Mitzi Gaynor, the Hollywood veteran, died on October 17 at the age of 93, her management team confirmed. The actress, singer, and dancer was most renowned for her role in the 1958 film South Pacific. However, some assume she worked on the 1954 film White Christmas.
This is untrue, as Vera-Ellen worked on the musical film directed by Michael Curtiz. The two share striking similarities, confusing many who, to this day, believe Mitzi Gaynor performed the iconic dance sequence alongside Danny Kaye.
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Learn more about veteran Mitzi Gaynor's career
In her own right, Mitzi Gaynor was an established actress and performer with a career that spanned more than eight decades. Born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber, she first stepped into Hollywood when she moved there with her family. Her dad was a violinist, cellist, and music director, while her mother was a dancer. And so, with performing in her blood, she began learning ballerina as a child.
By age 13, she signed on with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera Company as a singer and dancer. Five years later, by age 17, she was recruited by Twentieth Century Fox under a seven-year contract. During that time, she lent her talents to several musical films.
Her foray into the world of film came in the form of the musical My Blue Heaven, which debuted in 1950. She nabbed a supporting role in the same and Take Care of My Little Girl, which came out the following year. She also had stints in several films, including The I Don't Care Girl (1952) as Eva Tanguay, Down Among the Sheltering Palms (1953), and Three Young Texans (1954).
However, in her prime, her most iconic film at Fox remains Irving Berlin's There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), where she worked alongside giants like Ethel Merman, Dan Dailey, Marilyn Monroe, Donald O'Connor, and Johnnie Ray. In speaking about her co-stars with Closer in January 2024, the veteran revealed they forged "lifelong" friendships.
"My costars Ethel Merman and Donald O’Connor became lifelong friends. Donald and I worked so well together. He could do anything and do it well. I wish we’d made more films together."
In her personal life, Mitzi Gaynor was married to Jack Bean from 1954 till his death in 2006. They shared a home on North Arden Drive in Beverly Hills, California, and the two did not have kids. Bean eventually started his firm, Bean & Rose, allowing him to serve as Gaynor's career manager.
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