Hoffmann, Gertrude (1871–1966)
Hoffmann, Gertrude (1871–1966)
German-born dancer and choreographer. Name variations: Gertrude Hoffman, Gertrude V. Hoffman, Gertrude W. Hoffman, and Trude Hoffmann. Born May 17, 1871, in Heidelberg, Germany; died Oct 21, 1966, in Hollywood, CA; m. Max Hoffmann (Viennese conductor); children: Max Hoffmann Jr. (dancer, musician).
Popular dancer (1930s) who toured in vaudeville and played in concert halls with her own company; made NY performance debut in George Ade's The Night of the Fourth (1901); was among 1st women—perhaps the 1st—to direct vaudeville acts for NYC's roof garden theaters and cabarets, including the stages of Oscar and William Hammerstein; danced in Olga Nethersole's Sappho and Eddie Foy's Topsy Turvey; created precision-line team, The Gertrude Hoffmann Girls, in which she included trapeze work, floor acrobatics, tap and toe dancing, and many other styles; appeared in over 30 films, including Hell and High Water, Foreign Correspondent and North of the Rockies.