Bebe Daniels
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Born

  • January 14, 1901
  • Dallas, TX

Died

  • March 16, 1971
  • London, England

Full Name

  • Bebe Virginia Daniels

Marriage

  • Ben Lyon (1930)

Bebe Daniels

Popular silent film actress Bebe Daniels made the transition to talkies in 1929. After a successful debut in the RKO musical Rio Rita she went on to appear in a string of films, including the now classic 42nd Street and Reaching for the Moon, where she sang with Bing Crosby.

Born in Dallas, Texas, Daniels began performing as a child, receiving her big break in 1915 when she signed with Hal Roach's comedy studio. There she earned a reputation for herself as a comedienne, working in several Harold Lloyd films. Director Cecil B. DeMille lured her to Paramount in 1919, where she became one of the studio's top stars. When the era of talkies began Paramount was unsure she could make the transition. Daniels bought out her contract and went to work for RKO.

In the mid-1930s she left her successful Hollywood career behind when she moved to England with her husband, actor Ben Lyon. There she continued to star in films and on the stage, as well as record. She and her husband also had their own popular radio program during the 1940s, Life with the Lyons, which graduated into a successful television program the following decade. Daniels suffered a stroke in 1963. She died eight years later from a cerebral hemorrhage.