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Annette Kellerman

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	Topics Annette Kellerman Topic Home Early life Annette Kellermann was born in MarrickvilleMarrickville, New South Wales Marrickville is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.... , Sydney on the 6th of July 1886, to Australian-born Frederick William Kellermann, a violinist, and his FrenchFrance France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe and whi... wife Alice Ellen, née Charbonnet, a pianist and music teacher. At the age of 6, a weakness in Kellermann's legs necessitated the wearing of painful steel braces to strengthen them. In order to further overcome her disabilityDisability Bold text'Disability refers to the social effects of physical, emotional or mental impairment.... , her parents enrolled her in swim classes at Cavill's baths in Sydney. By the age of 13, her legs were practically normal, and by 15, she had mastered all the swimming strokes and won her first race. At this time she was also giving divingDiving Diving refers to the sport of acrobatically jumping or falling into water.... displays. In 1902, Kellermann decided to take her swimming seriously and subsequently won the ladies' 100 yards and mile championships of New South WalesNew South Wales Summary New South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria and south o... in the record times of 1 minute, 22 seconds and 33 minutes, 49 seconds respectively. In that same year, her parents decided to move to Melbourne, and she was enrolled at Mentone Girls' Grammar SchoolMentone Girls' Grammar School Mentone Girls' Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, day school predominantly for girls, located in Mentone, a bayside... where her mother had accepted a music teaching position. During her time at school, Kellermann gave exhibitions of swimming and diving at the main Melbourne baths, performed a mermaid act at Princes Court entertainment centre and did two shows a day swimming with fish in a glass tank at the Exhibition Aquarium. In June-July 1903 she performed in the Coogee scene of Bland Holt's spectacular, The Breaking of the Drought, at the Theatre RoyalTheatre Royal Numerous theatres, especially in the United Kingdom, have been named Theatre Royal; the name was once an indication that the... . Swimming career On 24 August 1905, Kellermann became the first woman to attempt to swim the English ChannelEnglish Channel The English Channel is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and j... . After three unsuccessful swims she declared "I had the endurance but not the brute strength". Kellerman was famous for her advocacy of the right of women to wear a one-piece bathing suit, which was a controversial topic in the early 20th century. In the early 1900s, women were expected to wear cumbersome dress and pantaloon combinations when swimming... In 1907, at the height of her popularity, Kellermann was arrested on a Boston beach for indecency - she was wearing one of her fitted one-piece costumes. The popularity of her one piece suits resulted in her own line of women's swimwear. The "Annette Kellermans" as they were known, were the first step to modern swimwear. In 1908, after conducting a study of 3000 women, Dr. Dudley A. Sargent of Harvard UniversityHarvard University "Harvard" redirects here. For other uses of the name Harvard, see Harvard .... dubbed her the Perfect Woman because of the similarity of her physical attributes to the Venus de MiloVenus de Milo The "Aphrodite of Milos" otherwise known as the Venus de Milo is an ancient Greek statue and one of the most famous of the a... . Kellerman married her AmericanUnited States The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is... -born manager, James Raymond Louis Sullivan, probably on 26 November 1912 at DanburyDanbury, Connecticut Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States.... , ConnecticutConnecticut Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the United States, located in the northeastern part of the country.... . Movie career In 1916, Kellermann became the first major actress to do a nude scene when she appeared fully nude in A Daughter of the GodsA Daughter of the Gods *A Daughter of the Gods* is a silent film notorious for featuring Annette Kellerman in the first ever nude scene by a majo... . Made by Fox Film Corporation, Daughter of the Gods was the first million-dollar film production. As with many of Annette Kellerman's films, this is now considered a lost filmLost film A lost film is a film which, for any of several reasons, is no longer in existence.... and no copies are known to exist. The majority of Kellerman's films were aquatic adventure in theme. She performed her own stunts including diving from ninety-two feet into the sea and sixty feet into a pool of crocodiles. Many times she would play mermaids named