Joe Alex

Biography

Joe Alex—the pseudonym of Alejandro Saenz Varona, born on May 19, 1894, in Ica (Peru) and died on August 15, 1948, in Lima (Peru)—was a Peruvian dancer, choreographer, singer, and actor.

A prominent figure in the interwar music-hall scene, he made his debut in 1918, appearing in revues, operettas, musicals, and comedies at venues such as the Olympia, the Théâtre du Perchoir, the Bataclan, and the Gaîté-Lyrique.

Nicknamed the "tragedian of the dark soul" and regarded by Paul Colin as one of the greatest stars of his era, he was a member of the *Revue Nègre* from 1925 to 1928—alongside Josephine Baker and Sidney Bechet—and founded the *Théâtre Africain* in 1938.

While often typecast in role...