what was she before being an actress?
Singer
Gertrude Lawrence
In 1904, her stepfather took the family to Bognor on the Sussex coast for the August bank holiday. While there, they attended a concert where audience members were invited to entertain. At her mother's urging, young Gertrude sang a song and was rewarded with a gold sovereign for her effort. 
who played tuptim in the king and i Lawrence what is the story line ? It is about the experiences of Anna, a British schoolteacher hired as part of the King's drive to modernize his country is it based on a book? It is based on Margaret Landon's novel, Anna and the King of Siam has this author written other books? Anna and the King of Siam,Never Dies the Dream who is the lead actress in the above mentioned movie? Gertrude Lawrence'
wiki:5066159
Gertrude Lawrence [SEP] Early life
At some point during this period, the child decided to adopt her father's professional surname as her own. Dean then cast her in his next production, Gerhart Hauptmann's "Hannele", where she first met Noël Coward. Their meeting was the start of a close and sometimes tempestuous friendship and arguably the most important professional relationship in both their lives.