Ida St. Leon
Ida St. Leon (January 16, 1894 – July 8, 1961) was an Australian circus performer and actress.
She was born Ida Jeannie Jones in Sydney. Some publicity claimed she was born in China. Her parents were Alfred St. Leon and Vernon Ida St. Leon, part of the famous St. Leon family of European acrobats. Ida and her siblings worked in the circus from a young age.
When Ida was 13, the family was on Broadway in Polly of the Circus (1907). She took over the lead role in 1909 from Mabel Taliaferro and toured with the show for several years. Her other stage credits included Finishing Fanny (1912), Our Children (1913), Help Wanted (1914), Little Women (1914), Upstairs and Down (1916), Mamma’s Affair (1917), The Wheel (1921), and Lightnin’ (1923).
A critic reviewing Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1916) described her as drawing out her lines with a nasal, “cute” twang. Photographers also considered her photograph a bestseller in 1913.
Ida St. Leon announced her engagement to businessman Leo Maurice Rosenberg in 1916. They had a son, Leo, in 1917, but were estranged from 1918 to 1920 before reuniting. She was named a co-respondent in the divorce case of Eugenia and George McIntyre, accused of being overly friendly with the husband and accepting significant cash gifts.
Ida St. Leon passed away in 1961.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:15 (CET).