Edna May Pettie was born in Syracuse and appeared in various youth productions before going to New York. It was while she was in New York City that she entered the office of Oscar Hammerstein and requested to be in his chorus. He accepted her in this role which eventually led to additional parts that were more noteworthy. Charles Frohman kept Pettie in Europe for much of the time that he managed her but she did make a number of appearances in the United States while she was touring.