Lyda Roberti

Paramount signed Roberti in 1932, putting her in a small role in "Dancers in the Dark" (1932) before showcasing her as the delightfully wicked 'Mata Machree' in the bizarre comedy "Million Dollar Legs" that same year. She supported Eddie Cantor in "The Kid from Spain" (also 1932) and Claudette Colbert twice in 1933, as an unwed mother in "Torch Singer" and as a Swedish cook in the wonderful screwball "Three Cornered Moon." "College Rhythm" (1934) and "The Big Broadcast of 1936" (1935) finished out her Paramount contract, after which Roberti freelanced.Roberti made a series of short comedies for Hal Roach, co-starring Patsy Kelly, as well as playing supporting roles in the features "George White's 1935 Scandals," "Nobody's Baby" and "Pick a Star" (both 1937) and the Joe E Brown vehicle "Wide Open Faces" (1938). But a congenital heart condition curtailed her work late in the decade. Roberti died at home in 1938.