Women in Entertainment and the Arts

Question: Which of these Australian singers was born Helen Mitchell?

Answer: Nellie Melba, born Helen Mitchell, was an Australian coloratura soprano and a singer of great popularity.

Question: Which of these novelists also wrote under the pseudonym Barbara Vine?

Answer: Renowned for her mystery novels, psychological crime novels, and short stories, Ruth Rendell also wrote using the pseudonym Barbara Vine.

Question: Which of these actresses is also an outspoken animal rights activist?

Answer: An outspoken animal rights activist, Brigitte Bardot established an animal welfare organization, the Fondation Brigitte Bardot, in 1987.

Question: In which of Agatha Christie’s novels did she introduce the fictional detective Miss Marple?

Answer: Renowned English writer Agatha Christie introduced her famous character Miss Marple in The Murder at the Vicarage (1930).

Question: What was the name of Elizabeth Taylor’s first film?

Answer: Elizabeth Taylor made her first film, There’s One Born Every Minute, in 1942.

Question: Which famed American jazz singer had the nickname “Lady Day”?

Answer: Billie Holiday—birth name Elinore Harris, byname Lady Day—was one of America’s greatest jazz singers, from the 1930s to the ’50s.

Question: In which ballet did iconic English ballerina Margot Fonteyn first perform with Rudolf Nureyev?

Answer: Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev first appeared together in 1962 in a ballet matinee production of Giselle organized by The Royal Ballet.

Question: Although she denied the connection, Frida Kahlo is often associated with which movement in visual arts?

Answer: Best known for her uncompromising and brilliantly coloured self-portraits, Frida Kahlo is often identified as a Surrealist.

Question: Where was Australian actress Isla Fisher born?

Answer: Actress Isla Fisher was born to Scottish parents in Muscat, Oman, in 1976 and moved to Perth, Australia, in the 1980s.

Question: For which of these films did director Kathryn Bigelow receive the Academy Award for best director?

Answer: Kathryn Bigelow received the best director Academy Award for her 2008 low-budget film The Hurt Locker.

Question: Which of these comedic entertainers had a song that made the U.S. top 10?

Answer: Before her TV career, Tracey Ullman had a flourishing singing career. Ultimately, she had three U.K. top 10 hits, notably ”They Don’t Know,” which also broke the top 10 in the United States in 1984.

Question: Which singer received the 1991 Grammy Award for best album of the year?

Answer: Natalie Cole’s 1991 album Unforgettable: With Love earned three Grammy Awards, including album of the year.