Adelaide Klein

Adelaide Klein (July 8, 1900 – March 18, 1983) was an American actress who performed on radio, television, films, and the stage. She was best known for her dialects as a radio performer. Over the course of her thirty-year career, Klein performed in radio comedies and soap operas, appeared in eight shows on Broadway, four films, and on thirteen television series. Early life Klein was born in New York City on July 8, 1900. While she attended Julia Richman High School, she prepared for a career in business but also was exposed to drama. After graduation, she began working as a secretary. Career Klein began her radio as a singer in the late 1920s. However, demand for her talents with dialect and as a character actress led her to acting full-time by 1933. She performed in a variety of radio programs, including portraying Hilda, the maid in We, The Abbotts, Dragon Lady in Terry and the Pirates, Agatha Meek in Meet Mr. Meek, and a Russian countess in The House on Q Street. She also was heard in Sometime Before Morning. Klein mastered use of 12 dialects in radio performances. Klein performed in a USO production of Blithe Spirit during World War II. Broadway shows in which she appeared included Double Dummy (1936), Brooklyn, U.S.A. (1941), Uncle Harry (1942), Collector's Item (1952), The Immoralist (1954), Once Upon a Tailor (1955), Jane Eyre (1958), and Marathon '33 (1963). Her film credits included The Naked City (1948) and The Enforcer (1951). She was signed to play the role of Martha in director Otto Preminger's Where the Sidewalk Ends and scenes were shot in New York City, but the role was ultimately played by another actress.