MITZI GAYNOR
Name: Mitzi Gaynor
Born: 4 September 1931 Chicago, Illinois
Mitzi Gaynor (born September 4, 1931, Chicago, Illinois) is an American actress,
singer, and dancer.
Born as Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber, Gaynor trained as a ballerina as
a child and began her career as a chorus dancer. She sang, acted and danced in a
number of film musicals, often paired with some of the biggest male musical
stars.
Notable early roles included There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) which
featured Irving Berlin's music and also starred Ethel Merman, Dan Dailey,
Marilyn Monroe, Donald O'Connor, and Johnnie Ray.
She also appeared in Les Girls (1957, directed by George Cukor) with Gene Kelly
and Kay Kendall, and the remake of Anything Goes (1956), co-starring Bing Crosby,
Donald O'Connor, and Zizi Jeanmaire, loosely based on the musical by Cole Porter,
P.G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton.
Gaynor's biggest international fame came from her starring role as Ensign Nellie
Forbush in the film version of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's South
Pacific, one of the most financially successful musicals of all time, although
it was largely panned by critics. For her performance, she was nominated for a
Golden Globe Award for best actress.
She made films with many other well-known stars, including Ginger Rogers, Frank
Sinatra, David Niven, Dan Dailey, Betty Grable and Oscar Levant. She made her
last film to date in the early 1960s. One of her last films was the United
Kingdom production Surprise Package (1960), a musical comedy thriller directed
by Stanley Donen. Her co-stars were Yul Brynner and Noel Coward. The film had a
theme song by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn.
Following her film work, Gaynor remained a popular favorite. She often performed
songs at Academy Awards ceremonies. At the 1967 Oscar telecast, she sang the
theme from the film Georgy Girl. Gaynor later added the number to her concert
repertoire. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Gaynor starred in nine acclaimed
television specials which garnered 16 Emmy nominations.
Gaynor also recorded two albums for the Verve label - one called Mitzi, and the
second called Mitzi Gaynor Sings the Lyrics of Ira Gershwin. It is estimated
that she earned more from the record royalties on the South Pacific soundtrack
album than her salary for the movie. She also recorded the title song from her
film, Happy Anniversary for the Top Rank label.
For several decades, Mitzi Gaynor was a top attraction in Las Vegas and at
nightclub and concert venues throughout the Unites States and Canada. During the
1990s, Gaynor also became a featured columnist for the influential newsmagazine
The Hollywood Reporter. During her nightclub years, Gaynor rehearsed and broke
in her night club routines at 'The Cave,' a popular night club in Vancouver. She
developed a certain affinity for the city and was much appreciated by both the
local media and the viewing public, frequently making guest appearances on local
television for interviews. "Mitzi's back in town," became an annual slogan when
Gaynor would come to the city for a number of weeks each year to break in her
Las Vegas routines.
On October 14, 2006, the NY Alumni "adopted" Gaynor as an official "New Yorker"
at Beverly Hills High School in California. New York City Mayor Michael
Bloomberg issued a proclamation paying tribute to her distinguished career as a
singer, dancer, actress and writer.LA Style Watch.
On December 4, 2006, Jack Bean, Gaynor's husband of 52 years, died of pneumonia
in the couple's Beverly Hills home, aged 84. A producer and personal manager,
Bean guided Gaynor's career, most notably securing her the lead role in South
Pacific, even over the character's creator on Broadway, Mary Martin.
On April 10, 2007 Mitzi Gaynor was honored by the Museum of Television & Radio
in Los Angeles with a special evening celebrating her acclaimed television
specials of the 1960s and 70's. The sold-out event, Mitzi Gaynor Razzle-Dazzle!:The
Special Years, featured a screening followed by a panel discussion with Gaynor,
designer Bob Mackie and director/choreographer Tony Charmoli. In conjunction
with the event, the Museum also featured a month-long gallery exhibit, Mitzi By
Mackie, featuring Bob Mackie's Emmy-winning costumes from her specials along
with a selection of costumes from Gaynor's legendary stage shows and concert
appearances.
Miss Gaynor is currently at work on a new one-woman live stage show and a DVD
box set of her television specials.
