Nita Martan

Nita Martan (1898–1986) was an American actress, dancer, and singer whose career spanned silent film, early sound pictures, vaudeville, and the Broadway stage.

Martan built her early career through musical comedy productions in New York and appearances in vaudeville. Her Broadway work came in 1925, when she took on two roles: Ro See in China Rose and Elaine Le Mar in When You Smile. Both productions opened that same year, marking her credited stage presence in the New York theater world.

Her film career began in the early 1920s under the name Manilla Martan. In that period she appeared in The Son of Tarzan (1920), Sidewalks of New York (1922), and The Wolf's Fangs (1923). Transitioning to the screen name Nita Martan, she continued working steadily in film through the late 1920s and into the early 1930s. Her credits under that name include Lost at the Front (1927), The Royal American (1927), Dog Justice (1928), Lady Be Good (1928), Twin Beds (1929), Borrowed Wives (1930), Under Montana Skies (1930), Chasing Rainbows (1930), The Third Alarm (1930), Two Gun Man (1931), Anybody's Blonde (1931), and Caught Cheating (1931).

In 1932, Martan partnered with Murray Smith to form a dance team. The pair performed at notable venues including the Ambassador Hotel's Coconut Grove in Los Angeles and the Embassy Club in Miami, Florida.