- published: 26 Nov 2011
- views: 732
(Mary) Antoinette Perry (June 27, 1888 – June 28, 1946) was an actress, director and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing. The Tony Awards are her namesake.
Born in Denver, Colorado, she spent her childhood aspiring to replicate the thespian artistry of her aunt and uncle, both of whom were well-respected touring actors. She appeared opposite David Warfield in Music Master in 1906 when she was only eighteen years old. Her career was on the rise, yet she left the stage a star in 1909, to marry Denver businessman Frank W. Frueauff and start a family. Years later, her daughters would follow in her footsteps, likewise pursuing careers in the theatre, Elaine as a producer and Margaret as a stage manager.
Following Frank Frueauff's death in 1922, Perry returned to the stage, appearing notably in Kaufman & Ferber's Minick. She took up directing in 1928. In partnership with Brock Pemberton she produced several successful plays, including: Divorce Me Dear, Ceiling Zero, Red Harvest, Strictly Dishonorable, Personal Appearance (Lawrence Riley's breakthrough hit), and Kiss the Boys Goodbye. Their most famous production was probably the Pulitzer Prize-winning Mary Chase classic Harvey, which enjoyed enormous success on Broadway and lasting success as a film, both starring James Stewart. Perry died from a heart attack during the play's lengthy Broadway run on June 28, 1946, one day after her 58th birthday.
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known by her stage name Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Perry grew up with gospel music, and during her first year of high school she pursued a music career as Katy Hudson, releasing her first studio album called Katy Hudson which failed to chart. She recorded a solo album later, which was never released. After signing with Capitol Music Group in 2007, her fourth record label in seven years, she adopted the stage name Katy Perry.
She first gained recognition with the release of her first mainstream album, One of the Boys in 2008, which spawned three Billboard Hot 100 top-ten songs—"I Kissed A Girl", "Hot n Cold" and "Waking Up In Vegas". Perry supported the album with her Hello Katy Tour. In 2010, her third studio album, Teenage Dream (2010), which topped the Billboard 200 chart, and spawned five number one singles—"California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", "E.T." and "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)"—Teenage Dream was the only album (after Michael Jackson's Bad)—to do so, and the first female in history to achieve this milestone. She embarked on the California Dreams Tour, which grossed nearly $60 million worldwide. Perry re-released the album under the name of Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection on March 26, 2012, and the re-release has already spawned the number-one single "Part of Me".