Miriam Battista was an American actress known principally for her early career as a child star in silent films. After gaining notice in Broadway theatre at the age of four, she was cast in films the same year. Her most famous appearance was in the 1920 film Humoresque in which she played a little girl on crutches. As an adult, Battista acted in Italian-language films in the 1930s, and she appeared in Broadway productions. She wrote, sang, composed music, and co-hosted a television talk show with her second husband.
Miriam Battista in 1932
Miriam Battista in 1932, photo by Murray Korman
Battista as Minnie Ginsberg in Humoresque, 1920
Battista with President Calvin Coolidge, 1923
Humoresque is a 1920 American silent drama film produced by Cosmopolitan Productions, released by Famous Players–Lasky and Paramount Pictures, and was directed by Frank Borzage from a 1919 short story by Fannie Hurst and script or scenario by Frances Marion. It follows the childhood and going to war of an immigrant family Lower East Side violinist.
Advertisement for the film, 1920
L-R: Dore Davidson, Bobby Connelly and Miriam Battista in Humoresque (1920)
Image: Photoplay Medal
Image: Photoplay Medal 1920