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She was born in relative poverty the East End of London, one of 16 children of a fruit and vegetable seller, and first appeared on the stage in 1912; she made her film debut in 1923 in the silent film "The Beloved Vagabond."

In 1925, she married actor Henry Lytton, Jr. , the first of her three husbands (the others were actor-director Sonny Hale and military officer Lt. Brian Lewis). All of her marriages ended in divorce and all were marred by miscarriages and stillbirths; she and Hale had one adopted daughter, Catherine Hale . She had many failed relationships, including a romance with Prince George, Duke of Kent, and some of her much publicized temperamental behavior and emotional tempestuousness can be traced to the secret but lifelong psychological trauma that resulted from having being raped and impregnated at the age of 16 by a friend of the then Prince of Wales.

Her first major success was in the stage production of Evergreen, a musical by Rodgers and Hart, filmed in 1934, during which she sang Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow WowDaddy Wouldn’t Buy Me a Bow Wow was written in 1892 by prolific English songwriter Joseph Tabrar. Apparently Tabrar was present in an agent's office as an unnamed singer was telling the agent that she was looking for a "really good song". As they continue. And she was famed as the originator of numerous popular songs, including "Room With a View" by Noël Coward and "Let's Do It" by Cole PorterCole Porter ( June 9, 1891 October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. His works include the musical comedies Kiss Me, Kate ( 1948) (based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew , Fifty Million Frenchmen and Anything Goes as well as songs. After a string of hit films, Matthews developed a following in the USAThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in, where she was dubbed "The Dancing Divinity". Her warbling voice and round cheeks made her a familiar and much-loved personality to British film audiences at the beginning of World War IIWorld War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the world's nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. The war was fough, but her popularity waned.

After a few false starts as a straight actress, she played Tom ThumbTom Thumb is the name of a traditional hero in English folklore, who was no bigger than his father's thumb. The name is often adopted for people or objects of small stature. Tom Thumb was the name of the first American-built steam locomotive used on a com's mother in the 1958Events January January 1 Treaty of Rome founding the EU is implemented January 4 Sputnik 1 falls to Earth from its orbit (launched on October 4 1957) January 8 14 year old Bobby Fischer wins the United States Chess Championship January 18 Armed Lumbee Nat children's film, and during the 1960sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Years: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around found new fame when she was given the leading role in the BBC's long-running radio serial, Mrs Dale's Diary. When the series ended, her career went with it. She had suffered from ill-health throughout her life and eventually died of cancer.