Tot Qualters

Tot Qualters (March 28, 1894 – March 27, 1974) was an American actress, dancer, and singer whose career spanned musical theatre on Broadway and beyond. Born Marguerite (or Margaret) Qualters in Detroit, she was the daughter of Jack Qualters and Anna Qualters. Following the death of their father, Qualters and her four sisters all pursued careers on the stage. Her sister Cassie Qualters joined the Ziegfeld Follies alongside her, while their brother Joe Qualters worked as a cabaret singer in Detroit.

Qualters began performing in Detroit while still in her early teens. Her New York debut came in 1912 with Ziegfeld's A Winsome Widow at the Moulin Rouge Theater. She went on to appear in Chin Chin in 1914 and Stop! Look! Listen! during the 1915–1916 season, followed by the Ziegfeld Follies of 1916. Her Broadway activity continued through the early 1920s, with credits including Miss 1917, The Century Revue, The Midnight Rounders of 1921, The Passing Show of 1912, and Make It Snappy in 1922, the latter featuring Eddie Cantor. The Boston Daily Globe characterized her specialty as "loose-jointed eccentric dancing" in 1922. She later appeared with Cantor again in Whoopee! in 1928.

Beyond the stage, Qualters appeared in the 1930 film Reaching for the Moon alongside Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Bebe Daniels. In her later years, Walter Winchell noted seeing her as a regular presence at Max's Stage Deli in 1968. Qualters died in New York City on March 27, 1974, one day before her eightieth birthday.