Bertice Reading
(1933-1991), Jazz singer and actressSitter in 3 portraits
American-born Reading was talent spotted at the age of 3. She became a talented and successful singer and actress who performed in shows on Broadway and at London's Piccadilly Theatre. She was a versatile singer adept at jazz, gospel, cabaret and the blues. She was a masterful musical comedy actress, her character acting performance as a nurse in Requiem for a Nun by William Faulkner earned her a Tony Award nomination in 1957 when the show was transferred to Broadway. She appeared in the movie version of Little Shop of Horrors in 1986, as the "Downtown" older woman, who sings the beginning words to the song Skid Row (Downtown), this was to be her final role.
by Ida Kar
selenium bromide print from original negative, 1957
NPG x129562
Laurence Harvey; Bertice Reading
by Keystone Press Agency Ltd
vintage print, May 1958
NPG x194169
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