Acting
June Knight
June Knight, originally named Margaret Rose Valliquietto, was a talented American actress and singer known for her contributions to Broadway and film. Overcoming the challenges of infantile paralysis that left her unable to walk until the age of five, she began captivating audiences with her singing and dancing by the time she was ten.
Her journey to fame took a turn when dancer John Holland, her partner, renamed her June Knight, adopting the name of his previous partner. This led to a notable legal dispute in 1940, when Knight filed a lawsuit against Holland, claiming she had popularized the name and that he had agreed to relinquish it.
At just 19, she graced the stage in the groundbreaking Ziegfeld Follies production, Hot-Cha!, and went on to star in four additional Broadway shows: Take A Chance, Jubilee—where she famously introduced Cole Porter’s classic "Begin the Beguine"—The Would-Be Gentleman, and Sweethearts.
In addition to her stage work, June Knight enjoyed a brief film career, appearing in a total of 12 films between 1930 and 1940. Her most notable role came in the 1936 musical Broadway Melody, where she performed the hit song "I've Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'" alongside co-star Robert Taylor, solidifying her place in entertainment history.
