Biography for
Mae Questel More at IMDb Pro »

Date of Birth

13 September 1908, The Bronx, New York, USA

Date of Death

4 January 1998, New York, New York, USA (alzheimer's disease)

Birth Name

Mae Kwestel

Mini Biography

When Mae was 17 and living in the South Bronx when she won a local contest to find the girl who most resembled Helen Kane, a popular singer known as the "Boop-Oop-A-Doop Queen." She was promptly signed by an agent and began performing in the Vaudeville circuit. Betty Boop creator Max Fleischer heard Mae doing her "boop-oop-a-doop" routine and hired her to do the character's voice in 1931. She served as the voice on more than 150 Betty Boop animated shorts until the character was retired in 1939. Her recording of "On The Good Ship Lollipop" sold more than 2 million during the Depression.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Spouse

Jack E. Shelby	(19 November 1970 - ?) (his death)
Leo Balkin	(22 December 1930 - ??) (divorced) 2 children
?	(? - ?) 1 child

Trivia

Best known as the voices of "Betty Boop" and "Olive Oyl"

Did Popeye's voice in the "Popeye" cartoon "Shape Ahoy", because Jack Mercer was at the time serving in the military during World War II.

Best known in film as the matchmaking Mrs. Strakosh, one of Barbra Streisand's card-playing neighbors, in "Funny Girl."

Billing herself in vaudeville as "Mae Questel - Personality Singer of Personality Songs." She performed dead-on vocal imitations of Maurice Chevalier, Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, Marlene Dietrich, Mae West and Helen ("Boop-Boop-a-Doop") Kane, among many others.

Had two sons from her first marriage: Richard and Robert (the latter pre-deceased her).

Her Orthodox Jewish family were totally adverse to her having an entertainment career. Her parents and grandparents forced her to leave the Theatre Guild school while still a teenager and had their wills drawn up accordingly so as to discourage this career choice.

She not only provided the voice of Olive Oyl in the 'Popeye' cartoons, but the toddler Swee'pea as well. She based Oyl's quivery, nervous-nellie voice on comedic actress ZaSu Pitts.

Spokeswoman for Scott Paper Company as Aunt Bluebell for the duration of the 70s.

Studied drama with the Theatre Guild in New York City and at Columbia University. Also belonged to the American Theatre Wing.

The talented mimic also provided duck, dog, chicken, owl, monkey, lion and baby sounds for radio.

Won the Troupers Award for outstanding contribution to entertainment in 1979. The City of Indianapolis honored her with a "Mae Questel Day" in 1968.

Had a withered arm; in her on-camera film appearances, she was usually photographed with elbows bent and both hands at her waist or holding an object in the crook of her elbow to make it less obvious that one arm was shorter and smaller than the other.

Returned after a nearly 50-year hiatus to voice Betty Boop for Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).

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