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Mary Jane "Mae" West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American actress, singer, playwright, screenwriter, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades. Known for her bawdy double entendres, West made a name for herself in vaudeville and on the stage in New York City before moving to Hollywood to become a comedienne, actress, and writer in the motion picture industry. For her contributions to American cinema, the American Film Institute named West 15th among the greatest female stars of Classic American cinema. One of the more controversial movie stars of her day, West encountered many problems, including censorship. When her cinematic career ended, she continued to perform in Las Vegas, in the United Kingdom, and on radio and television, and to record rock and roll albums. Asked about the various efforts to impede her career, West replied: "I believe in censorship. I made a fortune out of it." ==Early life and career== West was born Mary Jane West in Bushwick, Brooklyn, delivered at home by an aunt who was a midwife. She was the eldest surviving child of John Patrick West and Matilda "Tillie" Doelger, whose maiden name was later anglicized to "Dilker" or "Delker". Doelger had emigrated with her family from Bavaria to the United States in 1886. West's parents married on January 18, 1889, in Brooklyn and reared their children as Protestant.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The religion of Mae West, actress )〕 Her father was a prizefighter known as "Battlin' Jack West" who later worked as a "special policeman", and later had his own private investigations agency. Her mother was a former corset and fashion model. Her paternal grandmother was an Irish Catholic, and West's paternal grandfather, John Edwin West, was of English-Scots descent and a ship's rigger.〔1870, 1880, 1900 US censuses.〕 Her eldest sibling, Katie, died in infancy. The other siblings were Mildred Katherine West, later known as Beverly (December 8, 1898 – March 12, 1982), and John Edwin West, II (sometimes inaccurately called "John Edwin West, Jr."; February 11, 1900 – October 12, 1964). During her childhood, West's family moved to various parts of Woodhaven, Queens, as well as the Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods of Brooklyn. It was in Woodhaven, at Neir's Social Hall (which opened in 1829 and is still extant) that West supposedly first performed professionally.〔amNew York, Thursday, September 5, 2013, p. 23.〕 West was five when she first entertained a crowd at a church social, and she started appearing in amateur shows at the age of seven. She often won prizes at local talent contests. She began performing professionally in vaudeville in the Hal Clarendon Stock Company in 1907 at the age of fourteen. West first performed under the stage name ''Baby Mae'', and tried various personas including a male impersonator, Sis Hopkins, and a blackface coon shouter. She used the alias "Jane Mast" early in her career. Her trademark walk was said to have been inspired or influenced by female impersonators Bert Savoy and Julian Eltinge, who were famous during the Pansy Craze.〔,〕 Her first appearance in a Broadway show was in a 1911 revue ''A La Broadway'' put on by her former dancing teacher, Ned Wayburn. The show folded after eight performances, but at age 18, West was singled out and discovered by the ''New York Times''.〔Maurice Leonard. ''Mae West Empress of Sex''. ISBN 0-00-637471-9; pp. 33–34〕 ''The Times'' reviewer wrote that a ''"girl named Mae West, hitherto unknown, pleased by her grotesquerie and snappy way of singing and dancing."'' West next appeared in a show called ''Vera Violetta'', whose cast featured Al Jolson. In 1912 she appeared in the opening performance of ''A Winsome Widow'' as a "baby vamp" named La Petite Daffy. She was encouraged as a performer by her mother, who, according to West, always thought that anything Mae did was fantastic.〔Biery, Ruth, "The Private Life of Mae West: Part One", ''Movie Classic'', January 1934, pp. 106–08〕 Other family members were less encouraging, including an aunt and her paternal grandmother. They are all reported as having disapproved of her career and her choices.〔 In 1918, after exiting several high-profile revues, West finally got her break in the Shubert Brothers revue ''Sometime'', opposite Ed Wynn. Her character Mayme danced the shimmy, and her photograph appeared on an edition of the sheet music for the popular number "Ev'rybody Shimmies Now". Eventually, she began writing her own risqué plays using the pen name Jane Mast. Her first starring role on Broadway was in a 1926 play she entitled ''Sex'', which she wrote, produced, and directed. Although critics panned the show, ticket sales were good. The production did not go over well with city officials, and the theater was raided, with West arrested along with the cast. She was taken to the Jefferson Market Court House, (now Jefferson Market Library) where she was prosecuted on morals charges and, on April 19, 1927, was sentenced to ten days for "corrupting the morals of youth." While incarcerated on Welfare Island (now known as Roosevelt Island), she dined with the warden and his wife; she told reporters that she had worn her silk panties while serving time. She served eight days with two days off for good behavior. Media attention surrounding the incident enhanced her career.〔 Her next play, ''The Drag'', dealt with homosexuality, and was what West called one of her "comedy-dramas of life". After a series of try-outs in Connecticut and New Jersey, West announced she would open the play in New York. However, ''The Drag'' never opened on Broadway due to efforts by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice to ban any attempt by West to stage it. West was an early supporter of the women's liberation movement, but said she was not a feminist. She was also an early supporter of gay rights. West continued to write plays, including ''The Wicked Age'', ''Pleasure Man'' and ''The Constant Sinner''. Her productions aroused controversy, which ensured that she stayed in the news, which also often resulted in packed houses at her performances. Her 1928 play, ''Diamond Lil'', about a racy, easygoing lady of the 1890s, became a Broadway hit. This show enjoyed an enduring popularity and West would successfully revive it many times throughout the course of her career. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mae West」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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