Estellita(1914-2003)
- Actor
Born in Venezuela to a French father and a Venezuelan mother,
Estrellita moved to Harlem with her family when she was two years old
and was educated in New York City schools. She started her dancing
career in the chorus lines of the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater.
It was at the latter that she met Montrose Morse, better known as
comedian Apus Brooks; they soon developed a comedic dance routine and
went out on the vaudeville circuit. For thirty-two years, Apus and
Estrellita were standards on the TOBA circuit (Theatre Owners Booking
Association), and during World War II, the duo performed in USO shows.
After the end of the war, Estrellita retired from performing; having
earned a college degree in biology, she embarked on a career in
hospital administration at Lincoln and Harlem Hospitals in New York
City.