vaudeville performers H-K

Name	Birth	Death	Nationality	Performance notes	Reference
Jeanette Hackett	1898	August 16, 1979	American	Dancer with Harry Delmar (September 9, 1892 – August 29, 1954) in the duo Hackett and Delmar.	[355]
Joseph Paul Haggerty	June 16, 1889	May 2, 1973	American	Vaudeville actor, director and producer from New Orleans. Ran a travelling stock show called 'Haggerty Repertory' during the WWI-Era. Boris Karloff briefly worked for Haggerty in 1918. He settled in North Hollywood and became a pastor at a spiritual Unity Church.	[356][357]
Jack Haley	August 10, 1898	June 6, 1979	American	Actor and comedian.	[316][358]
Adelaide Hall	October 20, 1904	November 7, 1993	American - dual British (by marriage)	Singer, actress, dancer, musician. Hall commenced her career on Broadway in 1921 in Shuffle Along and was featured in Runnin' Wild, and starred in Desires of 1927, Blackbirds of 1928, as well as being a big-name headlining act in her own right in variety/vaudeville and on the RKO and T. O. B. A. theatrical circuits across the USA during the late 1920s and early 1930s before heading to Europe where she continued her successful career. Hall was honoured by Guinness World Records as being the world's longest recording artist in the 20th Century.	[359][360]
Nan Halperin	1898	May 30, 1963	Russian-American	Singer and comedian	[361]
Walter Hampden	June 30, 1879	June 11, 1955	American	Actor.	[190]
Hunter Hancock	1916	August 4, 2004	American	Singer. Later he became a noted disc jockey.
Lou Handman	September 10, 1894	December 9, 1956	American	Pianist and songwriter.
W. C. Handy	November 16, 1873	March 28, 1958	American	Musician and composer known as "The Father of the Blues."	[362][363]
Fred Haney	April 25, 1896	November 9, 1977	American	Former baseball player.	[23]
Poodles Hanneford	1892	December 9, 1967	British	Clown and bareback horse rider	[364]
Theodore Hardeen	March 4, 1876	June 12, 1945	Hungarian	Magician and escape artist; Harry Houdini's brother.	[365]
Oliver Hardy	January 18, 1882	August 7, 1957	American	Was briefly a singer in Vaudeville in Florida in 1913 before entering films. Was teamed with Stan Laurel at Roach Studios forming Laurel and Hardy in the late 1920s.
Otis Harlan	December 29, 1865	January 21, 1940	American	Actor, minstrel, and comedian. Appeared in a burlesque called Hell by Renold Wolf in the first show at New York City's Folies Bergère, April 16, 1911.	[366]
Ben Harney	March 6, 1872	March 2, 1938	American	Pianist, singer and songwriter.	[367]
Harrigan and Hart			American	Comic duo composed of Edward Harrigan (October 26, 1844 – June 6, 1911) and Tony Hart (July 25, 1855 – November 4, 1891).	[358][368]
Marion Harris	April 4, 1896	April 23, 1944	American	Singer.	[369]
Mildred Harris	November 29, 1901	July 20, 1944	American	Harris began as a juvenile actress in vaudeville, burlesque, on the legit stage and on film where she appeared at the age of 9. Later Charlie Chaplin's first wife, she appeared in a playlet, Getting the Money at the Royal Theatre in New York in February 1922.	[310][370]
Joseph Hart	June 8, 1861	October 3, 1921	American	Vaudeville actor, singer, songwriter and producer. Teamed up with Carrie De Mar and later married her.	[371]
Mark Hart	c. 1873	November 25, 1950	American	Actor and singer. Nephew of Tony Hart who began his career as a teenager performing with Harrison & Hart before starring in Broadway musicals.	[372]
Hartman and Hartman			American	Comedy dance team with Paul (March 1, 1904 – October 2, 1973) and his wife, Grace Hartman (January 7, 1907 – August 8, 1955)	[373]
Morton Harvey	1886	1961	American	Singer.	[374]
Loney Haskell	1870	October 20, 1933	American	Monologist.	[375]
June Havoc	November 8, 1916	March 28, 2010	American	Actress and dancer (as "Baby June"). Sister of Gypsy Rose Lee.	[376]
Mary Hay	August 22, 1901	June 4, 1957	American	Ziegfeld girl and musical comedy actress	[377]
George 'Gabby' Hayes	May 7, 1885	February 9, 1969	American	Actor who appeared in vaudeville before entering films in the 1920s where he was seen mostly in Westerns.	[378]
Grace Hayes	August 23, 1895	February 1, 1989	American	Singer, mother of Peter Lind Hayes.	[379]
Helen Hayes	October 10, 1900	March 17, 1993	American	Actress, known as the "First Lady of the Stage". Started appearing in vaudeville while still a child in "tab" versions of popular plays.
