Mae West was born in Queens, New York, to "Battling Jack" West and Matilda Doelger. She began her career as a child star in vaudeville, and later went on to write her own plays, including "SEX", for which she was arrested. Though her first movie role was a small part in Night After Night (1932), her scene has become famous. A coat check girl exclaims, "Goodness! What lovely diamonds!", after seeing Mae's jewelry. Mae replies, "Goodness had nothing to do with it". Her next film, in which she starred, came the following year. Lady Lou (1933) was based on her earlier and very popular play, "Diamond Lil". She went on to write and star in seven more films, including Mon petit poussin chéri (1940) with W.C. Fields. Her last movie was Sextette (1978), which also came from a play. She died two years later.
