1898 Birthday of actress Gertrude Lawrence (1898-1952), longtime acting partner of Noel Coward (Private Lives, Tonight at 8:30) and star of musicals by the Gershwin brothers (Oh, Kay!, Lady in the Dark), who would have her greatest success with her final show, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, in which she originated the role of Mrs. Anna.
SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM on July 4, 2012