Peter Lind Hayes	June 25, 1915	April 21, 1998	American	Actor, singer, minstrel, and son of vaudevillian Grace Hayes.	[380]
Rita Hayworth	October 17, 1918	May 14, 1987	American	Dancer in her family's Spanish dancing act, The Dancing Cansinos led by her father, Eduardo Cansino, Sr.	[179]
Ted Healy	October 1, 1896	December 21, 1937	American	Comedian, minstrel, dancer and singer.	[381]
Henry "Crip" Heard	November 11, 1924	September 11, 1991	American	African-American professional dancer; double amputee with only one leg and one arm.	[382]
Lew Hearn	February 15, 1882	February 1965	Polish	Comedian.	[383]
Hy Heath	1890	1965	American	Comedian and songwriter.
Millicent Hearst	July 16, 1882	December 5, 1974	American	Performer until she became the wife of William Randolph Hearst.
Horace Heidt	May 21, 1901	December 1, 1986	American	Pianist and bandleader of the band, "Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights".	[384]
Anna Held	March 8, 1872	August 12, 1918	Polish	Actress and singer. First wife of Florenz Ziegfeld, who produced most of her sketches and plays.	[385]
Edith Helena	1876	1956	American	Singer with a voice spanning four octaves, which also enabled her to perform violin imitations.	[386]
Percy Helton	January 31, 1894	September 11, 1971	American	Appeared in his father's vaudeville act at the age of 2.
Fletcher Henderson	December 18, 1897	December 28, 1952	American	Pianist, bandleader and composer at one time teamed with Eubie Blake. Henderson later toured with Ethel Waters from 1921 to 1922.	[286][387]
Ray Henderson	December 1, 1896	December 31, 1970	American	Singer, dancer, songwriter	[282]
Herschel Henlere	December 14, 1890	January 13, 1968	Canadian	Pianist and comedian.	[388]
Beatrice Herford	1868	1952	British-American	Monologist.	[389]
Lillian Herlein	March 11, 1895	April 13, 1971	American	Actress and singer, better known for display of her figure than for the quality of her performances.	[390]
Al Herman	c.1886	July 2, 1967	American	Blackface comedian.	[391]
Woody Herman	May 16, 1913	October 29, 1987	American	Clarinetist, saxophonist, singer and bandleader.	[392]
Juano Hernández	July 19, 1901	July 17, 1970	Puerto Rican	Originally a boxer, Hernández quit the sport in the early 1920s and worked in traveling and minstrel shows, circuses and in vaudeville before entering film.	[393]
Alexander Herrmann billed as "The Great Herrmann"	February 11, 1844	December 11, 1896	German	Magician. Upon his death, Herrmann's wife, Adelaide (1854–1932) took over his act.	[391]
Art Hickman	June 13, 1886	1930	American	Bandleader.	[394]
Hildegarde	February 1, 1906	July 29, 2005	American	Singer.	[395]
Bertha "Chippie" Hill	March 15, 1905	May 7, 1950	American	Blues singer. Initially Hill appeared on the T. O. B. A. circuit as a singer and dancer with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels.	[396]
Daisy and Violet Hilton	February 5, 1908	January 6, 1969	British	Conjoined twins.	[397]
Raymond Hitchcock	October 22, 1865	November 24, 1929	American	Monologist.	[398]
Florence Hines	Unknown	March 10, 1924	American	Singer and male impersonator.	[399]
Raymond Hitchcock	October 22, 1865	November 24, 1929	American	Monologist.	[398]
Mabel Hite	May 30, 1883	October 22, 1912	American	Comedian and musical comedy actress	[400]
Gertrude H. Hoffman	1885	1966	American	Interpretive dancer.	[401]
Ernest Hogan	1859	May 20, 1909	American	Blackface comedian billed as "the Unbleached American." Credited with the creation of the "coon" song and as one of the creators of ragtime music.	[402]
Fay Holderness	April 16, 1881	May 13, 1963	American	Actress.
