The Four Cohans was a late 19th century Vaudeville family act that introduced 20th century Broadway legend George M. Cohan to show business. They consisted of father Jeremiah "Jere" Cohan (1848–1917), mother Helen "Nellie" Costigan Cohan (1854–1928), daughter Josephine "Josie" Cohan Niblo (1874–1916) and son George Cohan (1878-1942). Vaudeville is a style of multi-act theatre which flourished in North America from the 1880s through the 1920s. ... Broadway theatre[1] is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ... George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3 or July 4, 1878 – November 5, 1942) was a United States entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, director, and producer of Irish descent. ...

By the late 1890s, when they had become a successful and well established act in the vaudeville circuits across the country, George Cohan started giving his famous curtain speech of "[L]adies and gentlemen, my father thanks you, my mother thanks you, my sister thanks you, and I thank you," during curtain calls. The act disbanded in 1900 when George left vaudeville for the legitimate stage.

Josie, who died of heart disease at a young age, was married to Fred Niblo Sr. (1874–1948), an important director of silent films, including Ben Hur (1925), and a founder of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Their son, Fred Niblo Jr. (1903–1973) was an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter. Heart disease is an umbrella term for a number of different diseases which affect the heart. ... Fred Niblo (born January 6, 1874 - died November 11, 1948) was an American pioneer film actor, director and producer. ... Ben-Hur is the fictional story of Ben-Hur (Hebrew: יהודה בן חור) or Benhur, a Judean aristocrat who, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Tiberius, is enslaved through the betrayal of his Roman friend Messala. ... Founded on May 11, 1927 in California, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures. ... Screenwriters, scenarists or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television programs are made. ...

The Four Cohans were reunited after George's death in 1942 at the family plot at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York. Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Located in The Bronx, Woodlawn Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in New York City. ... The Bronx is one of the five boroughs of United States. ... NY redirects here. ...

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