CYD CHARISSE
Cyd Charisse was born Tula Ellice Finklea on March 8, 1922, in Amarillo, Texas.
Hollywood's greatest dancer of all times first studied classical dancing. She
was in the Russian Ballet in Monte-Carlo and worked with David Lichine and
Leonid Massine, using the names Felia Sidorova and Maria Istomina. She married
her ex-dance teacher, Nico Charisse, in 1939. In 1943, David Lichine asked her
to appear in her first movie ballet, in "Something to shout about", in which she
is credited as Lily Norwood. The same year, she played a Bolchoļ dancer in "Mission
to Moscow", by Michael Curtiz. Choreographer Robert Alton and producer Arthur
Freed hired her, to dance with Fred Astaire in "Ziegfeld Follies", directed by
Vincente Minnelli, and Cyd Charisse then signed a seven year deal with the MGM.
"The Harvey Girls", in 1945, by George Sidney and featuring Judy Garland, gave
her the opportunity to show her talent as an actress.
The beginning of a great career
In the next few years, she appeared regularly in dancing acts of several
musicals, with Judy Garland, Esther Williams, and Kathryn Grayson. It is also
the time when she married her second husband, singer Tony Martin (1948). Her
first part in a non-musical movie was in 1949 : "Tension", a detective film by
John Berry, followed by "East Side, West Side", by Mervyn Leroy, featuring
Barbara Stanwyck and James Mason. She played a Spanish woman in "Mark of the
Renegade" (Hugo Fregonese, 1951), where she danced with Ricardo Montalban. She
played and Indian girl in Andrew Marton's "Wild North", in 1952, a western movie.
Her greatest movies
She really became famous in 1952, with her fantastic appearance in the Broadway
Melody Ballet scene, with Gene Kelly, in the most famous musical ever : "Singin'
in the rain", by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. Her white dress in the dreamlike
sequence, her hairdo "a la Louise Brooks" and her look in the first part of the
ballet were a revelation for many people. The beauty and the talent of Cyd
Charisse make her one of the stars of the movie, despite her relatively short
appearance in it and her silent part. Her way to be double was used again by
Vincente Minnelli in "The Band Wagon", where she starred with Fred Astaire,
which was a real consecration. "Singin' in the rain" and "The band wagon" are
Cyd Charisse's most important movies, and acts like the Broadway Melody Ballet,
and, in the second movie, Dancing in the dark and The Girl Hunt Ballet, are
forever in the Hollywood Musicals Hall of Fame. The picture galleries available
from the filmography contains photographies of these unforgettable moments.
Cyd Charisse's hour of glory
Cyd Charisse had become a star. She played again with Gene Kelly in a musical
directed by Vincente Minnelli, "Brigadoon", in 1954, and did one of her greatest
acts in "Deep in my heart", by Stanley Donen. Her beauty and her talent were
amazing in "It's always fair weather", by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly. In 1957,
she played a part created in 1939 by Greta Garbo, in a musical version of
Ninotchka, directed by Rouben Mamoulian : "Silk stockings". With Fred Astaire,
she did some of her most elegant dances of her carrer in this movie. In 1958,
she played in the "Party Girl", directed by Nicholas Ray. Her two dancing acts
are admirable, but she is also amazing in her dramatic role in this movie, which
is her last great musical. The best moment of the end of her career is her part
in "Two weeks in another town" (Vincente Minnelli), where she plays a vamp. She
then appeared in several TV shows, and on stage in Las Vegas, with Tony Martin.
She also appeared on stages in Melbourne, New York and London, where she starred
in musicals ("No, No, Nanette", "Charlie Girl", "Illya Darling" and "Grand Hotel").
Cyd Charisse was born Tula Ellice Finklea on March 8, 1922, in Amarillo, Texas.
Hollywood's greatest dancer of all times first studied classical dancing. She
was in the Russian Ballet in Monte-Carlo and worked with David Lichine and
Leonid Massine, using the names Felia Sidorova and Maria Istomina. She married
her ex-dance teacher, Nico Charisse, in 1939. In 1943, David Lichine asked her
to appear in her first movie ballet, in "Something to shout about", in which she
is credited as Lily Norwood. The same year, she played a Bolchoļ dancer in "Mission
to Moscow", by Michael Curtiz. Choreographer Robert Alton and producer Arthur
Freed hired her, to dance with Fred Astaire in "Ziegfeld Follies", directed by
Vincente Minnelli, and Cyd Charisse then signed a seven year deal with the MGM.
"The Harvey Girls", in 1945, by George Sidney and featuring Judy Garland, gave
her the opportunity to show her talent as an actress.
The beginning of a great career
In the next few years, she appeared regularly in dancing acts of several
musicals, with Judy Garland, Esther Williams, and Kathryn Grayson. It is also
the time when she married her second husband, singer Tony Martin (1948). Her
first part in a non-musical movie was in 1949 : "Tension", a detective film by
John Berry, followed by "East Side, West Side", by Mervyn Leroy, featuring
Barbara Stanwyck and James Mason. She played a Spanish woman in "Mark of the
Renegade" (Hugo Fregonese, 1951), where she danced with Ricardo Montalban. She
played and Indian girl in Andrew Marton's "Wild North", in 1952, a western movie.
Her greatest movies
She really became famous in 1952, with her fantastic appearance in the Broadway
Melody Ballet scene, with Gene Kelly, in the most famous musical ever : "Singin'
in the rain", by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. Her white dress in the dreamlike
sequence, her hairdo "a la Louise Brooks" and her look in the first part of the
ballet were a revelation for many people. The beauty and the talent of Cyd
Charisse make her one of the stars of the movie, despite her relatively short
appearance in it and her silent part. Her way to be double was used again by
Vincente Minnelli in "The Band Wagon", where she starred with Fred Astaire,
which was a real consecration. "Singin' in the rain" and "The band wagon" are
Cyd Charisse's most important movies, and acts like the Broadway Melody Ballet,
and, in the second movie, Dancing in the dark and The Girl Hunt Ballet, are
forever in the Hollywood Musicals Hall of Fame. The picture galleries available
from the filmography contains photographies of these unforgettable moments.
Cyd Charisse's hour of glory
Cyd Charisse had become a star. She played again with Gene Kelly in a musical
directed by Vincente Minnelli, "Brigadoon", in 1954, and did one of her greatest
acts in "Deep in my heart", by Stanley Donen. Her beauty and her talent were
amazing in "It's always fair weather", by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly. In 1957,
she played a part created in 1939 by Greta Garbo, in a musical version of
Ninotchka, directed by Rouben Mamoulian : "Silk stockings". With Fred Astaire,
she did some of her most elegant dances of her carrer in this movie. In 1958,
she played in the "Party Girl", directed by Nicholas Ray. Her two dancing acts
are admirable, but she is also amazing in her dramatic role in this movie, which
is her last great musical. The best moment of the end of her career is her part
in "Two weeks in another town" (Vincente Minnelli), where she plays a vamp. She
then appeared in several TV shows, and on stage in Las Vegas, with Tony Martin.
She also appeared on stages in Melbourne, New York and London, where she starred
in musicals ("No, No, Nanette", "Charlie Girl", "Illya Darling" and "Grand Hotel").