Taylor Holmes	May 16, 1878	September 30, 1959	American	Light actor.	[403]
Lou Holtz	April 11, 1893	September 22, 1980	American	Comedian, minstrel, and dialectical singer.	[404]
Bob Hope	May 29, 1903	July 27, 2003	British-American	Actor and comedian.	[405]
DeWolf Hopper	March 30, 1858	September 23, 1935	American	Actor and comedian, known for his recitations of the poem, Casey at the Bat.	[406]
Edna Wallace Hopper	January 17, 1874	December 14, 1959	American	Actress.	[407]
Edward Everett Horton	March 18, 1886	September 29, 1970	American	Comedian, Singer and dancer.
Allen "Farina" Hoskins	August 9, 1920	July 26, 1980	American	Child actor who appeared in the Our Gang series of short films. He and his sister, Janie, had an act together.
Harry Houdini	March 24, 1874	October 31, 1926	Hungarian	Magician and escape artist.	[408]
Willie and Eugene Howard			American	Comic duo made up of Willie Howard (1886–1949) and Eugene Howard (1880–1965).	[409]
Curly Howard	October 22, 1903	January 18, 1952	American	Actor.
Joseph E. Howard	February 12, 1867	May 19, 1961	American	Singer and songwriter.	[410]
Moe Howard	June 19, 1897	May 4, 1975	American	Actor.
Shemp Howard	March 17, 1895	November 22, 1955	American	Actor.
Buddy Howe	c. 1910	March 4, 1981	American	Acrobatic dancer.	[411]
Alice Howell	May 5, 1888	April 12, 1961	American	Comedian in an act with her husband, Dick Smith.	[412]
Waite Hoyt	September 9, 1899	August 25, 1984	American	Singer and dancer.
Doris Humphrey	October 17, 1895	December 29, 1958	American	Dancer.
Walter Huston	April 6, 1884	April 7, 1950	Canadian	Actor and singer.	[368]
Hyams and McIntyre			American	Husband-wife comedic duo with John Hyams (June 6, 1869 – December 9, 1940) and Leila McIntyre (December 20, 1882 – January 9, 1953). Their daughter, Leila (May 1, 1905 – December 4, 1977), appeared with them as a child.	[380][413]

I-J

Name	Birth	Death	Nationality	Performance notes	Reference
Imhof, Conn and Corinne			American	Comic trio. Roger Imhof (January or August 15, 1875 – April 15, 1958), his wife, Marcel Corinne or Coreene (d. 1977), and an associate, Conn (about whom, little is known), toured in two comic sketches, "The Pest House" and "Surgeon Louder." Imhof began his career as a circus clown and Irish comic and following vaudeville, appeared as a character actor in a number of Hollywood films.	[414][415]
May Irwin	June 27, 1862	October 22, 1938	Canadian	Comedian and actress.	[416]
Eddie Jackson	1896	1980	American	Singer and actor
Joe Jackson Sr.	January 1, 1881	May 14, 1942	Austrian	Bicyclist and comic. Born as Josef Francis Jiranek in Vienna, Austria, where he began competing in cycling races and later appeared in circuses, clowning with his bicycle. Appearing on the American stage for the first time in 1911, Jackson's act involved him entering the stage dressed as a clownish tramp and attempting to ride a bicycle that was slowly falling apart. He would often end his act with a series of athletic riding tricks. He appeared in a number of Broadway shows and Hollywood films including some directed by Mack Sennett. Jackson died on his way to his dressing room following a performance at the Roxy Theatre in 1942.	[417][418]
Tony Jackson	June 5, 1876	April 20, 1921	American	Pianist, singer and composer. Best known for his song, Pretty Baby, Jackson appeared in vaudeville as a singer and pianist in the Whitman Sisters' New Orleans Troubadours during their tour in 1904. He later appeared with them in 1910. New Orleans born, Jackson began his career playing in the brothels of that city's red-light district, Storyville and following his work in vaudeville, he continued his performing in Chicago.	[419][420]
Lou Jacobs	January 1, 1903	September 13, 1992	German	Clown.
