Ivy Sawyer

Who was Ivy Sawyer?

Ivy Sawyer was an American cabaret and ballroom dancer, singer, and stage actress.

Ivy Sawyer danced professionally with John Jarrot until she met and married fellow dancer/actor Joseph Santley. The two would dance and perform on stage together primarily in musical comedies for nearly two decades. They made their Broadway debut together in 1916 in "Betty" at the Globe Theatre and two years later played in the musical comedy "Oh, My Dear!" at the Princess Theatre. The two appeared in the famous Irving Berlin "Music Box Revues" of the 1920s and later toured the United States, performing at major venues such as the National Theatre in Washington, D.C..

Where their dancing career ended, they moved to Los Angeles, California where her husband became a successful director of musical comedy films. They had three children, two of whom were son Joseph born in 1916 and daughter Betty born in 1928. There was also a second son.

Ivy Sawyer-Santley died in California in 1999 at the age of 101.