Born in Melbourne as Ida Alexa (or Alena) Ross Wylie, her autobiography My life with George is about her relationship with American doctor Sara Josephine Baker. Several films were based on her books or stories, like The Foreign Legion (1928) was based on The Red Mirage; the 1942 film Keeper of the Flame with Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy was based on the book with the same name; and Torch Song (1953) with Joan Crawford was based on the story Why should I cry.