Lillian Roth

Lillian Roth

Lillian Roth was an American singer and actress. Her life story was told in the 1955 film I’ll Cry Tomorrow, in which she was portrayed by Susan Hayward. She converted to Catholicism in 1948, despite having been brought up Jewish. She died on December 25, 1998, in New Jersey.

About Lillian Roth in brief

Summary Lillian RothLillian Roth was an American singer and actress. Her life story was told in the 1955 film I’ll Cry Tomorrow, in which she was portrayed by Susan Hayward. Roth was born on December 13, 1910, in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of Katie and Arthur Rutstein. She attended the Professional Children’s School in New York City with classmates Ruby Keeler and Milton Berle. In 1917 Roth made her Broadway debut as the character ‘Flossie’ in The Inner Man. She and her sister Ann toured together during this period as ‘The Roth Kids’ In 1962, she was featured as Elliott Gould’s mother in the Broadway musical I Can It for You. Despite acclaim for the show, producer David Merrick realized that Roth’s name sold tickets, and he elevated her to above-title star billing after the show’s opening.

She remained with the show for its full run and recorded the cast album for Columbia Records. She was also featured as Mrs. Brice in the national touring company of Funny Girl in 1964, getting top billing again. She married six times: William C. Scott, Edward Goldman, Mark Harris, Eugene J. Weiner, Thomas Burtire, Edward Lyons, and Thomas McGuire. She converted to Catholicism in 1948, despite having been brought up Jewish. She died on December 25, 1998, in New Jersey. She is survived by her daughter, Ann Roth, and her son, David Roth, who was born in 1941. She had a daughter, Lillian Roth, with actor Robert Redford.