Rose Thompson Hovick
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Notorious as the ultimate stage mother, Rose Thompson Hovick, was the mother of two famous performing daughters: the inimitable burlesque artist Gypsy Rose Lee and the actress June Havoc. As a teenager, Rose Thompson married her first husband, Jack Hovick. She gave birth to Rose Louise Hovick in Seattle, Washington, in 1911. Two years later, she gave birth to her daughter June. Later in their careers, the two daughters would adopt their more famous stage names, Gypsy Rose Lee and June Havoc. Rose Hovick's drive to create a performing career for her daughters eventually led to the end of her marriage to Jack Hovick, who disagreed with her intentions for the girls.
Rose Hovick became famously known as the ultimate stage mother by way of the classic musical Gypsy: A Musical Fable, based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee. Originally staged in 1959, Gypsy -- with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and book by Arthur Laurents -- has since been performed in countless venues on stage and in film. It portrays Rose Hovick, known as "Mama Rose" in the musical, as a domineering, take-no-prisoners stage mother who will do anything to further the success of her daughters in show business.
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