This page uses content from the Cyd Charisse biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

Cyd Charisse (born Tula Ellice Finklea on March 8, 1921) is an American dancer and actress. She was born in Amarillo, Texas, and reputedly, the name "Cyd" was a nickname taken from a sibling trying to say "Sis."

Charisse performed in celebrated on-screen pairings with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Her work includes two of the most acclaimed dance sequences in musical cinema, the "Broadway Melody Ballet" sequence from the movie Singin' in the Rain and the "Girl Hunt Ballet" from The Band Wagon. She appeared more recently in Janet Jackson's "Alright" music video. Charisse's singing voice was usually dubbed in her musical film appearances, most often by India Adams.

Charisse has been married to singer Tony Martin since 1948, more than 50 years, something of an achievement for a Hollywood marriage. She was previously married to Nico Charisse from 1939 to 1947. She has two sons, Nico "Nicky" Charisse from her first marriage and Tony Martin Jr. from her second. Her niece is actress Nana Visitor. Her daughter-in-law is Liv Lindeland, who was Playboy Magazine's Playmate of the Month in January 1971 and featured as Playmate of the Year for 1971 in the January 1972 issue.

She wrote a joint biography with Martin (and Dick Kleiner) entitled The Two of Us (1976). She is featured in the 2001 Guinness Book of World Records under "Most Valuable Legs," since a $5 million insurance policy was accepted on her legs in 1952. She beat the previous record holder Betty Grable.

When in her 60s, she produced a workout video. Now in her 80s, Charisse still makes occasional appearances in documentaries on Hollywood musicals.

On Novemember 9, 2006, in a private White House ceremony, President George W. Bush presented Cyd Charisse with the National Medal of the Arts and Humanities, the highest official U.S. honor available in the arts.[1]

Filmography

• Rhumba Serenade (1941) (soundie)
• Poeme (1941) (soundie)
• I Knew It Would Be This Way (1941) (soundie)
• Did Anyone Call? (1941) (soundie)
• Magic of Magnolias (1942) (soundie)
• This Love of Mine (1942) (soundie)
• Something to Shout About (1943)
• Mission to Moscow (1943)
• Thousands Cheer (1943)
• The Harvey Girls (1946)
• Ziegfeld Follies (1946)
• Three Wise Fools (1946)
• Till the Clouds Roll By (1946)
• Fiesta (1947)
• The Unfinished Dance (1947)
• On an Island with You (1948)
• The Kissing Bandit (1948)
• Words and Music (1948)
• East Side, West Side (1949)
• Tension (1950)
• Mark of the Renegade (1951)
• Singin' in the Rain (1952)
• The Wild North (1952)
• Sombrero (1953)
• The Band Wagon (1953)
• Easy to Love (1953) (cameo)
• Brigadoon (1954)
• Deep in My Heart (1954)
• 1955 Motion Picture Theatre Celebration (1955) (short subject)
• It's Always Fair Weather (1955)
• Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956)
• Silk Stockings (1957)
• Twilight for the Gods (1958)
• Party Girl (1958)
• Black Tights (1960)
• Five Golden Hours (1961)
• Something's Got to Give (1962) (unfinished)
• Two Weeks in Another Town (1962)
• Assassination in Rome (1965)
• The Silencers (1966)
• Maroc 7 (1967)
• Film Portait (1972) (documentary)
• Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
• Warlords of Atlantis (1978)
• Private Screening (1989)
• That's Entertainment! III (1994)

External links

• Legs - A tribute to Cyd Charisse
• The Official Cyd Charisse Web Site
• The Cyd Charisse Appreciation Page

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