(1873-1935)
Born Zelda Paldi in Brockway, Michigan, she went on the stage as Zelda Sears in 1896 in comedy roles in several Clyde Fitch plays, including Lovers' Lane (1901), The Truth (1907), and The Blue Mouse (1908), as well as James Forbes's The Show Shop (1914). Sears moved from acting to writing in the 1920s, finding success writing books and lyrics for musicals, including Lady Billy (1920), The Clinging Vine (1922), The Magic Ring (1923), Lollipop (1924), and A Lucky Break (1925) before turning to motion picture writing and a half-dozen film appearances.
The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater. James Fisher.