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Vera-Ellen

Vera-Ellen

Actor · 1921 – 1981 · Norwood, Ohio, USA

Vera-Ellen (February 16, 1921 - August 30, 1981) was an American dancer and actress. She began dancing at the age of 10, and a few years later became one of the youngest Rockettes. She appeared in several Broadway musicals until she was spotted by film producer Samuel Goldwyn in 1945. She was only 24 years old when Goldwyn cast her opposite Danny Kaye in Wonder Man (1945). She danced with Fred Astaire in Three Little Words (1950) and with Gene Kelly in On the Town (1949). Blonde, slim of build, and a dancing sensation, she appeared in a string of light-hearted but successful films. Vera-Ellen retired from acting in the late 1950s. Vera's career died down in the late 1950s once filmed musicals lost their fashion. It was later discovered that, due to the dancer's compulsive dieting obsession, she had silently battled anorexia throughout much of the 50s before anyone was even aware or doctors had even coined the term or devised treatments. Moreover, she had developed severe arthritis which forced an early retirement. In order to combat it, she reverted back to taking dance lessons again. The worst blows suffered, however, was in her personal life. On top of of two two failed marriages, she lost her only child, Victoria Ellen Rothschild, to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in 1963. With one unhappy and tragic event compounded by another, she became a virtual recluse. Little was heard for decades until it was discovered that she had died on August 30, 1981, at age 60 following a long bout with cancer at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. She was buried at Glen Haven Memorial Park in Sylmar, California. Perhaps less remembered today compared to several of the big stars that shared the stage with her, Vera-Ellen was a lithe and lovely presence who deserved a better personal life than she got. Nevertheless, she has provided true film lovers with a lasting legacy and can easily be considered one of Hollywood's finest dancing legends.

Movies21

  • Movie7.2

    White Christmas

    1954 · 594 votes

  • Movie7.1
  • Movie5.8

    Love Happy

    1949 · 62 votes

  • Movie7.0

    On the Town

    1949 · 301 votes

  • Movie5.8

    Words and Music

    1948 · 21 votes

  • Movie6.3

    Three Little Words

    1950 · 17 votes

  • Movie6.2

    Call Me Madam

    1953 · 25 votes

  • Movie6.9

    That's Dancing!

    1985 · 22 votes

  • Movie6.3

    The Kid from Brooklyn

    1946 · 14 votes

  • Movie8.0
  • Movie6.1

    Happy Go Lovely

    1951 · 12 votes

  • Movie7.8
  • Movie5.7

    The Belle of New York

    1952 · 15 votes

  • Movie5.4

    Let's Be Happy

    1957 · 4 votes

  • Movie7.3

    Big Leaguer

    1953 · 7 votes

  • Movie7.0
  • Movie6.6

    Wonder Man

    1945 · 45 votes

  • Movie7.3
  • Movie7.0

    Carnival in Costa Rica

    1947 · 3 votes

  • Movie5.8
  • Movie5.0

Series4

  • TV6.8

    The Ed Sullivan Show

    1948 · 23 votes

  • TV6.9

    The Colgate Comedy Hour

    1950 · 13 votes

  • TV6.4
  • TV6.7

    Killer Sally

    2022 · 73 votes