b. 25 December 1923, Edinburgh, Scotland. An accomplished dancer and singer, Lipton’s first taste of showbusiness arrived at the age of 15 when she joined her father, Sydney Lipton, as vocalist in his dance band. She was voted third most popular female singer, after Vera Lynn and Evelyn Dall, in a Melody Maker poll in March 1940. She then went on to appear in London stage shows such as Applesauce!, Get A Load Of This and The Quaker Girl, and in 1945 was a notable Peter Pan at the Scala Theatre. She moved to America while in her twenties. After appearing in cabaret, on television and starring in straight roles on Broadway and films, she retired from showbusiness and settled in California, living the life of a society hostess, raising millions of dollars for charity. After her husband, the inventor Victor Farris, died in 1985 (leaving her a reported $200 million), Lipton recorded two albums for her Independent label, and appeared in her own television special. In the mid-80s she was joined in America by her parents.