Gaby Deslys was born, Marie-Elsie-Gabrielle Caire, in Marseilles, France, 1881. Gaby selected her stage name from an abbreviation of "Gabrielle of the Lillies". Although little was known about her early life, she was in fact, believed to be a Czech peasant girl born in the village of Horní Mošte. Gaby Deslys made all attempts to conceal her true identity, claiming she was of French ethnicity and going so far as to pay her mother a large sum of money to deny kinship. Because of all the claims for Gaby's estate when she died, in 1930, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs declared she was the daughter of Hippolyte Caire, born in Marseilles.

Gaby Deslys made her own fame, inventing her own style of dance known as the "Gaby Glide, a form of American ragtime dance. She is also credited with introducing the first "striptease" to Paris, after debuting in a striptease on Broadway. Taking this new dance form back to Paris, she became wildly successful and highly talked about.

Gaby was quite the trend setter in the world of fashion. She wore the most fashionable gowns, was photographed by Talbot (the most high-fashion photographer of his day), and even had the artist, Erte, design some of the most fashionable attire for her.

Deslys had many admirers among royalty, most notably Manuel II of Portugal. She became an instant celebrity after newspaper stories appeared about King Manuel's infatuation with her. He is thought to have given her a very expensive pearl necklace after their first meeting. More gifts followed, including a diamond necklace with black and white pearl drops. Gaby soon cultivated a pearl fetish becoming so absorbed in collecting them that before she died she claimed to own her weight in them. Gaby had other suitors as well, including Harry Pilcer, the American dancer to whom she was rumored to have been engaged. and of course, she denied all the reports.

During World War I, Gaby changed her role in life, becoming a government agent, working as a spy for the French.

Marie-Elsie-Gabrielle Caire died November 1920 in Paris due to a throat infection she contracted one year earlier. Her unique talents and persona were never recorded as sound film didn't arrive until 1926. She will always be remembered for her contributions to the modern era of dance.