Name: Mitzi Gaynor
Born: 4 September 1931 Chicago, Illinois
Mitzi Gaynor (born September 4, 1931, Chicago, Illinois) is an American actress,
singer, and dancer.
Born as Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber, Gaynor trained as a ballerina as
a child and began her career as a chorus dancer. She sang, acted and danced in a
number of film musicals, often paired with some of the biggest male musical
stars.
Notable early roles included There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) which
featured Irving Berlin's music and also starred Ethel Merman, Dan Dailey,
Marilyn Monroe, Donald O'Connor, and Johnnie Ray.
She also appeared in Les Girls (1957, directed by George Cukor) with Gene Kelly
and Kay Kendall, and the remake of Anything Goes (1956), co-starring Bing Crosby,
Donald O'Connor, and Zizi Jeanmaire, loosely based on the musical by Cole Porter,
P.G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton.
Gaynor's biggest international fame came from her starring role as Ensign Nellie
Forbush in the film version of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's South
Pacific, one of the most financially successful musicals of all time, although
it was largely panned by critics. For her performance, she was nominated for a
Golden Globe Award for best actress.
She made films with many other well-known stars, including Ginger Rogers, Frank
Sinatra, David Niven, Dan Dailey, Betty Grable and Oscar Levant. She made her
last film to date in the early 1960s. One of her last films was the United
Kingdom production Surprise Package (1960), a musical comedy thriller directed
by Stanley Donen. Her co-stars were Yul Brynner and Noel Coward. The film had a
theme song by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn.
Following her film work, Gaynor remained a popular favorite. She often performed
songs at Academy Awards ceremonies. At the 1967 Oscar telecast, she sang the
theme from the film Georgy Girl. Gaynor later added the number to her concert
repertoire. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Gaynor starred in nine acclaimed
television specials which garnered 16 Emmy nominations.
Gaynor also recorded two albums for the Verve label - one called Mitzi, and the
second called Mitzi Gaynor Sings the Lyrics of Ira Gershwin. It is estimated
that she earned more from the record royalties on the South Pacific soundtrack
album than her salary for the movie. She also recorded the title song from her
film, Happy Anniversary for the Top Rank label.
For several decades, Mitzi Gaynor was a top attraction in Las Vegas and at
nightclub and concert venues throughout the Unites States and Canada. During the
1990s, Gaynor also became a featured columnist for the influential newsmagazine
The Hollywood Reporter. During her nightclub years, Gaynor rehearsed and broke
in her night club routines at 'The Cave,' a popular night club in Vancouver. She
developed a certain affinity for the city and was much appreciated by both the
local media and the viewing public, frequently making guest appearances on local
television for interviews. "Mitzi's back in town," became an annual slogan when
Gaynor would come to the city for a number of weeks each year to break in her
Las Vegas routines.
On October 14, 2006, the NY Alumni "adopted" Gaynor as an official "New Yorker"
at Beverly Hills High School in California. New York City Mayor Michael
Bloomberg issued a proclamation paying tribute to her distinguished career as a
singer, dancer, actress and writer.LA Style Watch.
On December 4, 2006, Jack Bean, Gaynor's husband of 52 years, died of pneumonia
in the couple's Beverly Hills home, aged 84. A producer and personal manager,
Bean guided Gaynor's career, most notably securing her the lead role in South
Pacific, even over the character's creator on Broadway, Mary Martin.
On April 10, 2007 Mitzi Gaynor was honored by the Museum of Television & Radio
in Los Angeles with a special evening celebrating her acclaimed television
specials of the 1960s and 70's. The sold-out event, Mitzi Gaynor Razzle-Dazzle!:The
Special Years, featured a screening followed by a panel discussion with Gaynor,
designer Bob Mackie and director/choreographer Tony Charmoli. In conjunction
with the event, the Museum also featured a month-long gallery exhibit, Mitzi By
Mackie, featuring Bob Mackie's Emmy-winning costumes from her specials along
with a selection of costumes from Gaynor's legendary stage shows and concert
appearances.
Miss Gaynor is currently at work on a new one-woman live stage show and a DVD
box set of her television specials.