Alice Delysia

The French actress and singer Alice Delysia was from the 1920s until her retirement in the late 1940s, one of the most exciting and alluring stars of the London stage. She first appeared in Paris at the Moulin Rouge and later at the Folies Bergere but it wasn't until 1914 that her provocative looks and glorious singing voice were spotted by the producer C.B.Cochran who took her to London to star in a series of revues. In one revue she sang the original Noel Coward song, Poor Little Rich Girl. Her cabaret seasons at London's Cafe de Paris in the 1920s and 30s made her the toast of the town. Her songs were haunting and sometimes risque. As she descended the stairs of the Cafe de Paris singing I Like A Man, it was said that no artiste had more poise. Her gowns in shimmering blue and gold were designed by Norman Hartnell and her songs by the top composers of the day. In the Second World War and by the middle-aged Delysia toured in troop shows across North Africa for over two years. The soldiers of the 8th Army dubbed her 'the greatest trouper of them all'. In the 1950s she married and retired to Tenerife where she shunned the limelight but ocasionally received visits from old fans. On her husbands's death she moved to Brighton, in the south of England, where she was looked after by her old friend, the cabaret star and actor Douglas Byng. Her funeral in South London was attended by some of the greatest names in British entertainment including Evelyn Laye, Dame Flora Robson and Florence Desmond, together with the designer Sir Norman Hartnell.