Summary

• Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim across the English Channel, had a fascinating career beyond her aquatic feat.
• Young Woman and The Sea brings Ederle's heartwarming story to life without sensationalizing it, earning praise from reviewers.
• Despite injuries that ended her swimming career, Ederle continued to inspire others and was honored in the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Though Disney’s Reviews of Young Woman and The Sea praise the film’s ability to share the realistic and heartwarming story without going to cinematic extremes.

Nicknamed “Queen of the Waves,” Ederle was a record-setting New York-born athlete from the early 20th century. She was most famous for being the first woman to swim across the English Channel, a feat only five men had previously completed. Ederle’s heartwarming story is brought to life by Young Woman and The Sea’s cast, including actress Daisy Ridley as Ederle. The 2024 film is not the first time Ederle’s story was memorialized, with books, songs, and dance moves dedicated to the athlete in the past.

Gertrude Ederle Briefly Became An Actress After Swimming

She Performed In Aquatic Vaudeville Acts

Due to her growing popularity, Ederle became a cultural icon. Alongside star Bebe Daniels, Ederle played herself in the 1927 silent film Swim Girl, Swim. After that, she began touring with aquatic vaudeville acts, including Billy Rose’s Aquacade at the Great Lakes Exposition. At the height of her fame, Ederle supposedly had at least two songs written about her: Tell Me, Trudy, Who’s Going to Be the Lucky One? and Trudy by Charles Tobias and Al Sherman.

Ederle’s swimming and acting career paused in 1933 when she was injured in a fall down a flight of stairs. The accident twisted her spine and made her bedridden for years.

Ederle’s swimming and acting career paused in 1933 when she was injured in a fall down a flight of stairs. The accident twisted her spine and made her bedridden for years. She recovered enough to appear at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, but she was never able to return to her former glory. It is reported that by the 1940s, she was also almost completely deaf, partially due to her childhood illnesses, as explored in the movie. Only a year after its establishment in 1964, Ederle was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Gertrude Ederle Died In 2003

She Was Inducted Into The National Women's Hall Of Fame That Year

Though she never married or had kids, Ederle spent her later years teaching deaf children how to swim. Ederle ed away in 2003 at the age of 98. Before her death, she was living at an elderly facility in New Jersey. In honor of her accomplishments, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2003 after her ing. The 2024 film Young Woman and The Sea is also an effort to memorialize Ederle’s talents, almost 100 years since her feat.

Young Woman and The Sea is available to stream on Disney+