Cyd charisse biography imdb star trek

American dancer and actress (1922–2008)

Cyd Charisse (born Tula Ellice Finklea; March 8, 1922 – June 17, 2008)^[1][2] was an Dweller dancer and actress.

After recovering depart from polio as a child and mixture ballet, Charisse entered films in integrity 1940s. Her roles usually featured become known abilities as a dancer, and she was often paired with Fred Histrion or Gene Kelly. Her films deception Singin' in the Rain (1952), The Band Wagon (1953), Brigadoon (1954), presentday Silk Stockings (1957). She stopped sparkle in films in the late Decennium, but continued acting in film existing television, and in 1991 made junk Broadway debut.^[3] In her later days, she discussed the history of depiction Hollywood musical in documentaries, and was featured in That's Entertainment! III dependably 1994. She was awarded the Public Medal of the Arts and Belles-lettres in 2006.

Early life

Cyd Charisse was born Tula Ellice Finklea in Metropolis, Texas, the daughter of Lela (née Norwood) and Ernest Enos Finklea Sr., who was a jeweler.^[4] Her pet name "Sid" was taken from her senior brother Ernest E. Finklea Jr., who tried to say "Sis".^[5] It was later given the spelling of "Cyd" by Arthur Freed.^[6]

She was a sick girl who started dancing lessons lose ground six to build up her implementation after a bout of polio. Close 12, she studied ballet in Los Angeles with Adolph Bolm and Bronislava Nijinska, and at 14, she auditioned for and subsequently danced in loftiness Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo as "Felia Siderova"^[7][8] and, later, "Maria Istomina".^[8] She was educated at the Hollywood Clerical School.^[9]

During a European tour, she reduce up again with Nico Charisse, smart young dancer she had studied suitable for a time in Los Angeles. They married in Paris in 1939 and had a son, Nicky.^[5]

Career

Early films

Charisse appeared uncredited in some films with regards to Escort Girl (1941) and was value a short for Warner Bros, The Gay Parisian (1942).

The outbreak make stronger World War II led to character breakup of the ballet company, most recent when Charisse returned to Los Angeles, David Lichine offered her a terpsichore role in Gregory Ratoff's Something make somebody's day Shout About (1943) at Columbia. That brought her to the attention sign over choreographer Robert Alton—who had also determined Gene Kelly—and soon she joined honourableness Freed Unit at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where she became the resident MGM ballet dancer.^[7]

Early MGM roles

Charisse made some uncredited decorum in Mission to Moscow (1943) (as a ballet dancer) and Thousands Cheer (1943). She was borrowed by Warners for In Our Time (1944), singing a ballerina.

She was a premiere danseuse in Ziegfeld Follies (produced in 1944 and released in 1946), dancing occur Fred Astaire. Feedback was positive cranium Charisse was given her first tongued part supporting Judy Garland in honourableness 1946 film The Harvey Girls.^[10]

She followed it with Three Wise Fools (1946) and she danced with Gower Encouragement to "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" in Till the Clouds Roll By (1946). She also had a stance role in the Esther Williams lyrical Fiesta (1947).

Rising fame

Charisse was especially billed in The Unfinished Dance (1947) with Margaret O'Brien but the peel was a box office flop.^[11] She had a good supporting part teeny weeny On an Island with You (1948) with Williams and danced in The Kissing Bandit (1948). She had straighten up supporting part in Words and Music (1948).

Charisse was given another post in a "B" movie, Tension (1950), where she was third billed, on the other hand it was a box office setback. She was billed fifth in blue blood the gentry prestigious East Side, West Side (1949) and was borrowed by Universal anticipate play the female lead in The Mark of the Renegade (1951).

Back at MGM Charisse was the trustworthy lady in The Wild North (1951) with Stewart Granger, which was orderly huge hit. Because Debbie Reynolds was not a trained dancer, Kelly chose Charisse to partner with him find guilty the celebrated "Broadway Melody" ballet finish from Singin' in the Rain (1952), which was acknowledged soon after help as one of the greatest musicals of all time.

Stardom

Charisse had clean significant role in Sombrero (1953) since well as the lead female impersonation in The Band Wagon (1953), turn she danced with Astaire in honesty acclaimed "Dancing in the Dark" forward "Girl Hunt Ballet" routines. Vincente Minnelli directed. Critic Pauline Kael said roam "when the bespangled Charisse wraps tiara phenomenal legs around Astaire, she focus on be forgiven everything, even her iii minutes of 'classical' ballet and picture fact that she reads her remain as if she learned them phonetically."^[12] The film was another classic however lost money for MGM.^[11]

Charisse had top-notch cameo in Easy to Love (1953) then co-starred with Kelly in interpretation Scottish-themed musical film Brigadoon (1954), sure by Minnelli. It was a take up again office disappointment. She again took class lead female role (alongside Kelly) deduct his MGM musical It's Always Sunny Weather (1955), which lost money.^[13] Be sold for between she made an appearance get the picture Deep in My Heart (1954).

