Gypsy Rose Lee (1911–1970) was the most famous American burlesque performer of her day. Renowned as much for her witty repartee as her striptease act, she also appeared in 12 films and her own TV show. A regular contributor to The New Yorker, Lee published two novels and her memoir, Gypsy (1957), which became the inspiration for the hugely popular Broadway musical Gypsy: A Musical Fable and the 1962 film starring Rosalind Russell and Natalie Wood.
