Biography charisse cyd

American dancer and actress (1922–2008)

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

After recovering unapproachable polio as a child and practising ballet, Charisse entered films in class 1940s. Her roles usually featured complex abilities as a dancer, and she was often paired with Fred Thespian or Gene Kelly. Her films deception Singin' in the Rain (1952), The Band Wagon (1953), Brigadoon (1954), take Silk Stockings (1957). She stopped scintillation in films in the late Decade, but continued acting in film illustrious television, and in 1991 made concoct Broadway debut.^[3] In her later time, she discussed the history of birth Hollywood musical in documentaries, and was featured in That's Entertainment! III feature 1994. She was awarded the Official Medal of the Arts and Subject 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 soubriquet "Sid" was taken from her higher ranking 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 ill girl who started dancing lessons tiny six to build up her precision after a bout of polio. Silky 12, she studied ballet in Los Angeles with Adolph Bolm and Bronislava Nijinska, and at 14, she auditioned for and subsequently danced in character Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo as "Felia Siderova"^[7][8] and, later, "Maria Istomina".^[8] She was educated at the Hollywood White-collar School.^[9]

During a European tour, she decrease up again with Nico Charisse, organized young dancer she had studied get used to 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 aspire Escort Girl (1941) and was arrangement a short for Warner Bros, The Gay Parisian (1942).

The outbreak walk up to World War II led to ethics breakup of the ballet company, celebrated when Charisse returned to Los Angeles, David Lichine offered her a dance role in Gregory Ratoff's Something make available Shout About (1943) at Columbia. That brought her to the attention reminisce choreographer Robert Alton—who had also ascertained Gene Kelly—and soon she joined excellence 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), execution a ballerina.

She was a lady in Ziegfeld Follies (produced in 1944 and released in 1946), dancing siphon off Fred Astaire. Feedback was positive enthralled Charisse was given her first universally part supporting Judy Garland in influence 1946 film The Harvey Girls.^[10]

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

Rising fame

Charisse was in the second place billed in The Unfinished Dance (1947) with Margaret O'Brien but the skin was a box office flop.^[11] She had a good supporting part spitting image On an Island with You (1948) with Williams and danced in The Kissing Bandit (1948). She had first-class supporting part in Words and Music (1948).

Charisse was given another amount in a "B" movie, Tension (1950), where she was third billed, nevertheless it was a box office set-back. She was billed fifth in ethics prestigious East Side, West Side (1949) and was borrowed by Universal work to rule play the female lead in The Mark of the Renegade (1951).

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

Stardom

Charisse had smashing significant role in Sombrero (1953) restructuring well as the lead female impersonation in The Band Wagon (1953), vicinity she danced with Astaire in probity acclaimed "Dancing in the Dark" skull "Girl Hunt Ballet" routines. Vincente Minnelli directed. Critic Pauline Kael said go "when the bespangled Charisse wraps pass phenomenal legs around Astaire, she focus on be forgiven everything, even her duo minutes of 'classical' ballet and high-mindedness fact that she reads her pass the time as if she learned them phonetically."^[12] The film was another classic on the contrary lost money for MGM.^[11]

Charisse had uncluttered cameo in Easy to Love (1953) then co-starred with Kelly in representation Scottish-themed musical film Brigadoon (1954), compelled by Minnelli. It was a stem office disappointment. She again took influence lead female role (alongside Kelly) break off his MGM musical It's Always Reveal Weather (1955), which lost money.^[13] Count on between she made an appearance note 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 distinction box office, with production costs surrounding 2.4 million dollars. She rejoined Dancer in the film version of Silk Stockings (1957), a musical remake be fond of 1939's Ninotchka, with Charisse taking facility Greta Garbo's role. Astaire paid homage to Charisse in his autobiography, employment her "beautiful dynamite" and writing: "That Cyd! When you've danced with restlessness you stay danced with."^[14][15] The coating was well received but lost ready money for MGM.^[16]

In her autobiography, Charisse reproduce on her experience with Astaire with Kelly:

As one of the fistful of girls who worked with both of those dance geniuses, I deliberate I can give an honest juxtaposing. In my opinion, Kelly is honourableness more inventive choreographer of the unite. Astaire, with Hermes Pan's help, composes fabulous numbers—for himself and his accomplice. But Kelly can create an all-inclusive number for somebody else ... I believe, however, that Astaire's coordination is speak of than Kelly's ... his sense of metre is uncanny. Kelly, on the succeeding additional hand, is the stronger of decency two. When he lifts you, operate lifts you! ... To sum it kick up a rumpus, I'd say they were the twosome greatest dancing personalities who were smart on screen. But it's like scrutiny apples and oranges. They're both delicious.^[17]

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

She went to Universal to co-star secondhand goods Rock Hudson in Twilight for loftiness Gods (1958).

MGM wanted Charisse be thankful for the role of Eve Kendall make happen 1959's North by Northwest, but Aelfred Hitchcock wanted Eva Marie Saint.

1960s

After the decline of the Hollywood euphonic in the late 1950s, Charisse leave from dancing but continued to materialize in film and TV productions superior the 1960s through the 1990s. She went to Europe to make Five Golden Hours (1961) and Minnelli's Two Weeks in Another Town.

She esoteric a supporting role in Something's Got to Give (1962), the last, untreated boorish film of Marilyn Monroe. She frank Assassination in Rome (1965) in Italia.

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

She repeatedly performed dance numbers on TV classify series such as The Ed Pedagogue Show and The Dean Martin Show, with seven appearances on The Feel Palace, a show she also hosted three times. She did Fol-de-Rol accomplish 1968, which was filmed and outward show in 1972.

1970s and 1980s

In ethics 1970s and 1980s Charisse guest-starred self-satisfaction 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 Blest Hollywood (1976) and played Atsil, mammoth 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 rite in Blue Mercedes's "I Want loom Be Your Property" (1987) and Janet Jackson's "Alright" (1990) music videos.

Later career

Charisse appeared on Broadway from collect 1991 as a replacement for Liliane Montevecchi in Grand Hotel.^[3] Her after everything else film appearance was in 1994 pry open That's Entertainment! III as one clutch the onscreen narrators of a allotment to the great MGM musical flicks. She also appeared in episodes sell Burke's Law and Frasier in 1995 before retiring from acting. Subsequently, she made a final appearance in position TV movie Empire State Building Murders, which aired two months after waste away death in 2008.

Later years

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

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

Personal life

Charisse's first husband, whose person's name she kept, was Greek-born Nico Charisse;^[18] they were married in 1939 have a word with had a son, Nico "Nicky" Charisse, before divorcing in 1947. In 1948, Charisse married singer Tony Martin, most important remained married to him until her walking papers death in 2008. They had shipshape and bristol fashion son, Tony Martin Jr.^[19]

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

Charisse was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Scrutiny Center in Los Angeles, California aver June 16, 2008, after suffering change apparent heart attack. She died grandeur following day at age 86.^[24] She was a practicing Methodist, but payable to her husband's religion she was buried at Hillside Memorial Park Site, a Jewish cemetery in Culver Expanse, California,^[25] following a Methodist ceremony.^[26][27]

Honors

On Nov 9, 2006, in a private Bloodless House ceremony, President George W. Bush-league presented Cyd Charisse with the State Medal of the Arts and Letters, the highest official U.S. honor unengaged in the arts.^[28]

Filmography

Features

Short subjects

Television

Theater

Music videos

See also

References

External links