Diane Sinclair

Diane Sinclair, born Miriam Rosen on April 6, 1921, in Brooklyn, New York, was an American actress and dancer whose performing career spanned from 1939 through the 1950s. She died on May 14, 2011, in Elmhurst, New York, at the age of 90. Her parents, Max Rosen and Sylvia Morrison Rosen, had themselves met while acting in amateur theatrical productions.

Sinclair's performance experience began in childhood. She appeared on the Horn and Hardart Children's Hour radio program and danced in shows at Catskills summer resorts before launching her professional stage career.

At 18, Sinclair made her Broadway debut in 1939, beginning a run of stage work that continued through 1950. Among her earliest credits was Too Many Girls, which she performed in 1939–40. She was featured alongside Gene Kelly in the musical Pal Joey on Broadway from 1940 to 1941. From 1941 to 1943, she appeared in Sons o' Fun, playing Little Nell and performing as part of the ensemble. In 1945, she starred as Ariel in a touring production of The Tempest. Her later Broadway credits include As the Girls Go, in which she played Miss Swenson from 1948 to 1950, and Happy as Larry, in which she appeared as Lachesis in 1950.

In addition to her stage work, Sinclair performed at Billy Rose's Aquacade at the 1939 New York World's Fair, where she met Sol Tepper, an orchestra musician. The two married on July 28, 1942, and had one son, Ronald Tepper, born July 29, 1943, who died January 18, 2018.

During the 1950s, Sinclair became a fixture on television variety programming, frequently appearing alongside her longtime dance partner Ken Spaulding. She served as a regular on The Dave Garroway Show from 1953 to 1954 and made multiple appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. She also performed on the Jack Paar and Paul Winchell programs. On January 25, 1954, Life Magazine featured her on its cover.

Following her retirement from performing, Sinclair pursued several other careers, including work in television casting, floral design, and travel. In her late sixties she took up portrait sculpture, working in both in-the-round and bas-relief forms. One of her sculptural works is displayed in the lobby of the Players' Club in Manhattan.