Tempest storm
Tempest Storm (Annie Blanche Banks) (born March 1, 1928) is a famous stripper and burlesque performer.
Early Years
Born as Annie Blanche Banks on March 1, 1928, in Eastman, Georgia, she was the daughter of a sharecropper. Twice divorced at the age of 20, she moved from Alabama to Los Angeles and became a chorus line dancer. After several performances she was offered the opportunity to perform as a burlesque dancer. Her professional debut was at the El Rey Theater in Oakland, California. She took Tempest Storm as her stage name around 1950, which she had her name legally changed to in 1957.
Career
Tempest was famous for her astounding physical measurements (44DD-25-35) and her red hair. She was featured in numerous magazines and burlesque movies including Russ Meyer's French Peep Show (1950), Paris After Midnight (1951), Striptease Girl (1952), Irving Klaw's Teaserama, (1955) (which also featured Bettie Page) and his Buxom Beautease (1956), and other films. She travelled extensively during her career, and did many performances in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada.
During her career, she was romantically linked with John F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Vic Damone. She famously had her figure insured by Lloyd's of London for one million dollars.
Tempest was, along with Lili St. Cyr and Blaze Starr, one of the most famous burlesque performers of the 1950's and 1960's. She is regarded as having one of the longest careers as a burlesque performer.
Retirement and Current Life
Tempest officially retired in 1995 at the age of 67, but has done the occasional stage performance since then. She wrote her autobiography with Billy Boyd in 1987, and still receives requests for interviews about her life.
Tempest has had four marriages, and one daughter from her marriage to the singer Herb Jeffries (divorced). She currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.