Mercedes Delpino
American actress
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mercedes Delpino (February 19, 1898 – May 12, 1965) was an American dancer and comedian, born in Puerto Rico. She was half of a successful vaudeville and burlesque comedy act in the 1920s with Bert Lahr, who was also her husband.
February 19, 1898
Mercedes Delpino Lahr | |
|---|---|
Mercedes Delpino Lahr, from a 1926 newspaper | |
| Born | Mercedes Del Pino Rodríguez February 19, 1898 |
| Died | May 12, 1965 (aged 67) Tucson, Arizona, US |
| Other names | Mercedes Delpino Lahrheim (married name), E. Mercedes (stage name) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Herbert Edward Lahr |
Early life
Delpino was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and raised in New York City. Second daughter of Roberto Del Pino and Isabel Rodríguez Delgado.[1]
Career
Delpino was a chorus girl, comedian, and dancer, touring the United States and Canada[2] on the vaudeville and burlesque stages in the 1920s. She was described as "one of the most beautiful women on vaudeville... dark and alluring".[3] She shared an "ultra smart" comedy act[4] with comedian Bert Lahr,[5][6] usually billed as "Lahr & Mercedes".[7][8] They were on Broadway together in Harry Delmar's Revels in 1927;[9] by then, bouts of mental instability were beginning to affect her work, and she left the stage while Lahr continued to greater success.[10]
In 1997, archival footage of Mercedes Delpino Lahr appeared in a documentary about vaudeville, part of the American Masters series on PBS.
Personal life and legacy
Delpino and Lahr had a son together, Herbert Edward Lahr, in 1928. They were married from 1929 until 1939, when the marriage was annulled on the basis of her longterm chronic mental illness,[11][12][13] so that he was able to remarry.[14] She was institutionalized, and later lived in her sister Isabel's home. She died at home in 1965, aged 67 years, in Tucson, Arizona.[15][16] The play Max and Maxie by James McLure is a fictionalized account of her life with Lahr; the Maxie character, based on Delpino, was played by Sandy Roveta in the show's 1989 New York run.[17]