June Knight

June Knight (born Margaret Rose Valliquietto; January 22, 1913 – June 16, 1987) was an American Broadway and film actress and singer.

June Knight
L-R: Lupe Velez, Buddy Rogers, and
June Knight in the Broadway musical
Hot-Cha! (1932)
Born
Margaret Rose Valliquietto

(1913-01-22)January 22, 1913
Los Angeles, California
DiedJune 16, 1987(1987-06-16) (aged 74)
Los Angeles, California
Resting placeValhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
OccupationActress
Years active1930–1947
Spouse(s)Paul Ames (1934-1935)
Arthur Cameron (1938-1943)
Carl B. Squier (1949-1967) (his death)
Jack Buehler (1969-1987) (her death)[1]

Early years

Knight was born in Los Angeles in 1913. Sickly throughout the first years of her life, she suffered from tuberculosis when she was 4 years old and doctors told her parents that there was a strong chance that she would not live to maturity. Due to infantile paralysis, she was unable walk until she was five years old.

She started to perform songs and dance publicly at age ten.

Career

Dancer John Holland changed her name to June Knight when she became his partner, assigning her the same name as that of his previous partner.[2] That change led to a court case in 1940, when the actress June Knight filed suit against the original dancer with that name. The actress said that she had made the name famous and that the dancer had previously agreed to stop using that name.[3]

At age 19, she appeared in the last Ziegfeld Follies show, Hot-Cha! (1932). She was featured in four other Broadway shows, Take A Chance (1932), Jubilee (1935)[4] (where she introduced the Cole Porter classic "Begin the Beguine"),[5] The Would-Be Gentleman (1946) (her only non-musical) and Sweethearts (1947).[4]

She also had a short-lived film career, appearing in 12 films from 1930 to 1940, most notably in Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935), in which she sang the hit song "I've Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'" with co-star Robert Taylor.[6]

Personal life and death

Knight married four times, including a marriage to oil man Arthur A. Cameron.[3] She died in 1987, aged 74, due to complications from a stroke. Knight was interred in Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park.

Recognition

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Knight on 3 February 1960 received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6247 Hollywood Boulevard.[7]

Selected filmography

References
  1. "Woman's Experience of Show Business Documented in June Knight Papers". 12 May 2011.
  2. Skolsky, Sidney (August 21, 1933). "Tintypes". Daily News. New York, New York City. News Syndicate Co., Inc. p. 26. Retrieved November 5, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "June Returns to Court Fight". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. Utah, Ogden. United Press. November 25, 1940. p. 10. Retrieved November 5, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "June Knight". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  5. Tyler, Don (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955: American Popular Music of the Pre-Rock Era. McFarland. p. 426. ISBN 9780786429462. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  6. "I've Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'" from Broadway Melody of 1936 on YouTube
  7. "June Knight". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Archived from the original on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2018.


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