Toni Basil facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Toni Basil
Basil in 2016
Born	Antonia Christina Basilotta (1943-09-22) September 22, 1943 (age 81) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education	Las Vegas High School (graduate)
Occupation	Singer dancer actress choreographer film director
Years active	1964–present
Awards	American Choreography Award for Outstanding Achievement in Television
Musical career
Genres	New wave
Labels	Chrysalis Virgin

Antonia Christina Basilotta (born September 22, 1943), known as Toni Basil, is an American singer, dancer, actress, and director. She is also a talented choreographer. Toni Basil is most famous for her hit song "Mickey". This song became number one in the US, Canada, and Australia. It also reached the top ten in many other countries.

About Toni Basil

Early Life and School

Toni Basil was born Antonia Christina Basilotta on September 22, 1943, in Philadelphia. Her father was a band leader, and her mother was a performer in vaudeville shows. Toni's family has Italian roots.

She grew up in Las Vegas, where her father moved the family for his job. In 1961, Toni graduated from Las Vegas High School. She was the head cheerleader there. She later used her cheerleading skills in her dance career. This included her famous "Mickey" song and video. The cheerleader uniform she wore in the "Mickey" video was her actual high school uniform.

Her Amazing Career

Toni Basil has had a long and exciting career in entertainment. She is known for her work in dance, music, acting, and directing.

Dance and Choreography

Toni started dancing professionally when she was a child. Her career really took off in 1964. She worked as an assistant choreographer and dancer on Shindig!. This was a popular music show on the ABC network. She was also a main dancer in the 1964 movie Pajama Party. She danced in the Elvis Presley movie Viva Las Vegas too.

In 1964, she helped choreograph the concert film T.A.M.I. Show. This film was later chosen to be saved in the National Film Registry. This means it is very important to American culture and history. Toni also choreographed for movies like Village of the Giants (1965) and Head (1968).

She choreographed for The Carol Burnett Show and for Princess Grace Kelly's TV special. In 1980, Toni choreographed and helped direct the music video for "Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads. She also worked with David Bowie on his tours in 1974 and 1987. She choreographed his video for "Time Will Crawl".

Toni has worked with Bette Midler for many years. She also helped choreograph Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour in 2008/2009. Because of her dance skills, she was a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance?.

Toni Basil helped bring street dance to everyone's attention. She was a founding member and manager of The Lockers. This street dance group is known for changing dance. Toni is seen as a pioneer for mixing ballet with street dance. She did this for a piece called "Swan Lake" on Saturday Night Live in 1978.

The Lockers performed with Frank Sinatra at places like Carnegie Hall. They also appeared on many TV shows, including Saturday Night Live. In 2019, Toni choreographed for Quentin Tarantino's film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. She was 75 years old at the time!

Music Career

Toni Basil's music career began in 1966. Her most famous song is "Mickey," released in 1982. It's a cover of a 1979 song called "Kitty" by the band Racey. Toni added the famous "Oh Mickey, you're so fine" chant.

The "Mickey" music video was created, directed, and choreographed by Toni herself. It came out before MTV even started. The song quickly became a huge hit. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. It also topped the charts in Canada and Australia. The song sold over 2 million copies in the United States. The "Mickey" video was one of the most popular early MTV videos. In the video, Toni wore her actual high school cheerleader uniform. She still owns that sweater today!

VH1 ranked "Mickey" as Number 6 on its list of the "100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the '80s."

Toni Basil has released two albums. Her first album, Word of Mouth (1982), included another song that charted, "Shoppin' from A to Z". Her second album, Toni Basil (1983), had the song "Over My Head," which did well on the U.S. Dance chart.

Acting Career

Toni Basil has also acted in several films and TV shows. She appeared in movies like Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces. She was also in Mother, Jugs & Speed and Rockula. On TV, she appeared in shows like Laverne & Shirley and Baywatch Nights.

Filmmaking and Music Videos

Toni Basil directed short art films like Game of the Week and The Ping Pong Match. These films were shown in art museums. Her video album Word of Mouth was nominated for a Grammy Award and an MTV Video Music Award. She directed and choreographed the video for Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime."

Awards and Achievements

Toni Basil has received many awards for her work. These include:

• The Hip Hop International's Living Legend Award.
• A Grammy nomination for her video album Word of Mouth.
• An Emmy Award for her choreography on The Smothers Brothers in 1988.
• Two MTV Award nominations.
• American Choreography Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Innovator award.
• The Los Angeles Theater Ovation: Street Dance Award.

Her work has been shown in famous museums like the Museum of Modern Art. She has received platinum and gold records for her music sales in many countries. Her song "Mickey" is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It is recognized as one of the most important singles of the 1980s.

In 2023, Toni Basil was added to the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Filmography

Discography

Studio Albums

Compilation Albums

Singles

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Toni Basil para niños