Maxwell's first performance credit was as "Blondy, Third Bell Boy" in the Broadway musical comedy
Mr. Hamlet of Broadway from December 1908 to February 1909. She was next cast in the
Ziegfeld Follies of 1909 as a showgirl, where she achieved great success. She also seemed to have great fun, as she reportedly "danced the
Fandango Rag" for the Follies company on a dining table during a 1910 New Year's Eve party. Maxwell was in the
Ziegfeld Follies of 1910 and the
Ziegfeld Follies of 1911 when she became principal in the production. She returned for the
Ziegfeld Follies of 1912, and the following year went to London to perform in
All the Winners at London's
Empire Theatre. By that point, she was famous for her theatrical talent; London papers described her as "a dancer and singer of considerable repute in New York." After reportedly "taking London by storm," Maxwell made a short film in England titled
Always Gay where she danced "The Evening News Waltz" with Jack Jarrett. Also in 1913, Maxwell reportedly had her portrait painted by
Paul Helleu, who declared that Maxwell was "one of two the most beautiful women in America." Around the same time, Maxwell was voted "the most beautiful woman on stage" in Paris. Maxwell was back in New York City by late 1913, where she performed at Hammerstein's with dance partner Wallace McCutcheon. She made headlines early in 1914 when she was reported to "make $1,000 a week tangoing" and had "insured each of her slim and lithesome feet for $50,000 each." Her next Broadway show was
The Century Girl (1916–17), where she again danced with Wallace McCutcheon. She then appeared in
Dance and Grow Thin (1917) and
Miss 1917 (1917-1918). Her late career credits include
The Tantrum in 1924 and
Triple Crossed at the
Morosco Theatre in 1927. ==Personal life==