Jane Barnell

Martha Jane Barnhill, professionally known as Jane Barnell, was an American bearded lady, sideshow performer, and actress. Born with hirsutism, she spent more than five decades performing with circuses, dime museums, and carnivals under stage names including Princess Olga, Madame Olga, Lady Olga, and Lady Olga Roderick. She is best known for her appearance as the Bearded Lady, billed as Olga Roderick, in Tod Browning's 1932 film Freaks. Barnell's life, which included being sold to a circus as a child, touring in Europe, and working in a variety of entertainment professions, was later documented by writer Joseph Mitchell, whose 1940 profile remains one of the few detailed contemporary accounts of her life.

Country

United States

Category

Actors

Type

Actor

Status

deceased

Dates

Lived 1871 to 1951 · aged 80

Written about in

12 languages