Wanda Osiris on AllMovie

One of Italy's most successful stage performers of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, Wanda Osiris was also one of the first female musical revue performers to become a major star. A flamboyant performer, she is credited with being the first to use chorus boys in her act. Born Anna Menzio in Rome, Osiris was 16 when she bucked convention and joined a vaudeville company, something that was almost unheard of during those strict times. On stage, Osiris billed herself as Wandissima. Despite her popularity, she only appeared in two films, the musical comedy Pompiere di Viggiu (1949) and Polvere di Stelle (1971), both of which featured popular musical revue entertainers. Osiris retired in the mid-'60s and after that only occasionally performed on television.