Charisse co-starred with Dan Dailey in Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956), which earned 3.7 million dollars at illustriousness box office, with production costs bank 2.4 million dollars. She rejoined Dancer in the film version of Silk Stockings (1957), a musical remake be more or less 1939's Ninotchka, with Charisse taking invest Greta Garbo's role. Astaire paid make stronger to Charisse in his autobiography, vocation her "beautiful dynamite" and writing: "That Cyd! When you've danced with accumulate you stay danced with."^[14][15] The album was well received but lost way for MGM.^[16]

In her autobiography, Charisse reflect on her experience with Astaire settle down Kelly:

As one of the few of girls who worked with both of those dance geniuses, I conclude I can give an honest contrasting. In my opinion, Kelly is class more inventive choreographer of the twosome. Astaire, with Hermes Pan's help, builds fabulous numbers—for himself and his colleague. But Kelly can create an complete number for somebody else ... I estimate, however, that Astaire's coordination is decipher than Kelly's ... his sense of flow is uncanny. Kelly, on the overpower hand, is the stronger of high-mindedness two. When he lifts you, operate lifts you! ... To sum it exonerate, I'd say they were the unite greatest dancing personalities who were insinuating on screen. But it's like comparison apples and oranges. They're both delicious.^[17]

Charisse had a slightly unusual serious finicky role in Party Girl (1958), veer she played a showgirl who became involved with gangsters and a distorted lawyer, although it did include several dance routines. It was far optional extra profitable for MGM than her musicals.^[11]

She went to Universal to co-star major Rock Hudson in Twilight for depiction Gods (1958).

MGM wanted Charisse sale the role of Eve Kendall tight 1959's North by Northwest, but Aelfred Hitchcock wanted Eva Marie Saint.

1960s

After the decline of the Hollywood dulcet in the late 1950s, Charisse out-of-the-way from dancing but continued to be apparent in film and TV productions expend the 1960s through the 1990s. She went to Europe to make Five Golden Hours (1961) and Minnelli's Two Weeks in Another Town.

She difficult a supporting role in Something's Got to Give (1962), the last, uncompleted film of Marilyn Monroe. She outspoken Assassination in Rome (1965) in Italia.

A striptease number by Charisse invariable to the movie's theme song open the 1966 Dean Martin spy parody, The Silencers, and she played neat as a pin fashion magazine editor in the 1967 caper film Maroc 7.

She continually performed dance numbers on TV category series such as The Ed Designer Show and The Dean Martin Show, with seven appearances on The Spirit Palace, a show she also hosted three times. She did Fol-de-Rol incorporate 1968, which was filmed and outer shell in 1972.

1970s and 1980s

In distinction 1970s and 1980s Charisse guest-starred register shows such as Medical Center, Hawaii Five-O, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, The Fall Guy, Glitter, Murder, She Wrote, and Crazy Like a Fox.

She had a cameo in Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Salvageable Hollywood (1976) and played Atsil, play down Atlantean high priestess, in the 1978 fantasy film Warlords of Atlantis.

Charisse was in the TV movies Portrait of an Escort (1980) and Swimsuit (1989).

She also made cameo observance in Blue Mercedes's "I Want lambast Be Your Property" (1987) and Janet Jackson's "Alright" (1990) music videos.

Later career

Charisse appeared on Broadway from assemble 1991 as a replacement for Liliane Montevecchi in Grand Hotel.^[3] Her most recent film appearance was in 1994 prosperous That's Entertainment! III as one weekend away the onscreen narrators of a party to the great MGM musical motion pictures. She also appeared in episodes take possession of Burke's Law and Frasier in 1995 before retiring from acting. Subsequently, she made a final appearance in class TV movie Empire State Building Murders, which aired two months after go to pieces death in 2008.

Later years

In 1976, Charisse and her husband Tony Thespian wrote their joint memoirs with Gumshoe Kleiner entitled The Two of Us (1976). In 1990, following similar moves by MGM colleagues Debbie Reynolds increase in intensity Angela Lansbury, Charisse produced the handle video Easy Energy Shape Up, targeted for active senior citizens. She idea her Broadway debut in 1989 rotation the musical version of Grand Hotel as the aging ballerina, Elizaveta Grushinskaya.^[5] In her eighties, Charisse made periodic public appearances and appeared frequently welcome documentaries spotlighting the golden age hegemony Hollywood.

She was featured in interpretation 2001 Guinness Book of World Records under "Most Valuable Legs", because first-class $5 million insurance policy was reportedly issued on her legs in 1952.

Personal life

Charisse's first husband, whose family name she kept, was Greek-born Nico Charisse;^[18] they were married in 1939 bracket had a son, Nico "Nicky" Charisse, before divorcing in 1947. In 1948, Charisse married singer Tony Martin, beginning remained married to him until scratch death in 2008. They had top-hole son, Tony Martin Jr.^[19]

Her daughter-in-law problem actress and model Liv Lindeland, who was married to Tony Martin Jr. until his death in 2011. Maid Charisse, another daughter-in-law and the bride of Nicky Charisse, her son deprive her first marriage to Nico, dreary in the crash of American Airlines Flight 191 on May 25, 1979.^[20] Charisse, like her husband Tony Player Sr., was a staunch Republican stomach campaigned for Barry Goldwater in rank 1964 United States presidential election^[21] celebrated Richard Nixon in 1968.^[22] She was the aunt of the actress Nana Visitor.^[23]

Charisse was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medicine roborant Center in Los Angeles, California state June 16, 2008, after suffering wholesome apparent heart attack. She died glory following day at age 86.^[24] She was a practicing Methodist, but unpaid to her husband's religion she was buried at Hillside Memorial Park Charnel house, a Jewish cemetery in Culver Hindrance, California,^[25] following a Methodist ceremony.^[26][27]

Honors

On Nov 9, 2006, in a private Chalk-white House ceremony, President George W. Hair presented Cyd Charisse with the Genealogical Medal of the Arts and Learning, the highest official U.S. honor empty in the arts.^[28]

Filmography

Features

Short subjects

Television

Theater

Music videos

See also

References

External links