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| Birth Name(s) : Tula Ellice Finklea |
Date of Birth: March 8, 1921 |
| Status:
Married
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Partner:
Tony Martin |
| Profession:
Actor |
Official Site
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Full Cyd Charisse Biography
Cyd Charisse was born to be a dancer. She spent her early childhood taking Ballet lessons and joined the Ballet Russe at 13.
In 1939 she married Nico Charisse, her ex-dance teacher. In 1943, she appeared in her first film 'Something to Shout About (1943)', billed as Lily Norwood. The same year, she played a Russian dancer in 'Mission to Moscow (1943)', directed by Michael Curtiz. In 1945, she was hired to dance with Fred Astaire in 'Ziegfeld Follies (1946)', and that uncredited appearance got her a seven year contract with MGM.
She appeared in a number of musicals over the next few years, but it was 'Singin' in the Rain (1952)' with Gene Kelly that made her a big star. That was quickly followed by her great performance in 'The Band Wagon (1953)'.
As the 1960's came, musicals faded from the screen, as did her career. She made appearances on television and performed in a nightclub revue with her second husband, singer Tony Martin. |
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Additional Cyd Charisse Biography
Cyd Charisse (born Tula Ellice Finklea on March 8, 1921) is an American dancer and actress. She was born in Amarillo, Texas, and reputedly, the name "Cyd" was a nickname taken from a sibling trying to say "Sis".
Charisse studied ballet in Los Angeles with Adolph Bolm and Bronislawa Nijinska, and subsequently danced in the Ballet Russes under the name Siderova. The outbreak of war led to the break-up of the company and, on returning to L.A., David Lichine offered her a dancing role in Gregory Ratoff's Something to Shout About. This brought her to the attention of choreographer Robert Alton - who had also discovered Gene Kelly - and soon she joined the Freed Unit at MGM, where she became the resident MGM ballet dancer.
Charisse is now principally celebrated for her on-screen pairings with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. She first appeared with Astaire in a brief routine in Ziegfeld Follies (produced in 1944, released in 1946). Her next appearance with him was as lead female role in The Band Wagon (1953) where she danced with Astaire in the acclaimed "Dancing in the Dark" and "Girl Hunt Ballet" routines. In 1957, she rejoined Astaire in the film version of Silk Stockings, a musical remake of 1939's Ninotchka, with Charisse taking over Greta Garbo's famous role. In his autobiography, Astaire paid tribute to Charisse, writing: "That Cyd! When you've danced with her you stay danced with."Charisse and Gene Kelly in the "Broadway Melody Ballet" sequence from Singin' in the Rain.
As Debbie Reynolds was not a trained dancer, Gene Kelly chose Charisse to partner him in the celebrated "Broadway Melody" ballet finale from Singin' in the Rain (1952), and she co-starred with Kelly in the 1954 Scottish-themed musical Brigadoon. She again took the lead female role alongside Kelly in his penultimate MGM musical It's Always Fair Weather (1956).
In her autobiography, Charisse reflected on her experience with Astaire and Kelly: "As one of the handful of girls who worked with both of those dance geniuses, I think I can give an honest comparison. In my opinion, Kelly is the more inventive choreographer of the two. Astaire, with Hermes Pan's help, creates fabulous numbers - for himself and his partner. But Kelly can create an entire number for somebody else ...I think, however, that Astaire's coordination is better than Kelly's ...his sense of rhythm is uncanny. Kelly, on the other hand, is the stronger of the two. When he lifts you, he lifts you!...To sum it up, I'd say they were the two greatest dancing personalities who were ever on screen. But it's like comparing apples and oranges. They're both delicious."
Charisse has been married to singer Tony Martin since 1948, almost 60 years, something of an achievement for a Hollywood marriage. She was previously married to Nico Charisse from 1939 to 1947. She has two sons, Nico "Nicky" Charisse from her first marriage and Tony Martin Jr. from her second. Her niece is actress Nana Visitor. Her daughter-in-law is Liv Lindeland, who was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month in January 1971 and featured as Playmate of the Year for 1971 in the January 1972 issue.
She wrote a joint biography with Martin (and Dick Kleiner) entitled The Two of Us (1976). She is featured in the 2001 Guinness Book of World Records under "Most Valuable Legs", since a $5 million insurance policy was accepted on her legs in 1952. She beat the previous record holder, Betty Grable.
Her daughter-in-law, Sheila Charisse, was a victim of the crash of American Airlines Flight 191 in 1979.
In 1990, following similar moves done by MGM colleagues Debbie Reynolds and Angela Lansbury, Charisse produced the exercise video Easy Energy Shape Up, targeted at active senior citizens.
Now in her 80s, Charisse still makes occasional public appearances and appears frequently in documentaries spotlighting the golden age of Hollywood.
On November 9, 2006, in a private White House ceremony, President George W. Bush presented Cyd Charisse with the National Medal of the Arts and Humanities, the highest official U.S. honor available in the arts.
Features:
- Something to Shout About (1943)
- Mission to Moscow (1943)
- Thousands Cheer (1943)
- The Harvey Girls (1946)
- Ziegfeld Follies (1946)
- Three Wise Fools (1946)
- Till the Clouds Roll By (1946)
- Fiesta (1947)
- The Unfinished Dance (1947)
- On an Island with You (1948)
- The Kissing Bandit (1948)
- Words and Music (1948)
- East Side, West Side (1949)
- Tension (1950)
- Mark of the Renegade (1951)
- Singin' in the Rain (1952)
- The Wild North (1952)
- Sombrero (1953)
- The Band Wagon (1953)
- Easy to Love (1953) (Cameo)
- Brigadoon (1954)
- Deep in My Heart (1954)
- It's Always Fair Weather (1955)
- Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956)
- Silk Stockings (1957)
- Twilight for the Gods (1958)
- Party Girl (1958)
- Black Tights (1960)
- Five Golden Hours (1961)
- Two Weeks in Another Town (1962)
- Assassination in Rome (1965)
- The Silencers (1966)
- Maroc 7 (1967)
- Film Portrait (1973) (documentary)
- Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
- Warlords of Atlantis (1978)
- Private Screening (1989)
- That's Entertainment! III (1994)
Short Subjects:
- Rhumba Serenade (1941)
- Poeme (1941)
- I Knew It Would Be This Way (1941)
- Did Anyone Call? (1941)
- Magic of Magnolias (1942)
- This Love of Mine (1942)
- 1955 Motion Picture Theatre Celebration (1955) |
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