Elsie Janis	March 16, 1889	February 26, 1956	American	Singer and actress.	[71][421]
Marie Jansen	c. 1857	March 20, 1914	American	Singer and actress.	[422]
Frank Jenks	November 4, 1902	May 13, 1962	American	Singer and dancer.	[423]
George Jessel	April 3, 1898	May 23, 1981	American	Actor, monologist, minstrel, and singer.	[424]
Jack Johnson	March 31, 1878	June 10, 1946	American	First African-American Heavyweight Champion of the World. He first appeared on the vaudeville stage in 1909 at Hammerstein's Victoria in New York City, appearing in the ring with white boxer, Kid Cutler. He went on a thirty-week vaudeville tour the following year.	[425][426]
George W. Johnson	c. 1855	January 23, 1914	American	Singer.
Ralph Johnstone	1886	November 17, 1910	American	Bicyclist. Originated the trick of jumping a bicycle up and down stairs on one wheel.	[427]
Al Jolson	May 26, 1886	October 23, 1950	Lithuanian-American	Actor, singer, and minstrel.	[71][428]
Frank "Peg Leg" Jones				Dancer, comedian and minstrel with Arthur Gardner and the Gloom Chasers. Billed as America's Greatest Monopede Dancer. Active 1910–1933.	[429]
Irving Jones	1873	March 11, 1932	American	African-American comedian and ragtime composer.	[430]
Sissieretta Jones	January 5, 1869	June 24, 1933	American	African-American Soprano, often billed as "The Black Patti." Jones was one of the first African-American singers to perform classical and operatic repertoire. Starting in 1896, Jones was the centerpiece of a travelling vaudeville show called the Black Patti Troubadours which included African-American singers, dancers and comedians.	[431][432]

K

Name	Birth	Death	Nationality	Performance notes	Reference
Armand Kaliz	October 23, 1887	February 1, 1941	French	Actor.
Bert Kalmar	February 10, 1884	September 18, 1947	American	Magician and songwriter teamed with Harry Ruby.	[433]
Kanazawa Trio			Japanese	Risley Artists. A juggling Act made up of Kono, Mankichi and Taw Kanazawa. Alternately known as "The Four Kanazawas" or "The Kanazawa Boys." Active from 1910 to the 1940s.	[434]
Harry Kandel	1885	1943	Russian	Clarinetist and bandleader.
Helen Kane	August 4, 1904	September 26, 1966	American	Singer and comedian, known as the "boop-oop-a-doop girl".	[435]
Kara	October 17, 1883	April 9, 1939	German	Juggler credited as performing the first "Gentleman juggling" act. Dressed in a top hat and tails, Kara would then juggle the numerous props onstage.	[436][437]
Kawana Trio			Japanese	Risley Artists. Active from 1913 to 1931.	[438]
Beatrice Kay	April 21, 1907	November 8, 1986	American	Singer and actress.
