Nina Olivette (born Hildegarde Lachmann; May 9, 1907 – February 21, 1971) was an American actress and dancer who was sometimes described as a "dancing comedienne".[2]
Born Elizabeth Margaret Veronica Lachmann[3] in Manhattan, New York, Olivette was the daughter of Edgar[4] and Kazia Prajinska[5] Lachmann.[4] Her father was a cigar manufacturer in his native Germany; in the United States, he became a vice-president in Charles M. Schwab's steel company. Her mother was a ballet dancer in her native Poland;[5] after coming to the United States, she performed in vaudeville.[4]
As a girl, Olivette joined her mother's troupe in ballet performances, but after a leg injury prevented her from maintaining the balance needed to be a ballerina, she turned to combining dancing with comedy.[6]
Olivette worked with Violet Carlson in a vaudeville act billed as the Lachmann Sisters.[4] When she was 12, producers Jones and Green recruited her for one of their shows, taking her away from vaudeville.[7]
Much of Olivette's career was spent in comedic roles. Her first straight role came in Twin Beds (1954).[5] She explained in 1930 that her routines were adaptations of existing dances rather than new creations. Starting with a dance such as the Black BottomorCharleston, she said that she relaxed her muscles, "then [I] try to give the appearance of falling apart while performing it. The effect always seems to be funny."[9]
Olivette designed women's fashion accessories, including handbags, scarves, and stoles. Her products made her "a particularly favorite designer with stage people and television stars".[10] She also was a designer for Your Show of Shows on television in the early 1950s.[10]