Annette or variations of her own name. Her "fairy tale films" as she called them started with the 1911 film The Mermaid. With this film, she became the first actress to wear a swimmable mermaid costume on film, paving the way for future screen sirens such as Glynis JohnsGlynis Johns Glynis Johns is a British stage and film actress, dancer, pianist and singer.... , Ann BlythAnn Blyth Ann Marie Blyth is an Oscar-nominated American actress and singer, most often cast in Hollywood musicals, but who also succe... , and Daryl HannahDaryl Hannah Daryl Christine Hannah is an American film actress.... . She designed her own mermaid swimming costumes and sometimes made them herself. Similar designs are still used by The Weeki Wachee SpringsWeeki Wachee Springs Weeki Wachee Springs is a Weeki Wachee, Florida tourist attraction where underwater performances by mermaids, women dressed ... Mermaids including her aquatic fairy costume first introduced in her 1918 film Queen of the Sea. In 2006 the aquatic costume company MermaidFXMermaidFX MermaidFX is a company that creates mermaid tails and other aquatic costumes for television shows, films, commercials and in... created and sold mermaid costumes based on Annette's original designs. The company also holds a large private collection of footage, photos and other memorabilia relating to her film career. Extensive research by amateur film fan Mary Ann Cade in 2004 discovered many individual prints in archives worldwide of Kellerman films presumed lost. A list of the found films and their locations can be found at http://www.silentsaregolden.com/articles/lostfilmsarticle.html. Kellerman appeared in one of the last films made in Prizma ColorPrizma The Prizma Color system was a technique of color motion picture photography, invented in 1913 by William Van Doren Kelley.... , Venus of the South Seas (1924), a U. S./New Zealand co-production where one reel of the 55-minute film was in color and underwater. Venus of the South Seas, restored by the Library of CongressLibrary of Congress The Library of Congress is the de facto national library of the United States and the research arm of the United States ... in 2004, is the only feature film starring Annette Kellerman known to exist in its complete form. Publications In addition to her film and stage career, Kellermann wrote several books including How To Swim (1918), Physical Beauty: How to Keep It (1919), a book of children's stories titled Fairy Tales of the South Seas (1926) and My Story, an unpublished autobiography. She also wrote numerous mail order booklets on health, beauty and fitness. Later life A lifelong vegetarian, Kellermann owned a health food store in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California Summary Long Beach is a city located in southern Los Angeles County, California, USA, on the Pacific coast.... . She and her husband returned to live in Australia in 1970, and in 1974 she was honoured by the International Swimming Hall of Fame at Fort Lauderdale, FloridaFlorida Florida is a U.S. state located in the southeastern United States.... . She remained active well into old age continuing to swim and exercise until a short time before her death. Predeceased by her husband, Annette Kellerman died in hospital at SouthportSouthport, Queensland Southport is a coastal town near the mid-point of the Gold Coast, Australia and has one of the city's largest communities.... , Queensland, on 5 November 1975 and was cremated with Roman Catholic rites. Her remains were scattered in the Great Barrier ReefGreat Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, composed of roughly 3,000 individual reefs and 900 islands,... . She had no children. Legacy Kellerman's large collection of costumes and theatrical memorabilia was bequeathed to the Sydney Opera HouseSydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.... . Today, Many of her original costumes and personal items are held by the Powerhouse MuseumFacts About Powerhouse Museum The Powerhouse Museum the museum of science and technology in Sydney.... in Sydney, Australia. She was portrayed by Esther WilliamsEsther Williams Esther Jane Williams was a United States competitive swimmer and movie star, famous for her musical films that featured elab... in the film Million Dollar MermaidMillion Dollar Mermaid *Million Dollar Mermaid* is a 1952 MGM biographical musical film of the life of Australian swimming star Annette Kellerma... (1952). Her name is on a star on the Hollywood Walk of FameHollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, California, United States, ... , on Hollywood BoulevardHollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is an avenue in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States, beginning at Sunset Boulevard in the ... . An award winning Australian documentary called The Original Mermaid about Annette Kellerman was produced in 2002. Filmography External links