Gilda Gray (born Marianna Michalska; October 25, 1895 – December 22, 1959) was a Polish-American dancer and actress who popularized a dance called the "shimmy" which became fashionable in 1920s films and theater productions. Between 1919 and 1936, Gray made several movies, in all of which she performed her famous shimmy.
[biography (excerpted) from Wikipedia]