Birdie Reeve Kay	January 16, 1907	May 31, 1996	American	Speed typist.	[439]
Stubby Kaye	November 11, 1918	December 14, 1997	American	Actor and comedian	[440]
Buster Keaton	October 4, 1895	February 1, 1966	American	Actor, acrobat and comedian. Member of his family's act, The Three Keatons, with his parents, Joe (1867–1946) and Myra (1877–1955).	[441]
Frank Keenan	April 8, 1858	February 24, 1929	American	Actor.	[442]
Harry Kellar	1849	1922	American	Magician.	[443]
Helen Keller	June 27, 1880	June 1, 1968	American	Deafblind lecturer. Appeared with her teacher, Anne Sullivan.	[342]
Keller Sisters and Lynch			American	Singing trio of siblings consisting of Annie Catherine "Nan" Keller (1900–1975), Kathryne Ann "Taddy" Keller (1909–1962) and Frank Lynch (1902–1992).
Annette Kellermann	July 6, 1887	November 5, 1975	Australian	Olympic swimmer.	[444]
Gene Kelly	August 23, 1912	February 2, 1996	American	Dancer, singer and actor. Appeared in vaudeville with his brother Fred.	[445]
George Kelly	January 16, 1887	June 18, 1974	American	Actor.
King Kelly	December 31, 1857	November 8, 1894	American	Former baseball player and comedian.
Kitaro Brothers, Three Kitaro Brothers			Japanese	[Risley Artists. Active from 1916 to 1921.	[446]
Walter Kelly	October 29, 1873	January 6, 1939	American	Monologist and dialectician.	[447]
Pert Kelton	August 23, 1912	February 2, 1996	American	Actress and comedian.	[448]
Ezra Kendall	February 15, 1861	January 23, 1910	American	Monologist.	[449]
Freddie Keppard	February 27, 1890	July 15, 1933	American	Jazz cornetist.	[450]
Jerome Kern	January 27, 1885	November 11, 1945	American	Pianist and accompanist for Edna Wallace Hopper. Kern later became one of the best known musical theatre composers of the early 20th century.	[451]
J. Warren Kerrigan	1916	August 4, 2004	American	Singer. Later he became a noted disc jockey.
Joseph Kesselring	July 25, 1879	June 9, 1947	American	Actor.
Victor Kilian	March 6, 1891	March 11, 1979	American	Actor.	[452]
Charles King	1889	1941	American	Song and dance man later on Broadway and in the Ziegfeld Follies.	[453]
Hetty King	1883	September 28, 1972	British	Male impersonator and singer.	[454]
Johnny Kling	February 25, 1875	January 31, 1947	American	Baseball player who appeared in vaudeville with a monologue and a champ billiards exhibition act.	[132]
Fred Kohler	April 20, 1888	October 28, 1938	American	Character actor.	[455]
Kolb and Dill			American	Dutch dialect knockabout comic duo with Clarence Kolb (July 31, 1874 – November 25, 1964) and Max Dill (September 15, 1876 – November 21, 1949).	[456]
Hatsu Kuma	1907		Japanese-American	Japanese-American Singer who began performing at the age of four. Performed as part of the Kuma Four and later under her own name. She was a Soprano and performed with Anna Chang in the Paramount Pictures short "Two Little Chinese Maids" (1929). Her father was magician Kinjiro Tanaka Kumajo who performed as Aki Kuma and later as Kim Yen Soo. She performed on the Pantages Circuit and was active from 1912 to 1931.	[457][458]
Tanaka "Aki" Kuma	1884	1963	Japanese-American	Magician Kinjiro Tanaka Kumajo was one of the longest practicing Illusionists in vaudeville and was active from 1914 to 1957. He performed as Tanaka Kuma through the 1930s and changed his performing name to Kim Yen Soo from the 1940s to the 1950s.	[457][459]
Harry Kraton	February 14, 1883	October 10, 1912	African American	Juggler and tightrope walker who specialized in a style of juggling known as hoop rolling. With his wife Ethelyn Kraton he founded the vaudeville act The Kratons. He was an early vocal advocate of supporting black performers in vaudeville.	[460][461]
Isa Kremer	October 21, 1887	July 7, 1956	Russian-American	Soprano