful dance team during World War I.
Death and Lasting Impact
In December 1919, Gaby Deslys caught a serious throat infection caused by the Spanish flu pandemic. She had many operations to try and get rid of the infection. She even had two operations without any anesthetic (pain medicine). Surgeons had a difficult time because Gaby asked them not to leave any scars on her neck.
She passed away in Paris in February 1920. In her will, Gaby left her beautiful house in Marseilles and all her other property in the city to the poor people of Marseilles. This property was worth a lot of money.
Gaby Deslys owned many valuable and historical items. For example, she had an amazing bed that was inspired by a boat from an opera. This bed was later used in several famous movies, including Trifling Women (1922), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), Twentieth Century (1934), and Sunset Boulevard (1950).
In 1943, the movie studio MGM bought the rights to Gaby's life story. They thought about making a movie about her with Judy Garland, but the film was never made. However, Gaby was humorously played by the ballerina Tamara Toumanova in the 1954 movie Deep in My Heart.
In 1986, a book about Gaby Deslys' life was written by James Gardiner, called Gaby Deslys: A Fatal Attraction.
Gaby's Films
(All of these films are believed to be lost)
- La remplaçante (short film, 1914)
- Her Triumph (1915, her only American film)
- Rosy Rapture (1915)
- Infatuation (also known as Bouclette) (1918)
- Le Dieu du hasard (1921)
Stage Shows
- The Revue of Revues (September 27, 1911 - November 11, 1911)
- Vera Violetta (November 20, 1911 - February 24, 1912)
- The Honeymoon Express (February 6, 1913 - June 14, 1913)
- The Belle of Bond Street (March 30, 1914 - May 9, 1914)
- Stop! Look! Listen! (December 25, 1915 - March 25, 1916)
Music Recordings
- Philomene (1910, HMV)
- Tout en Rose (1910, HMV)
- La Parisienne (Unreleased, 1910)
Images for kids
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Gaby Deslys portrait, 191?
See also
In Spanish: Gaby Deslys para niños
