Ann Miller facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ann Miller
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Miller in 1957
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| Born |
Johnnie Lucille Collier
April 12, 1923 Chireno, Texas, U.S.
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| Died | January 22, 2004 (aged 80) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City |
| Occupation | Actress, dancer, singer |
| Years active | 1934–2001 |
| Spouse(s) |
Reese Llewellyn Milner
(m. 1946; div. 1947)Bill Moss
(m. 1958; div. 1961)Arthur Cameron
(m. 1961; div. 1962) |
| Children | 1 |
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Ann Miller (born Johnnie Lucille Collier; April 12, 1923 – January 22, 2004) was an American actress, dancer, and singer. She was famous for her roles in classic Hollywood movie musicals of the 1940s and 1950s.
Her early films included You Can't Take It with You (1938) and the Marx Bros. film Room Service (1938). Later, she starred in musical classics like Easter Parade (1948), On the Town (1949), and Kiss Me Kate (1953). Her last movie role was in Mulholland Drive (2001).
In 1960, Ann Miller received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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Ann Miller's Early Life and Dance Beginnings
Johnnie Lucille Collier was born in Chireno, Texas. Her mother was Clara Emma, and her father was John Alfred Collier. He was a lawyer. Ann was an only child. Her grandmother on her mother's side was Cherokee.
Ann started taking dance classes when she was five years old. She had a condition called rickets, which affected her bones. Her mother believed that dancing would help make her daughter's legs stronger.
She lived in Houston, Texas, until she was nine. At that time, her parents got divorced. Ann and her mother moved to Los Angeles. Her mother was deaf, which made it hard for her to find work. Ann looked older than her age, so she began working as a dancer in nightclubs. She helped support herself and her mother. Around this time, she started using the stage name Ann Miller. She used this name for her entire career.
Ann was considered a child dance expert. She once said that Eleanor Powell, another famous dancer, was an early inspiration for her.
Ann Miller's Career in Film and Theater
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In 1936, Ann Miller was hired as a dancer at the "Black Cat Club" in San Francisco. She told them she was 18, even though she was younger. There, she was discovered by actress Lucille Ball and talent scout Benny Rubin. This led to Ann getting a contract with RKO in 1936. She also told RKO she was 18 and had a fake birth certificate. She stayed with RKO until 1940.
In 1937, she danced with Ginger Rogers in the movie Stage Door. In 1938, she played Essie Carmichael, a character who was always dancing, in the Oscar-winning film You Can't Take it With You.
In 1941, she signed with Columbia Pictures. She starred in 11 musical movies from 1941 to 1945. Her contract ended in 1946 with the film The Thrill of Brazil. She became very popular in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals. These included Easter Parade (1948), On the Town (1949), and Kiss Me Kate (1953).
Ann Miller's Tap Dancing Style
Ann Miller was known for her incredibly fast tap dance skills. Studio publicists often claimed she could tap 500 times per minute. However, the sound of these super-fast taps was actually added later to the film. The stage floors were often too slippery for regular tap shoes. So, she had to dance in shoes with rubber treads on the bottom. Later, she would watch the film and dance on a special "tap board" to match the sounds of her steps.
Later Career and Stage Performances
Ann Miller's movie career slowed down around 1956 as television became more popular. But she continued to be very active in theater and on TV. In 1969, she starred on Broadway in the musical Mame. She amazed the audience with a special tap dance number made just for her.
In 1979, she impressed audiences again in the Broadway show Sugar Babies. She performed with fellow MGM star Mickey Rooney. This show toured all over the United States after its Broadway run. In 1983, she won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago theatre.
She appeared in a special 1982 episode of The Love Boat. She was joined by other famous performers like Ethel Merman and Carol Channing. Her last stage performance was in 1998 in a show called Follies. She played Carlotta Campion and received great reviews for her song "I'm Still Here".
At 63, Ann Miller sang and tap danced to "42nd Street" at the opening of the Disney MGM Studios on May 1, 1989. This was her last live dance performance.
Ann Miller also appeared as a dance instructor in a 1993 episode of Home Improvement. From 1995 to 2001, Molly Shannon often made fun of Miller in a funny sketch on Saturday Night Live. In 2001, she took her final acting role as "Coco" in the movie Mulholland Drive.
Outside of acting, she wrote two books. Her first book was her life story, Miller's High Life (1972). Her second book, Tapping into the Force (1990), was about her experiences with psychic abilities.
Ann Miller's Personal Life
Ann Miller was married three times. She married Reese Llewellyn Milner in 1946, William Moss in 1958, and Arthur Cameron in 1961. Between her marriages, she dated famous men like Howard Hughes and Conrad Hilton.
During her marriage to Reese Llewellyn Milner, she was pregnant with a daughter named Mary. Sadly, her baby Mary was born too early and lived for only three hours on November 12, 1946.
Death and Legacy
Ann Miller passed away at the age of 80 from lung cancer on January 22, 2004. She was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
For her contributions to the movie industry, Ann Miller has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6914 Hollywood Boulevard. In 1998, a Golden Palm Star was dedicated to her on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars. To honor her dancing, the Smithsonian Institution displays her favorite pair of tap shoes, which she called "Moe and Joe".
See Also
In Spanish: Ann Miller para niños
- List of dancers
Images for kids
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Ann Miller in Sugar Babies, 1979
