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Not What You Meant?  There are 4 definitions for Mae West.

Mae West Biography

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About 6 pages (1,741 words)
Mae West Summary

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Name: Mae West
Variant Name: Mary Jane Wes
Birth Date: August 17, 1893
Death Date: November 22, 1980
Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York, United States of America
Place of Death: Los Angeles, California, United States of America
Nationality: American
Gender: Female
Occupations: actress, playwright

Dictionary of Literary Biography on Mae West

Mae West's career as a screenwriter grew out of her background in vaudeville and her desire to fashion a distinctive identity as a sex symbol. By 1919 she was writing many of her vaudeville sketches, and her interest in writing increased as she realized that the sexy persona could be the source of "much good material for drama, satire, and some kind of ironic comment on the war of the sexes." West turned to screenwriting to provide material that would reinforce the image she had created for herself.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, West was the first of three children of John and Matilda West. Her father, a former heavyweight boxer, provided a good living for his family, and West's parents gave her nearly everything she asked for. Still, West and her father were never close; she felt alienated from him because of his stern manner and was put off by his strong-smelling cigars.

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    Mae West
    Mae West (1893-1980) played the sultry, provocative woman in numerous popular films and plays. Her ... more

    West, Mae
    (born August 17, 1893, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.—died November 22, 1980, Los Angeles, Californ... more


     
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    Copyrights
    Eugene L. Huddleston, Michigan State University. Mae West from Dictionary of Literary Biography. ©2005-2006 Thomson Gale, a part of the Thomson Corporation. All rights reserved.

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