Cyd Charisse

Cyd Charisse was born in 1922. For me, she remains one of the most elegant and beautiful Hollywood icons of all time.

After recovering from polio as a child, and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s. Her roles usually focused on her abilities as a dancer, and she was paired with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly; her films include Singin' in the Rain (1952), The Band Wagon (1953) and Silk Stockings (1957). She stopped dancing in films in the late 1950s, but continued acting in film and television, and in 1992 made her Broadway debut. Her legs were reputed to be insured for $5 million. In later years she appeared in Janet Jackson's video 'Alright' at the grand old age of 68! She looked amazing! The video to the song, which was filmed in February 1990 was styled to resemble a 1930s and 1950s musical ...



As you can see from this 1953 film clip from Band Wagon with Fred Astaire, she's hardly changed ... could it be the same dress!!??

1987

I'll be writing about more of my favourite movie icons throughout my vintage blog ...