Quick Facts
Biography
Hannah Williams (July 16, 1911 – January 11, 1973) was an American actress, singer, and comedian and former wife of bandleader Roger Wolfe Kahn and Hall of Fame boxer Jack Dempsey.
Life and career
Hannah Williams was born in Taylor, Pennsylvania and performed as a young child with her older sister Dorothy as "The Williams Sisters", a singing and dancing vaudeville act. The sisters performed with the Scranton Sirens Orchestra (1923), George White's Scandals of 1924, Charley Straight Orchestra (1925), Ben Pollack Orchestra (1926–1927), and in various Chicago and New York night clubs and theaters.
She performed in Broadway theater, being known in particular for the song, "Cheerful Little Earful" in Sweet and Low (1930). In the 1920s she recorded with Ben Pollack's band. Her only film appearance was singing "Get Happy" in the short film The Audition (1933), one of the Warner Brothers series of "Melody Masters" musical shorts.
She was married to bandleader Roger Wolfe Kahn from 1931 through 1933. Hannah was married to eight-year heavyweight champion boxer Jack Dempsey from 1933 to 1943, with whom she had two children, Joan (1934) and Barbara (1936). In 1950, she married the movie actor Thomas J. Monaghan. Her sister Dorothy was married to Dixieland cornet player Jimmy McPartland who was occasionally hired by Kahn.