Austin, Nancy

Las Vegas, Nevada comedic entertainer Nancy Byrne Austin was born in Silver Springs, Maryland in 1934. She received her education at the University of Maryland, earning a degree in Education. She taught elementary school for a short time before committing full time to show business. She began performing comedy in New York City in the 1950s and moved to Las Vegas in the early 1960s. Austin made an initial impression as one of the original cast members of the popular Las Vegas daytime review Bottoms Up. She and her husband, Las Vegas entertainer David London, also performed a morning radio show in the 1970s called "Coffee with the Londons."

Austin appeared in many movie and television programs including The Carol Burnett Show and several television episodes of Vega$. She was also involved with charities and organizations in Las Vegas and opened the first women’s plus-size dress shop in Las Vegas in 1970. She designed and made many of the clothes herself. The store expanded to three locations and operated successfully for 15 years. Austin died in 1995 at the age of 60.