Biography

From Wikipedia Norma Terris (November 13, 1904, Columbus, Kansas - November 15, 1989, Lyme, Connecticut) was an American musical theatre star. Her mother, a singer, named her after the heroine of Bellini's opera, Norma. Born Norma Allison, she was acclaimed for her adroit impersonations of popular public figures, which she had performed in Florenz Ziegfeld's Follies, but may be best known for having originated the roles of Magnolia Hawks and her daughter Kim (as an adult) in the original Broadway production of Show Boat in 1927. Terris was originally chosen to play the dual roles of Moonyean Clare and her niece Kathleen in Through the Years, Vincent Youmans's 1932 musical version of Jane Cowl's once-popular play, Smilin' Through, but she was replaced at the last minute. The musical was a failure, but in 2001, it was given a highly acclaimed studio cast recording. She made two films during the early days of talking pictures - Married In Hollywood, and the 1930 version of Cameo Kirby, which was, like Show Boat, a riverboat musical involving a gambler. Cameo Kirby appears to be lost, and only twelve minutes of Married in Hollywood apparently survive.