Stephanie Deste

rdf:langString Stephanie Deste

rdf:langString Liège, Belgium

rdf:langString Stephanie D'Este

rdf:langString right

rdf:langString Fanny Rosine Deitz

rdf:langString A cartoon by Syd Miller of Stephanie Deste leading "the Totem Girls" in Rose-Marie .

rdf:langString Stephanie Deste as Wanda in Rose-Marie .

rdf:langString Stephanie Deste as Wanda in J. C. Williamson's Rose-Marie .

rdf:langString Stephanie Deste as Wanda in Rose-Marie 5Nov1927.jpg

rdf:langString Stephanie Deste and Totem Girls by Syd Miller SW 26Jun1926.jpg

rdf:langString dancer, actor, stage performer, radio personality

rdf:langString Remigio Budica

rdf:langString Stephanie Deste (22 January 1901 - 14 April 1996) was an acclaimed Australian actor, dancer, radio personality, and beautician. Deste made important contributions to Australian theatrical culture through her stage and radio work and was an influence and inspiration to other artists. She was a resident of Melbourne from 1936 to her death in 1996; with her flamboyant dress and mannerisms and a conspicuous public presence, Deste was considered to be one of the great characters of Melbourne. Deste was born into a Jewish family in Belgium but settled in England as a child after the death of her father. She studied studying acting and dance and found regular work in London theatrical productions. By the early 1920s she had relocated to America where she found work in Chicago and New York, often in roles portraying a sensuous exotic dancer. In 1925 Deste was engaged to play the Indigenous Canadian temptress Wanda in J. C. Williamson's Australian production of Rose-Marie, which proved to be highly successful, running for two years (which included a record-breaking season in Sydney followed by a tour of the Australian States and New Zealand). Deste's performance as Wanda, leading the spectacular Totem dancers, was considered a highlight of the show. In 1928 she featured in The Desert Song in Melbourne, before returning to Europe for about six years where she performed and organised theatrical productions, as well as studying modern methods of cosmetic treatments in Paris. Deste returned to Australia in 1936 and settled in Melbourne where she operated and managed successful beauty clinics, made regular radio broadcasts and occasionally returned to the stage. She was well known in Melbourne due to a high public profile and her ostentatious and exuberant personal style.

rdf:langString Fanny Rosine Deitz