x

Login

Remember me
Forget password ?

Or via social

x

sign up

person_profile-Vera-Ellen

Vera-Ellen Died at age: 60

Actor | Producer

Fullname:

Vera-Ellen

Date of Birth:

Feb 16, 1921

Country of birth:

USA

Died:

Aug 30, 1981

Biography of

Vera-Ellen

    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.

Photos of

Vera-Ellen

Photos ( 6 Photos

Filmography of

Vera-Ellen

Found 19 Movies in total

Bing Crosby: Rediscovered

Self (archive footage) ( Actor )

... 2014

Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer

Self (archive footage) ( Actor )

... 2002

Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas

Judy Haynes (archive footage) ( Actor )

... 1997

That's Entertainment! III

(archive footage) ( Actor )

... 1994

... 1985

Let's Be Happy

Jeannie MacLean ( Actor )

... 1957

White Christmas

Judy Haynes ( Actor )

... 1954

Big Leaguer

Christy ( Actor )

... 1953

Call Me Madam

Princess Maria ( Actor )

... 1953

The Belle of New York

Angela Bonfils ( Actor )

... 1952

Happy Go Lovely

Janet Jones ( Actor )

... 1951

Three Little Words

Jessie Brown Kalmar ( Actor )

... 1950

On the Town

Ivy Smith ( Actor )

... 1949

Love Happy

Maggie Phillips ( Actor )

... 1949

Words and Music

Vera-Ellen ( Actor )

... 1948

Carnival in Costa Rica

Luisa Molina ( Actor )

... 1947

Three Little Girls in Blue

Myra Charters ( Actor )

... 1946

The Kid from Brooklyn

Susie Sullivan ( Actor )

... 1946

Wonder Man

Midge Mallon ( Actor )

... 1945