Tula Ellice Finklea, born on March 8, 1922, was just 6 years old when polio struck. The disease left her right side slightly weakened, and doctors worried about her future mobility. Her father, Ernest, had an interesting plan. He encouraged her to start ballet lessons to build up her strength. “I was this tiny, frail little girl, I needed to build up muscle, and I fell in love with dancing from the first lesson,” she would later say. The sickly child from Amarillo, Texas, would grow up to become Cyd Charisse, one of Hollywood’s most elegant and sensual dancers.
Her journey from polio patient to silver screen goddess shows what happens when talent meets determination. Charisse didn’t just overcome her physical challenges. She turned them into the foundation for a legendary career.
When the family vacationed in Los Angeles at the age of 12, her parents enrolled her in a Hollywood ballet school. One of her teachers was Nico Charisse, a Greek American dance instructor who later would become her first husband at the age of 17. After she returned as a full-time student during her teens.
While at the school, Colonel W. de Basil, director of the Ballet Russe dance company, visited and spotted something special in the young dancer. He invited her to join his touring company. She performed under Russian stage names like Natacha Tulaelis and Felia Siderova. The company required these exotic aliases, but she said they gave her valuable experience in classical technique.
In 1939, while touring France with the ballet company, she eloped with her teacher, Nico Charisse. They had one son, Nico, before divorcing in 1947.
MGM Studios Takes Notice
Her classical training set her apart from other Hollywood dancers of the era. While most female stars relied on pretty charm and tap dancing skills, Cyd Charisse brought the discipline and grace of Russian ballet to American movie screens. The audiences craved sophistication and found that in her performances.
Hollywood called to her in 1943 when she made her film debut in “Something to Shout About,” performing a ballet sequence under the stage name Lily Norwood. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios noticed her work and offered a 7-year contract in 1946.
They suggested she change her professional name to Cyd Charisse, building on her childhood nickname, which her brother gave her: “Sid.” Her early MGM films included “The Harvey Girls” in 1946 with Judy Garland and “Words and Music” in 1948.
Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire Choose Her
Her huge breakthrough came in 1952 with “Singin’ in the Rain.” Gene Kelly had watched her earlier performances and knew she was perfect for the steamy ballet sequence in the film.
Though she only appeared for less than five minutes and spoke no dialogue, her dance with Kelly became one of cinema’s most iconic moments. Critics called her “drop-dead gorgeous.” They praised her ability to match Kelly’s athletic style while maintaining feminine grace.
Fred Astaire, the era’s most distinguished dancer, became her next major partner. In “The Band Wagon” (1953), they danced to “Dancing in the Dark” on a set designed to look like Central Park. Astaire called her “beautiful dynamite” on screen. Four years later, they reunited for “Silk Stockings,” where she played a stern Russian official who discovers the joy of American jazz and romance.
Charisse’s technical skill was just part of her appeal. She understood how to use her ballet training to create screen magic. Her long legs, dark hair, and smoldering eyes fit the new Hollywood emphasis on adult sophistication. While Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren dominated dramatic roles, Charisse ruled the world of dance.
Dance historian Larry Billman explained her appeal quite accurately. “After years when Hollywood’s leading dancers were cute and fluffy, Cyd took dance to a more sensual realm in the 1950s,” he noted. “She personified dancing sophistication.”
Charisse knew how to partner with the best male dancers. Unlike some stars who demanded the spotlight, she complemented her partners while still commanding attention. She made pirouettes look seductive. Russian ballet’s emotional intensity flowed through her American musical comedy performances.
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Nightclub Acts and Television Guest Spots
The golden age of movie musicals began fading in the early 1960s, but Charisse adapted. Challenges had never stopped her before. After divorcing Nico Charisse in 1939, Charisse and her second husband, singer Tony Martin, whom she married in 1948, created a successful nightclub cabaret act that toured around the world. They also co-wrote an autobiography called “The Two of Us” in 1976. Television brought her to new audiences through guest spots on shows like “Hawaii Five-0″ and “Murder, She Wrote.
Her boldest move came at age 70 when she made her Broadway debut in “Grand Hotel,” playing an aging Russian ballerina. The role felt perfect for someone who understood both the glory and challenges of a dancer’s life. In 2006, President George W. Bush awarded her the National Medal of the Arts, recognizing her contributions to American culture.
The Girl Who Beat Polio Becomes Hollywood Royalty
“If you worry about taking risks, don’t do it,” she told the New York Times.
Cyd Charisse died on June 17, 2008, at age 86 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Obituaries celebrated a woman who had transformed childhood illness into artistic triumph. Her story shows us that limitations can become launching pads.
The little girl who needed dance lessons to strengthen her polio-weakened muscles grew up to embody Hollywood glamour at its finest. She showed millions of viewers that grace, discipline, and determination could overcome any obstacle.
Her phenomenal legacy lives on in film clips that still take viewers’ breath away. Every time someone watches her dance with Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire, they’re seeing proof that a mentally and physically life-changing disease couldn’t stop a determined spirit from reaching for the stars.
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