If you like this person, let us know!
Birth name Tula Ellice FinkleaNationality USABirth 8 march 1921 at Amarillo (
USA)
Death 16 june 2008 (at 87 years) at Los Angeles (
USA)
Awards National Medal of Arts
Cyd Charisse (March 8, 1921 – June 17, 2008) was an American actress and dancer.
After recovering from polio as a child, and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s. Her roles usually focused on her abilities as a dancer, and she was paired with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly; her films include Singin' in the Rain (1952), The Band Wagon (1953) and Silk Stockings (1957). She stopped dancing in films in the late 1950s, but continued acting in film and television, and in 1992 made her Broadway debut. In her later years, she discussed the history of the Hollywood musical in documentaries, and was featured in That's Entertainment! III in 1994. She was awarded the National Medal of the Arts and Humanities in 2006. Biography
Charisse's first husband, whose surname she kept, was Nico Charisse (March 1906 – April 1970); they were married from 1939 and had a son, Nico "Nicky" Charisse, before divorcing in 1947. In 1948, Charisse married singer Tony Martin. They had a son, Tony Martin, Jr. (August 28, 1950 - April 10, 2011), and remained married until her death.
Her daughter-in-law is actress and model Liv Lindeland, married to Tony Martin, Jr. until his death in 2011. Sheila Charisse, another daughter-in-law died in the American Airlines Flight 191 tragedy on May 25, 1979.
Charisse, like her husband Tony Martin, Sr., was a staunch Republican and campaigned for Richard Nixon in 1968.
Charisse was ordained as a minister by the Universal Life Church.
She was the aunt of the actress Nana Visitor.
Best films
(1947)
(Actress) Usually with