Annette Kellermann was born in 1886 in Sydney, daughter of Australian violinist Frederick Kellermann and French pianist Alice Charbonnet. As a schoolgirl she gave exhibitions of swimming and diving. In 1905 she went to England, three times attempting to swim the English Channel, as well as making long distance swims in the Thames and Danube. In 1906 she went to the USA where she performed a vaudeville aquatic act. In 1907 she was arrested for wearing a one-piece bathing suit on a Boston beach. She married theatrical manager James Sullivan in 1912. As a vaudeville performer she played in leading theatres in Europe, USA and Australia. She made a series of films between 1914 and 1920, and published several books. During World War 2 she lived in Queensland and worked for the Australian Red Cross. A film of her life, Million Dollar Mermaid, starring Esther Williams, was made in 1952. She returned to live in Australia in 1970. In 1974 she was honoured by the International Swimming Hall of Fame. She died in 1975.
Marcelle Wooster was Annette Kellermann's sister.
From the description of A resume of the life of Annette Kellerman [manuscript]. 1977. (Libraries Australia). WorldCat record id: 505781311
