Lisette Verea

Lisette Verea (August 27, 1914 - August 27, 2003) was a Romanian-born cabaret singer and actress, known for her appearance in the Marx Brothers film, A Night in Casablanca (1946).

Lisette Verea

Early life

Lisette Verea was born in Bucharest, [1] the daughter of Hainerik Chaim Veksler Verea and Olga Veksler Verea.

Career

Verea moved to the United States in 1940. In 1944, she appeared on Broadway in a pair of operettas on a double bill (La Serva Patrona and The Secret of Suzanne),[2] and in a revival of The Merry Widow.[3] In 1946, publicity proclaimed her "Hollywood's newest glamor girl."[4]

Screen appearances by Verea included Trenul fantoma (1933) and in the Marx Brothers film A Night in Casablanca (1946). In A Night in Casablanca, she sang "Who's Sorry Now?", in both French and English. The New York Times critic enjoyed her performance, calling her character Beatrice "a flashy brunette who is played with an extravagant flounce by Lisette Verea".[5]

Personal life

Lisette Verea married first in 1946, to textile manufacturer Erhart Ruegg;[6] he died in 1950. One of Erhart's children from a previous marriage was Buddhologist David Seyfort Ruegg.[7] Verea's second marriage was to Olympic gold-medalist tennis player Francis Hunter, in 1954.[8]

In 1964, she and her sister Bella and a maid were the victims of a home-invasion robbery at the Hunters' estate, Blue Haven, in Southampton, Long Island.[9] Lisette Verea died on her 89th birthday in New York City.[10]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1933Trenul fantomaMary
1946A Night in CasablancaBea(final film role)

References
  1. Leonard Lyons, "Telethon for Chevalier" The Times (May 27, 1958): 32. via Newspapers.com
  2. "Double Bill Sung by the New Opera" New York Times (May 15, 1944): 14.
  3. "The Merry Widow Returns Tonight" New York Times (October 7, 1944): 10.
  4. "Men, Here's Your Challenge – Are You an Amateur Lover?" The News-Palladium (January 7, 1946): 5. via Newspapers.com
  5. "A Night in Casablanca, with Marx Brothers, at Globe" New York Times (August 12, 1946): 17.
  6. "$160,000 in Gems Strangely Stolen" New York Times (January 8, 1949): 30.
  7. "Erhart A. Ruegg" New York Times (March 4, 1950): 17.
  8. "Mrs. Lisette Ruegg Wed to F.T. Hunter" New York Times (June 22, 1954): 23.
  9. "Long Island Estate Looted by Gunmen; Three Women Chained" New York Times (September 2, 1964): 27.
  10. "Paid Notice: Deaths: Lisette Verea Hunter" New York Times (August 28, 2003).
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