Belle Montrose | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Montrose in the early 1920s | |
| Born | Isabelle Donohue (1886-04-23)April 23, 1886 |
| Died | October 26, 1964(1964-10-26) (aged 78) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1920–1963 |
| Spouse | Carroll Abler |
| Children | 1 (Steve Allen) |
Belle Montrose (bornIsabelle Donohue; April 23, 1886 – October 26, 1964) was an American actress and vaudeville performer.
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TheIllinois-born Montrose appeared on stage with her husband Carroll Abler (stage name:Billy Allen; 1888–1923) in the comedy team of Allen and Montrose (with Allen as the straight man), touring with theOrpheum vaudeville circuit.
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On December 26, 1921, Montrose and Carroll Abler became the parents ofSteve Allen. After Carroll Abler died in 1923, young Steve Allen began living with the Montrose family on Chicago's South Side, near Hyde Park, while his mother toured. After Carroll's death, Belle continued in vaudeville, working as a solo act and with other comedians. In 1925, the 17-year-old comedianMilton Berle toured with Montrose. Years later, Steve Allen wrote about her in his memoir,Mark It and Strike It: An Autobiography (1960).
Milton Berle once described Montrose as "the funniest woman in vaudeville." In her later years, Montrose acted on television, including several appearances on Steve Allen's Sunday show (1956–59),The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (1959–60), and later onThe New Steve Allen Show (1961). She was a regular onThe Hathaways (1961), starringPeggy Cass andJack Weston.
Montrose's movie credits includeThe Absent-Minded Professor (1961) and its sequelSon of Flubber (1963).
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At the age of 78, Montrose died of a heart attack in Hollywood. She is buried inSan Fernando Mission Cemetery inSan Fernando, California.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | The Absent-Minded Professor | Mrs. Chatsworth | |
| 1963 | Son of Flubber | Mother in Commercial | Uncredited, (final film role) |