Florence Desmond


Florence Dawson , better known by her stage name Florence Desmond, was an English actress, comedian and impersonator.

Biography

Early life and career

Born in London in 1905, Desmond was educated at the Dame Alice Owen's School in Islington. Her brother, Fred Desmond, was a comedy acrobat from the "Desmond and Marks" double act.
She began her stage career at the age of ten. Upon leaving school in 1920, she embarked on a long and successful career in the theatre, especially as an impersonator of famous stars. She appeared extensively in radio, theatre and occasionally in the cinema.
Her recording of the risqué song "The Deepest Shelter in Town" has been featured in multiple World War II music compilations.
She was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1959 when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at London's Adelphi Theatre.

Personal life

She was married twice, first to the aviator Tom Campbell Black from 1935–1936, after his death to aviator and insurance broker Charles Hughesdon from 1937 with whom she lived at Dunsborough Park in Ripley, Surrey. She died in Guildford, Surrey in 1993 aged 87, where a Ward was named after her at St.Luke's Hospital.

Stage