She was born Mary Jane West in Woodhaven, a middle class section of Queens, New York City. In her childhood, West moved to various parts of Williamsburg and Greenpoint in Brooklyn, where she attended Erasmus Hall High School. She was the daughter of John Patrick West (Nov 1865–1935) and Matilda "Tillie" Delker-Doelger (1875–Jan 1930). Her sister and brother were Mildred Katherine "Beverly" Read more...

Mae West was only 5 years old when she started appearing in amateur shows and many times she won prizes for her performances. West began performing professionally in vaudeville in 1905 at the age of twelve.

Her famous walk was said to have originated in her early years as a stage actress after she saw female impersonators Bert Savoy and Julian Eltinge perform. West had special eight-inch platforms Read more...

In 1932, West was offered a motion picture contract by Paramount Pictures. She was 38, unusually advanced for a first movie, especially for a sex symbol (though she kept her age ambiguous for several more years); her much younger appearance would be a notable feature for the rest of her life. She signed and went to Hollywood to appear in Night After Night starring George Raft. Upon her arrival, Read more...