Cyd Charisse

Birth Name:

Tula Ellice Finklea

Birth Place:

Amarillo, Texas, United States

Profession

Actress, Soundtrack

Was awarded the National Medal of the Arts by President George Bush in 2006
Began taking dance lessons as a child and later joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo after moving to California to receive professional dance training
Made her acting debut in the 1943 film "Something to Shout About," using the pseudonym Lily Norwood
Quote: "I think that in all my dancing I play a role․ To me, that's what dancing is about․ It's not just steps․"
Quote: "(In response to Gene Kelly on what she wanted engraved on her tombstone): "People sometimes had a problem placing her face, but they never forgot her pins․""
Quote: "(On how her husband, Tony Martin, knew who she'd been filming dance scenes with): "If I was black and blue, it was Gene [Kelly]․ And if it was Fred [Astaire], I didn't have a scratch․""
Best known as an actress and dancer who frequently appeared in musical films like "The Band Wagon," "Brigadoon," and "Singin' in the Rain․"
Made her Broadway debut as an aging ballerina living in 1920s Berlin in "Grand Hotel" in 1992
Was considered to have the "World's Most Valuable Legs" after rumors circulated that MGM had taken out an insurance policy on them for anywhere from $1 to $5 million
Was nicknamed "Sid" by her younger brother, who couldn't yet pronounce the word "sis," and the spelling was later changed to "Cyd" by MGM because it sounded more mysterious

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