Bebe Daniels (1901 - 1971)

American actress, singer, dancer, writer and producer.

* January 14, 1901 Dallas, Texas, USA
 as Phyllis Virginia Daniels
 March 16, 1971 London, England



Bebe Daniels was a popular American actress, singer, and dancer in the early 20th century. Born in 1901 in Dallas, Texas, she began her career as a child performer in vaudeville and went on to become one of the most successful actresses of her era. She appeared in a wide range of films, including silent films, talkies, comedies, dramas, and musicals.

Daniels began her career at the age of three, when she began performing with her parents in vaudeville. She quickly became a child star and was soon performing on Broadway in musicals and plays. In 1908, she began her film career at the age of seven, and went on to appear in over 100 films.

Daniels was particularly well-known for her comedic roles, and she starred in several popular comedies of the 1920s and 1930s, such as Rio Rita (1929) and 42nd Street (1933). She also appeared in dramatic films as Male and Female (1919), Why Change Your Wife? (1920), and The Affairs of Anatol (1921). In addition to her film career, Daniels was also a successful stage actress. She appeared in several Broadway productions.

In 1935 she retired from Hollywood and moved with her husband Ben Lyon to London. She appeared in several television programs and stage productions throughout the 1950s and 1960s and died in 1971 in London at the age of 69.

Throughout her career, Bebe Daniels was one of the most popular and talented actresses of her era.

Vintage magazines

Photoplay, October 1930
Mon Ciné, nr. 39, 16 November 1922
Picture Play Magazine, January 1922

Picture Play Magazine, January 1922
Picture Play Magazine, January 1922
Picture Play Magazine, January 1923

Picture Play Magazine, February 1923
Picture Play Magazine, February 1923
Picture Play Magazine, April 1923


Books by Bebe Daniels

compiled by Bebe Daniels and Jill Allgood
The complete book of salads
New York, 1952

Bebe Daniels, Ben Lyon
Life with the Lyons, The Autobiography of Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyon
London, 1953

Books on Bebe Daniels

Charles L. Epting
Bebe Daniels, Hollywood's good little bad girl
Jefferson, North Carolina, 2016

Jill Allgood
Bebe and Ben
London, 1975

Books with substantial mentioning of Bebe Daniels

Anthony Slide Silent Players Anthony Slide
Silent Players, A Biographical and Autobiographical Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses
Lexington, Ky, 2002

Eve Golden Golden Images Eve Golden
Golden Images, 41 Essays on Silent Film Stars
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London, 2001

DeWitt Bodeen From Hollywood DeWitt Bodeen
From Hollywood, The Careers of 15 Great American Stars
New York - London, 1976

Cedric Osmond Bermingham (editor) Stars of the Screen 1931 Cedric Osmond Bermingham (editor)
Stars of the Screen 1931, A volume of biographies of contemporary actors and actresses engaged in photoplay throughout the world
London, [1931]

Charles Donald Fox and Milton L. Silver (eds.) Who's Who on the Screen Charles Donald Fox and Milton L. Silver (eds.)
Who's Who on the Screen
New York City, 1920


Books with photograph(s) of Bebe Daniels

John Richard Finch and Paul Elby Close-Ups John Richard Finch and Paul Elby
Close-Ups, From the Golden Age of the Silent Cinema
South Brunswick and New York - London, 1978

Mary Dawn Earley
Stars of the Twenties, Observed by James Abbe
New York, 1975