Mae West, born Mary Jane West on August 17, 1893, in Brooklyn, New York, was an iconic American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright. She was known for her breezy sexual independence and lighthearted bawdy double entendres, often delivered in a husky contralto voice.

Mae West began her career in vaudeville and on stage in New York City before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the film industry. She was one of the most controversial movie stars of her day, frequently clashing with censorship authorities. She once famously quipped, "I believe in censorship. I made a fortune out of it."

Her personal life was as colorful as her public persona. She was the eldest surviving child of Mathilde Delker West, a corset and fashion model, and John Patrick "Battlin' Jack" West, a prizefighter who later worked as a special policeman. Her parents raised their children as Protestants, and the family moved frequently during her childhood.

Her first professional performance was at Neir's Social Hall in Woodhaven, Queens. She married Frank Wallace in 1911, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1943. Later in life, she was in a long-term relationship with Paul Novak until her death in 1980.

Her career spanned over seven decades, beginning with her debut in a Brooklyn stock company around 1901. By 1907, she was performing on the national vaudeville circuit.

Mae West made her Broadway debut as a singer and acrobatic dancer in the revue "A la Broadway" in 1911. Over the next 15 years, she alternated between vaudeville and Broadway shows, occasionally performing in nightclubs. In 1926, she began writing, producing, and starring in her own plays on Broadway, starting with "Sex," which earned her an eight-day jail sentence for "corrupting the morals of youth".

Her film career began almost a decade later, when she was nearly 40 years old. Despite her age, she quickly built a reputation as a daring sex symbol.

Some of her most notable films include "She Done Him Wrong" (1933), "I'm No Angel" (1933), "Belle of the Nineties" (1934), "Klondike Annie" (1936), and "My Little Chickadee" (1940). Mae's films often featured strong, independent, and sexually confident women, breaking stereotypes of the time.

Mae West also wrote books and plays, continued to perform in Las Vegas and London, and recorded rock and roll albums. In 1999, the American Film Institute posthumously voted her the 15th-greatest female screen legend of classic American cinema.

Mae West passed away on November 22, 1980, in Los Angeles, California.