Born Violet McNaughton in
Hamilton, Ontario, her work as Jennet Adair in vaudeville included performing as a "singing comedienne". Adair received a scholarship for a dramatic school course, after which she acted for two years with
stock theater companies. She moved from stock performances to replacing
Irene Dunne in a production of
Mother, and her New York debut came in September 1922 when she acted in ''It's a Boy'' at the
Sam H. Harris Theatre. In 1931, Adair appeared in the
Summer stock cast at the
Elitch Theatre. She worked primarily on stage but also made several film appearances late in her career, most notably as Aunt Martha, one of
Cary Grant's dotty old aunts in
Arsenic and Old Lace, a role she originated on Broadway. Her final performance was as the beloved matriarch
Rebecca Nurse in the original production of
The Crucible. Like many stage actresses of her era, she also appeared in
vaudeville. == Death ==