Annette Kellerman

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Annette Kellermann (born July 6 1887 in Sydney, died November 5 1975 in Southport, Australia) was an Australian professional swimmer, vaudeville and film star, writer, and advocate for the change of women's swimwear. She is often credited for inventing the sport of synchronised swimming after her 1907 performance of the first water ballet in a glass tank at the New York Hippodrome.

In 1902 she won her first title: Swim Champion of New South Wales. She also appeared in several movies, sometimes as a mermaid.

Kellerman was famous for her advocation of the right of women to wear a one-piece bathing suit, which was a controversial topic in the early 20th century.

In the early 1900s, women were expected to wear cumbersome dress and pantaloon combinations when swimming... In 1907, at the height of her popularity, Kellermann was arrested on a Boston beach for indecency - she was wearing one of her fitted one-piece costumes [1]

In 1916 she became the first major actress to do a nude scene when she appeared fully nude in Daughter of the Gods.

Kellerman appeared in one of the last films made in Prizma Color, Venus of the South Seas (1924), a U. S./New Zealand co-production where one reel of the 55-minute film was in color.

She was portrayed by Esther Williams in the 1952 film Million Dollar Mermaid. Her name is on a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, on Hollywood Boulevard.