Gracie Fields Born over a fish and chip shop owned by her grandmother in Rochdale, Lancashire, she made her first stage appearance as a child in 1905. Her two sisters and brother all went on to appear on stage, but Fields was the most successful. Her professional debut in variety took place at the Rochdale Hippodrome theatre in 1910 and she soon gave up her job in the local mill.
She met comedian Archie Pitt and they began working together. Pitt would come to serve as her manager and the two married in 1923. Their first revue in 1915 was called Yes I think so and the two continued to tour Britain together until 1922 in the revue Mr Tower of London.
