Cyd Charisse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cyd Charisse
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Charisse in 1949
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| Born |
Tula Ellice Finklea
March 8, 1922 |
| Died | June 17, 2008 (aged 86) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Resting place | Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Other names | Lily Norwood Felia Siderova Maria Istomina |
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| Years active | 1939–2007 |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Nana Visitor (niece) |
Cyd Charisse (born Tula Ellice Finklea; March 8, 1922 – June 17, 2008) was an American actress and dancer. She was famous for her amazing dance skills in Hollywood musicals.
After getting better from a childhood illness called polio, Cyd studied ballet. She started acting in movies in the 1940s. Her roles often showed off her dancing talent. She danced with famous stars like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Some of her most well-known films include Singin' in the Rain (1952), The Band Wagon (1953), Brigadoon (1954), and Silk Stockings (1957).
She stopped dancing in movies in the late 1950s but kept acting in films and on TV. In 1991, she performed on Broadway for the first time. Later in her life, she talked about the history of Hollywood musicals in documentaries. She was even in That's Entertainment! III in 1994. In 2006, she received the National Medal of the Arts and Humanities, a very high honor in the U.S.
Contents
Early Life and Dance Training
Cyd Charisse was born Tula Ellice Finklea in Amarillo, Texas. Her parents were Lela and Ernest Enos Finklea Sr., who was a jeweler. Her nickname "Sid" came from her older brother, who tried to say "Sis." Later, a movie producer named Arthur Freed changed the spelling to "Cyd."
When she was a child, Cyd was often sick. She started taking dance lessons at age six to help her get stronger after she had polio. Polio is a disease that can make muscles weak. By age 12, she was studying ballet in Los Angeles with famous teachers. When she was 14, she joined the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo, a famous ballet company. She danced under the names "Felia Siderova" and "Maria Istomina." She also went to the Hollywood Professional School.
While on a dance tour in Europe, she met Nico Charisse, another dancer. They got married in Paris in 1939. They had a son named Nicky in 1942.
Becoming a Star
First Steps in Film
When World War II started, Cyd's ballet company broke up. She returned to Los Angeles. She was offered a dance role in the movie Something to Shout About (1943). This movie helped her get noticed by a choreographer named Robert Alton. Soon, she joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studios. She became MGM's main ballet dancer.
Cyd appeared in some early films without being credited, like Escort Girl (1941). She also danced in Ziegfeld Follies (1946) with Fred Astaire. People liked her performance. After that, Cyd got her first speaking role in the film The Harvey Girls (1946), starring Judy Garland. She also danced in Till the Clouds Roll By (1946) and appeared in the musical Fiesta (1947).
Rising to Fame
Cyd Charisse started getting bigger roles. She was a leading lady in The Wild North (1951), which was a very popular movie.
Because Debbie Reynolds was not a trained dancer, Gene Kelly chose Cyd to dance with him in the famous "Broadway Melody" ballet scene in Singin' in the Rain (1952). This movie quickly became known as one of the greatest musicals ever made.
Hollywood Stardom
Cyd Charisse became a major star. She had a big role in The Band Wagon (1953). In this film, she danced with Fred Astaire in amazing routines like "Dancing in the Dark" and "Girl Hunt Ballet." A famous critic once said that when Cyd danced with Astaire, she was simply wonderful.
She also starred with Gene Kelly in the musical Brigadoon (1954). Later, she rejoined Fred Astaire in Silk Stockings (1957). This movie was a musical version of an older film called Ninotchka. Astaire praised Cyd in his book, calling her "beautiful dynamite." He wrote that "When you've danced with her you stay danced with."
Cyd Charisse once compared dancing with Astaire and Kelly:
- She felt Kelly was better at creating dance routines for others.
- She thought Astaire had better coordination and a perfect sense of rhythm.
- She said Kelly was stronger and could lift her easily.
She concluded that both were the greatest dancers on screen, like comparing "apples and oranges."
After her musicals, Cyd took on a serious acting role in Party Girl (1958). She played a showgirl involved with gangsters. This movie was very successful.
Later Career
From the 1960s to the 1980s
After musicals became less popular in the late 1950s, Cyd Charisse stopped dancing in films. However, she continued to act in movies and on TV from the 1960s to the 1990s. She appeared in films like Five Golden Hours (1961) and Two Weeks in Another Town (1962). She also had a supporting role in Something's Got to Give (1962), which was the last, unfinished film of Marilyn Monroe.
Cyd often performed dance numbers on TV variety shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and The Dean Martin Show. She also appeared on shows like Medical Center, Hawaii Five-O, The Love Boat, and Murder, She Wrote. She had a small role in the fantasy film Warlords of Atlantis (1978). She also appeared in music videos for Blue Mercedes and Janet Jackson.
Final Years in Entertainment
Cyd Charisse made her Broadway debut in late 1991. She played an aging ballerina in the musical Grand Hotel. Her last film appearance was in 1994 in That's Entertainment! III. In this movie, she was one of the narrators talking about the great MGM musical films. She also appeared in TV shows like Frasier before she stopped acting.
Life After Film
In 1976, Cyd Charisse and her husband, Tony Martin, wrote a book together called The Two of Us. In 1990, Cyd released an exercise video called Easy Energy Shape Up. It was made for older adults who wanted to stay active.
In her later years, Cyd made public appearances. She often appeared in documentaries that looked back at the "golden age of Hollywood" musicals. In 2001, she was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for having "Most Valuable Legs." This was because a $5 million insurance policy was reportedly taken out on her legs in 1952!
Personal Life
Cyd Charisse's first husband was Nico Charisse. They married in 1939 and had a son, Nico "Nicky" Charisse. They divorced in 1947. In 1948, Cyd married singer Tony Martin. They stayed married until her death in 2008. They had a son named Tony Martin Jr. (1950–2011).
Cyd's niece is the actress Nana Visitor.
Cyd Charisse passed away on June 17, 2008, at the age of 86, after suffering a heart attack. She was buried at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.
Honors
On November 9, 2006, Cyd Charisse received the National Medal of the Arts and Humanities. This special award was given to her by President George W. Bush at the White House. It is the highest official honor for artists in the United States.
Filmography
- Escort Girl (1941)
- Something to Shout About (1943)
- Mission to Moscow (1943)
- Thousands Cheer (1943)
- In Our Time (1944)
- Ziegfeld Follies (1945)
- The Harvey Girls (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)
- The Mark of the Renegade (1951)
- The Wild North (1952)
- Singin' in the Rain (1952)
- Sombrero (1953)
- The Band Wagon (1953)
- Easy to Love (1953)
- 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)
- Something's Got To Give (1962)
- Assassination in Rome (1965)
- The Silencers (1966)
- Maroc 7 (1967)
- Film Portrait (1972)
- Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
- Warlords of Atlantis (1978)
- Swimsuit (1984)
- Visioni private (1989)
- That's Entertainment! III (1994)
- Empire State Building Murders (2008)
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)
Television:
- What's My Line? (1956)
- Medical Center (1975)
- Hawaii Five-O (1978)
- Murder, She Wrote (1985)
- Frasier (1995)
Theater:
- Les Poupées de Paris (1962)
- A Two Act Revue (1964)
- Illya Darling (1968)
- Can-Can (1969)
- No, No, Nanette (1972)
- Greenwich Village Follies of 1923 (1981)
- Cactus Flower (1983)
- Charlie Girl (1986)
- Grand Hotel (1991-1992)
Music videos:
- "I Want to Be Your Property" by Blue Mercedes (1987)
- "Alright" by Janet Jackson (1990)
See also
In Spanish: Cyd Charisse para niños
