Little White Lies
Carlotta Mercedes was born on March 16th, 1916, in Joliet, Illinois. Her parents were John Patrick McCambridge and Marie Mahaffey, who came from middle-class, Irish farming families. Unfortunately, their families didn’t help them financially, and according to Mercedes, “there were times when [they] were very poor.”
Photo by De Carvalho Collection/Getty Images
After she became famous, Mercedes told little white lies about her background. Because of her exotic-sounding name, she often claimed to have Spanish ancestors, even though she was Irish. Mercedes also lied about her birthday, saying she was born on St. Patrick’s Day, 1918, making her seem younger and more interesting.