Burlesque Dancer.  Born Marie Van Schaack, she took ballet lessons, and soon began dancing as a chorus line girl in Hollywood.  Lili begged her manager to allow her to do a solo act.  This led to a better job at a club called “The Music Box.”  Her stripping debut there was in an Ivan Fehnova production, a noted Hollywood production director. Although the producer had never seen her perform, he was won over by her looks; unfortunately the act was not well received.  Although this was considered a disaster she was used again in a new act.   At the end of this new dance, a stagehand would pull a fishing rod, which was attached to Lili’s G-String.  It would fly into the balcony as the lights would go dim.  This famous act was known as The Flying G, and such creative shows would be her trademark.  During the 1950s, Lili St. Cyr was considered to be the most famous woman in Montreal.  Many believe she had taken the throne from Gypsy Rose Lee as Queen of the Striptease.  Her name was regularly the tabloids with stories of her many husbands, brawls over her, and her attempted suicides.  In her later years, she opened a lingerie business called “The Undie World of Lili St. Cyr.”   Her last years were dedicated to remaining secluded, mysterious, and to tending her cats.  Her death went mainly unnoticed. (bio by: Medora)  Family links:  Spouse:  Paul Valentine (1919 – 2006)