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Theatrical Reviews

Esther Muir (March 11 1903 - August 1 1995) was a character actress on Broadway and in Hollywood films beginning in the 1920s.

Muir was born in Andes, New York and began modeling in New York City while still a high school student. She soon won a role in a show called Greenwich Village Follies. Soon participated in the Earl Carroll Vanities and in the International Review. The latter show starred Gertrude Lawrence. Her major break as a theatrical performer came when she landed the title role in My Girl Friday! in 1929. While in London, England performing in a musical, Esther became a favorite dancing partner of Edward VIII, then Prince of Wales. She became friends with Wallis Warfield.

Movie Star

In the immediate aftermath she was introduced by columnist Walter Winchell to Hollywood director and choreographer Busby Berkeley, whom she married. They were divorced in 1931. In 1936 Esther toured with the Marx Brothers in a stage production of A Day at the Races (1937), while the brothers searched for material for the film version.

Esther described the Marx Brothers as diligent comic actors who sometimes worked days and weeks on a scene to perfect it. Other screen credits for Muir include parts in I'll Take Romance (1937), City Girl (1938), and The Girl and the Gambler (1939). Her film career continued until 1942 with her final role as Bonnie in X Marks The Spot. Her first motion picture appearance was A Dangerous Affair in 1931.

Real Estate Career

In the 1950s the former actress became a real estate developer in Southern California, and supervised the construction of more than 400 tract homes. Esther married composer/producer Sam Coslow in Mexicali, Mexico on November 1 1934, and repeated the ceremony a year later in Ventura, California. However this marriage ended in divorce in 1948. Her daughter, Jacqueline Coslow, became an actress and lived in New York City.

Esther Muir died in 1995 at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York. She was 92 and lived in Somers, New York.

References

• Fresno, California Bee, Marriage of Song Writer, Esther Muir Revealed, Wednesday, September 25, 1935, Page 6A.
• The New York Times, Esther Muir, 92, Character Actress, August 9, 1995, Page D20.
• The Oshkosh, Wisconsin Northwestern, Hollywood Roundup, May 22, 1937, Page 10.

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