Alta King

Alta L. King (March 21, 1899 – March 1981) was an American dancer, singer, and Ziegfeld girl who performed in musical theatre during the early twentieth century. Born in Barnesville, Minnesota, she was the daughter of John F. King (1866–1939) and Alta Mae Kimpton King (1876–1956), both Wisconsin natives. She had a younger brother named Kenneth. King left school after completing the tenth grade.

Her professional stage career began with a stock company in Minneapolis before she moved on to Broadway, where she was active from 1919 to 1923. Among her earliest New York credits were appearances in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1919 and the Ziegfeld Follies of 1920. She also performed in the Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic, which took place on the roof of the New Amsterdam Theatre. King was part of the same sextet of Ziegfeld dancers that included Elizabeth Meehan and Billie Dove.

Her Broadway career continued with the musical Sally, which ran from 1920 to 1922, followed by Orange Blossoms in 1922 and Cinders in 1923. Database records also list her among the performers in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1918. During her time as a Ziegfeld performer, she was regarded, alongside Ann Pennington and Mistinguett, as having the most beautiful legs on the stage.

In 1925, King married James Edward Royce (1870–1964), an English-born theatrical producer and director. Following her marriage, she gave recitals as a soprano singer. By 1940, her occupation was recorded as model.