Onna White facts for kids

Onna White (born March 24, 1922 – died April 8, 2005) was a talented Canadian choreographer and dancer. She was known for creating amazing dance routines for many famous Broadway shows and Hollywood movies. Onna White was nominated for eight Tony Awards, which are very important awards for theater.

Onna White's Early Life and Career

Onna White was born in a place called Inverness, in Nova Scotia, Canada. She started taking dance lessons when she was twelve years old. Her love for dance led her to study at the San Francisco Ballet. There, she danced in the first full-length show of The Nutcracker ever performed in the United States.

Her first time performing on Broadway was in a show called Finian's Rainbow in 1947. Broadway is a famous area in New York City where many big theater shows are performed. After that, she worked on another Broadway show called Hold It! in 1948. In this show, she became a dance captain, which means she helped lead the other dancers.

By 1950, Onna White was working on the very popular Broadway show Guys and Dolls. She not only performed in it but also helped the main choreographer, Michael Kidd. A choreographer is someone who creates and arranges all the dance moves for a show or movie. She worked with Michael Kidd on several shows.

In 1956, Onna White choreographed her very first Broadway show all by herself. It was called Carmen Jones. She then choreographed both the Broadway show (in 1957) and the movie version (in 1962) of The Music Man. Some of her other famous Broadway shows included Take Me Along (1959), Mame (1966), and 1776 (musical) (1969). She also choreographed the movie versions of Mame and 1776.

Onna White's Family Life

Onna White married an actor named Larry Douglas in 1948. Larry Douglas was also involved in The Music Man show. They had two children together, a daughter named Jeanne and a son named Stuart. Onna and Larry divorced in 1959. Later, in 1964, Larry Douglas married another actress, Susan Luckey, who had a role in the movie version of The Music Man.

Awards and Recognitions

Onna White received a very special award from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This is the group that gives out the Oscars. She was given an Academy Honorary Award for her amazing choreography in the movie Oliver! in 1968. This was a rare honor because the Academy does not often give awards specifically for choreography in films.

Her Oscar award was unique because it mentioned the name of the film. It said: "To Onna White for her outstanding choreography achievement for Oliver!" Other famous choreographers like Gene Kelly and Jerome Robbins also received special awards for their dance work in movies.

Theater Productions Choreographed by Onna White

Films Choreographed by Onna White

Tony Award Nominations

The Tony Awards celebrate the best of Broadway theater. Onna White was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Choreography eight times! This shows how much her work was admired in the theater world.