Jeanie Tomaini
Jeanie Tomaini | |
|---|---|
 Jeanie Tomaini and her husband Al. | |
| Born | Berniece Evelyn Smith August 23, 1916 Blufton, Indiana, US |
| Died | August 10, 1999 (age 82) |
| Known for | Performing as "The World's Only Living Half-Girl" or "The Half-Girl" |
| Height | 0.74 m (2 ft 5 in) |
| Spouse | Al Tomaini (m. 1936–1962) |
| Children | 2 adopted daughters |
Bernice Evelyn "Jeanie" Smith Tomaini (Blufton, Indiana, August 23, 1916 – August 10, 1999, Gibsonton, Florida)[1] was an American sideshow performer billed as "The World's Only Living Half-Girl" or "The Acrobatic Half-Girl". She was born without legs, due to sacral agenesis or phocomelia, and stood 2 ft 5 in tall (0.74 meters).[2] Her family started putting her on exhibit when she was as young as three years old.[1]
Career
[edit]
Jeanie and her husband Al Tomaini ("Al the Giant", once the world's tallest person at 7 ft 4 in, or 2.24 meters) performed together as a "World's Strangest Married Couple" duo, like many other married couples of the traveling sideshow.[3]
On television, she was featured in a 1992 episode of the British show The Secret Cabaret[4] and an E! True Hollywood Story episode titled "The Murder of Lobster Boy".[5]
She was interviewed for the 1999 documentary film Sideshow: Alive on the Inside.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Nickell, Joe (2010). Secrets of the sideshows. Lexington, Ky: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-2358-5.
- ^ "Strangest Married Couple In The World Al and Jeannie Tomaini". Carnival History| Old Circus Photos| Sideshow History| Showmen's Museum. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ^ "Al The Giant And Jeanie The Half Girl Tomaini". Traveling Carnival History, American Circus History, Sideshow History, and more . . . Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ Harris, Sebastian; Coutts, Don (1992-01-15), "Episode #2.1", The Secret Cabaret, Simon Drake, Frank Abagnale Jr, David Berglas, retrieved 2025-05-23
- ^ "The Murder of Lobster Boy", E! True Hollywood Story, Percilla Bejano, Grady Stiles Jr, Jeanie Tomaini, 2000-10-22, retrieved 2025-05-23
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Sideshow: Alive on the Inside (TV Movie 1999) - Full cast & crew - IMDb. Retrieved 2025-05-23 – via www.imdb.com.