Marge Champion facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marge Champion
Champion in 1952
Born	Marjorie Celeste Belcher (1919-09-02)September 2, 1919 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	October 21, 2020(2020-10-21) (aged 101) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Dancer actress choreographer
Years active	1930–2001
Spouse(s)	Art Babbitt ​ ​ (m. 1937; div. 1940)​ Gower Champion ​ ​ (m. 1947; div. 1973)​ Boris Sagal ​ ​ (m. 1977; died 1981)​
Children	2
Relatives	Lina Basquette (half-sister) Katey Sagal (stepdaughter) Jean Sagal (stepdaughter) Liz Sagal (stepdaughter) Joey Sagal (stepson)

Marjorie Celeste Champion (born September 2, 1919 – died October 21, 2020) was a famous American dancer and actress. When she was just 14, Disney hired her to be a dance model for their animated movies. She later starred in movie musicals as a dancer and actress. In 1957, she even had her own TV show with singing and dancing. Marge also helped create dances for church services and coached actors on how to move for a TV miniseries.

Early Life and Dance Training

Marjorie Celeste Belcher was born in Los Angeles, California, on September 2, 1919. Her father, Ernest, was a well-known dance director in Hollywood. He taught many famous stars like Shirley Temple and Joan Crawford. Marjorie's mother was Gladys Lee Baskette. Marjorie also had an older half-sister, Lina Basquette, who started acting in silent films early on.

Marjorie began dancing when she was very young, just like her sister. Her father was her main teacher from age five until she moved to New York. She often said her father's careful teaching helped her have a long and healthy career. He taught her to progress slowly, focus on correct body position, and pay attention to every detail.

Her first dance partner was Louis Hightower. In 1930, at age 11, she performed in a ballet called "Carnival in Venice" at the Hollywood Bowl. By age 12, she was already teaching ballet at her father's studio. She also sang in her high school's glee club and graduated in 1936.

Modeling for Disney Characters

The Walt Disney Studio hired Marge when she was young to be a dance model for their animated films. Her movements helped animators make characters look more real.

• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937): Marge's movements were copied to create the animated Snow White. For one scene, she even modeled for two dwarfs at once, wrapped in a big coat!
• Pinocchio (1940): She modeled for the beautiful Blue Fairy.
• Fantasia (1940): Marge modeled for Hyacinth Hippo in the "Dance of the Hours" ballet parody. She also helped choreograph this part.
• Dumbo (1941): She even helped model for Mr. Stork.

Marge remembered that animators sometimes found it hard to imagine how a young girl or a prince would move. Her modeling helped them bring these characters to life.

A Career in Dance and Film

Marge's first movie role she remembered was in The Castles with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. This made her want to do more movies. However, her real dream was to perform in shows in New York. Sadly, she wasn't tall enough for ballet, which she had trained for her whole life.

Dancing Duo: Marge and Gower Champion

Marge married dancer Gower Champion in 1947. Together, they became a famous dance team. They starred in many MGM movie musicals in the 1940s and 1950s.

Some of their popular films include:

• Till the Clouds Roll By (1946)
• Show Boat (1951)
• Everything I Have Is Yours (1952)
• Mr. Music (1950, with Bing Crosby)
• Give a Girl a Break (1953)
• Jupiter's Darling (1955)
• Three for the Show (1955)

MGM wanted them to remake old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies. But the Champions only remade one, Lovely to Look At (1952). They didn't want to remake the others.

Marge and Gower Champion (1957)

Marge and Gower also appeared on the TV show What's My Line? as "Mystery Guests" in 1955 and 1959. In the summer of 1957, they had their own TV series called The Marge and Gower Champion Show. It was a comedy with lots of song and dance. Marge played a dancer, and Gower played a choreographer.

Later Work and Choreography

In the 1970s, Marge Champion worked with others to create special church services that included dance and music. They even wrote two books about this work: Catch the New Wind and God Is a Verb.

Marge also helped with the TV miniseries The Awakening Land (1978). She coached the actors on their dialogue and movements. She also taught dance and choreographed shows in New York City. In 1982, she made a rare acting appearance on the TV show Fame. She played a ballet teacher in that episode.

Broadway Stage Performances

Marge Champion performed in several musicals and plays on Broadway. Her first New York show was What's Up in 1943. She also performed in Dark of the Moon (1945) and Beggar's Holiday (1946). Her last Broadway performance was in 3 for Tonight in 1955.

She also worked behind the scenes as a choreographer or assistant for shows like Lend an Ear (1948) and Hello, Dolly! (1964). In 2001, she appeared as Emily Whitman in a Broadway show called Follies. She was 81 years old at the time! Marge once said that dancers are often "done" by age 40. But she wanted to be an actress because acting careers can last longer.

Personal Life

Marge Champion married Art Babbitt, a Disney animator who created the character Goofy, in 1937. They divorced three years later. In 1947, she married Gower Champion, and they had two sons, Blake and Gregg. They divorced in 1973. Marge and Gower had known each other since they were 12 years old.

In 1977, Marge married director Boris Sagal. He sadly died four years later in a helicopter accident in 1981. Marge became a stepmother to his five children, including Katey Sagal. Her son Blake died in a car accident in 1987 when he was 25.

Later Years and Passing

Marge Champion turned 100 years old on September 2, 2019. She passed away one year later, on October 21, 2020, at her son's home in Los Angeles. She was 101 years old.

Legacy and Awards

Marge Champion choreographed several productions, including Whose Life Is It Anyway? and Queen of the Stardust Ballroom. For Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, she won an Emmy Award.

She received the Disney Legends Award in 2007 for her work with Disney. Two years later, she was added to the National Museum of Dance's Hall of Fame. In 2013, she received The Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award.

Marge Champion was interviewed in many documentaries. One was about the film The Swimmer. She also appeared in a short film called "Still Dancing" with fellow dancer Donald Saddler. This film showed how these two dancers continued to live meaningful lives and even danced twice a week in their 90s!

Selected Filmography

Images for kids

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  Robot for kids

See also

In Spanish: Marge Champion para niños