Lorraine Stern

Lorraine Grant was born in 1918 in Chicago Ill. Lorraine Lowe, daughter of Orpheum Circuit Vaudevillian acrobat Thomas Lowe who went by the name Thomas Grant. He was in a comedy trampoline act with partner John Monroe. (Monroe and Grant / Bouncing Fools) Most of Lorraine's early schooling was done on trains joining her parents on tour like so many professional children of that era. Not only were her academics self motivated but she learned to act, dance and sing by being surrounded by performance art every day. The family finally made Manhattan their home base and she graduated from Julia Richmond High School with honors 2 years ahead of schedule. Lorraine started her classical voice studies in NYC at age 16 then headed to Hollywood 4 years later at the provocation of her father's L.A. based friends who promised her work in a young film industry there. In the early 40's she toured all over the U.S.A. with the show "Hollywood Doubles" and was featured vocalist in smaller orchestras until 1947. She was Durban's stand in double in several films including "Three Smart Girls" In 1943 she met band leader and jazz violinist Harry Stern who had been touring with the Vaughn Monroe Band in Rochester N.Y. They were married in 1944 in Buffalo N.Y. where they lived and had 4 children, Trudy Stern b.1945, Alan Stern b.1948 , Sharon Stern b.1951 d.1999, and Suzi Stern b.1954 (married to film score composer George Oldziey ) Lorraine Stern passed away in 2020 at the age of 101 in Buffalo N.Y. of natural causes.