Sherry Britton (July 28, 1918 – April 1, 2008) was a burlesque performer of the 1930s and early 1940s. She was elected to The Lambs in 2004 as a Professional Member when she was 85 years old.
Born Edith Zack, the 5’3″ Britton had an 18″ waist, and was once said to have a “figure to die for”. In the 1940s, after burlesque was effectively banned from New York City by the administration of Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, Ms. Britton — sometimes called “Great Britton, a stripteuse with brains” — went on to an acting career that took her to theaters around the country. She performed in 39 plays, including 14 musicals, sang in nightclubs and made numerous television appearances. Britton entertained troops during World War II and, in 1944, was named an honorary brigadier general by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a show of gratitude. Her unpublished memoir was titled “The Stripper, by the Hon. Brigadier General Sherry Britton.”
She was good at stirring up controversy. She once performed at a club two blocks from the Eisenhower White House, and Robert Moses banned her from the 1964 World’s Fair. She had many gentlemen suitors, including Rex Harrison, according to her account.
Following the demise of burlesque, she found work in various venues. She was the onstage narrator of Best of Burlesque, show at the Carnegie Hall Playhouse that spoofed the genre.
Although Britton had never attended high school, she was said to have a very high IQ. She attended Fordham and graduated pre-law in 1982, magna cum laude, at the age of 63.
Once asked if she would still strip if she could live her life all over again, she said, ”Yes. But I would have a different view of it. I would know it was a steppingstone. I’d not take it so personally, what people said. I look at pictures of myself then. I should have at least known I was pretty.”
Sherry Britton died April 1, 2008.