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Mitzi Green

Acting Born Oct 22, 1920 The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA 22 credits

Biography

Mitzi Green, also known as Mitze Green, was born Elizabeth Keno in The Bronx on October 22, 1920. At age 3, she began appearing in her parents' vaudeville act. In the early 1930s, she starred in several popular films with Paramount Pictures, including Tom Sawyer (1930) and Huckleberry Finn (1931). She became known as "Little Mitzi," and she was the first child star to sign for a multi-picture contract with Paramount. Green had a natural talent for comedy and mimicry, and audiences were impressed by her uncanny imitations of Greta Garbo and George Arliss. She was also a gifted singer, performing two songs in Girl Crazy (1932).

But her career as "Little Mitzi" would not last. Green matured quickly, and at age 14 she was cast in an adult role in Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round (1934), which marked the end of her career as a child star. Green left Hollywood and spent the next several years performing on Broadway and in night clubs. She starred in the original Broadway production of Rogers' and Hart's Babes in Arms, where she introduced the classic song "My Funny Valentine." During this time she appeared in only one film, Santa Fe Trail (1940), in which she had a bit part. Green's career as an adult star in Hollywood began in 1952, when she re-emerged on screen in Lost in Alaska (1952), opposite Abbott and Costello. She also appeared in Bloodhounds of Broadway (1952) and the sitcom So This Is Hollywood (1955), in which she played a perceptive stunt woman. After many years of retirement, Green died of cancer on May 24, 1969, in Huntington Beach, California. She was 48. She is buried in Eden Memorial Park Cemetery in Mission Hills, California.

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Known for

The Ed Sullivan Show

as Self
Film

Lost in Alaska

as Rosette

The Game Caterers

as Herself

Full filmography

  • The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) as Self
  • Santa Fe Trail (1940) as Girl at Wedding (uncredited)
  • Lost in Alaska (1952) as Rosette
  • The Stolen Jools (1931) as Little Mitzi
  • Paramount on Parade (1930) as Herself
  • Finn and Hattie (1931) as Mildred Haddock
  • Bloodhounds of Broadway (1952) as '52nd Tessie' Sammis
  • Skippy (1931) as Eloise
  • So This Is Hollywood (1955)
  • Tom Sawyer (1930) as Becky Thatcher
  • Huckleberry Finn (1931) as Becky Thatcher
  • The Marriage Playground (1929) as Zinnie Wheater
  • Dude Ranch (1931) as Alice Merridew
  • The Santa Fe Trail (1930) as Emily
  • Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round (1934) as Mitzi
  • Honey (1930) as Doris
  • Love Among the Millionaires (1930) as Penelope 'Penny' Whipple
  • Little Orphan Annie (1932) as Annie
  • Newly Rich (1931) as Daisy Tate
  • Girl Crazy (1932) as Tessie Deegan
  • Screen Snapshots (Series 10, No. 8) (1931) as Self
  • Hollywood on Parade No. A-1 (1932) as Self