Inez Courtney

Born in Amsterdam, New York, Courtney came from a large Irish-American family. After her father's death when she was fifteen, she decided to go onto the stage. At age 16, Courtney was doing a specialty dance that earned her the nicknames of St Vitis, Mosquito and Lightning.

Courtney's first role as a singer and dancer came in the musical The Little Whopper in 1919. She became known among New York theatrical audiences for her work in Good News (1927), a musical comedy about college life. Her other credits include Spring Is Here (1929) and America's Sweetheart (1931). In the early 1930s, she left Broadway and went to Hollywood.

Courtney acted in 58 films between 1930 and 1940. She secured her first movie work by asking Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures for his assistance. She made her screen debut as Cousin Betty in Loose Ankles (1930). Her movie credits include The Raven (1935), Suzy (1936), The Shop Around the Corner (1940), and Turnabout (1940), her last film.