Portland Hoffa

Portland Hoffa
Hoffa in 1940
Born(1905-01-25)January 25, 1905
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
DiedDecember 26, 1990(1990-12-26) (aged 85)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • dancer
  • radio host
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1927; died 1956)​
  • Joe Rines
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1959; died 1986)​
Signature

Portland Hoffa (January 25, 1905 – December 26, 1990) was an American comedian, radio host, actress, and dancer. The daughter of an itinerant optometrist, she was named after Portland, Oregon, the city in which she was born. She began her career performing as a dancer in numerous Broadway productions in the 1920s, before meeting her first husband, comedian Fred Allen. They were married in 1927, and Hoffa began performing characters with Allen in comic radio programs, often portraying a dimwitted female counterpart in fast-paced, witty skits.[1][2] She gained particular notice from audiences for her distinctive, high-pitched voice.[3]

Allen hosted several highly successful network radio shows in the 1930s and 1940s, in which Hoffa was a frequent participant. She remained married to him until his death in 1956, after which she married bandleader Joe Rines. Rines later worked as an advertising executive. Hoffa helped compile her first husband's correspondence, which was published as Fred Allen's Letters in 1965. She died in 1990 in Los Angeles of natural causes, aged 85.

  1. ^ Fuller-Seeley 2017, p. 69.
  2. ^ Laurie 1953, p. 21.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference nytobit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).