Libby Holman (May 23, 1904 – June 18, 1971) was an
American torch singer and
stage actress who also achieved notoriety for her complex and unconventional personal life.
Early life
Elizabeth Lloyd Holzman was born May 23, 1904, in
Cincinnati, Ohio to a Jewish lawyer and
stockbroker, Alfred Holzman (August 20, 1867 - June 14, 1947) and his wife, Rachel Florence Workum Holzman (October 17, 1873 - April 22, 1966). Their other children were daughter Marion H. Holzman (January 25, 1901 - December 13, 1963) and son Alfred Paul Holzman (March 9, 1909 - April 19, 1992). In 1904, the wealthy family grew destitute after Holman's uncle Ross Holzman embezzled nearly $1 million of their stock brokerage business. At some point, Alfred changed the family name from Holzman to Holman. She graduated from
Hughes High School on June 11, 1920, at the age of 16. She graduated from the
University of Cincinnati on June 16, 1923, with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Libby Holman later subtracted two years from her age. insisting she was born in 1906. She gave the Social Security Administration 1906 as the year of her birth.
Theatrical career
In the summer of 1924, Holman left for
New York City, where she first lived at the Studio Club. Her first theater job in New York was in the road company of
The Fool.
Channing Pollock, the writer of
The Fool, recognized Holman's talents immediately and advised her to pursue a...
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