Cyd Charisse Biography

Fast Facts

• Began taking ballet lessons as a child to build up her strength after a bout with polio
• Joined the Ballet Russe at the age of 14, performing under the names Maria Istomina and Felia Sidorova; married her dance instructor Nico Charisse when she was 18
• Appeared in bits in movies starting in 1943 under the name Lily Norwood; signed by MGM in 1946 and renamed Cyd Charisse; appeared in small parts in several of the studo's musicals
• Star-making role came in 1952's Singin' in the Rain opposite Gene Kelly in the sensational "Broadway Melody" production number
• Was also paired with Kelly in the classic musicals Brigadoon (1954) and It's Alway's Fair Weather (1955); danced with Fred Astaire in The Band Wagon (1953) and Silk Stockings (1957)
• Asked which of the two legends she preferred, she replied, "It's like comparing apples and oranges
• They're both delicious
• " MGM publicity department once claimed to have insured her famously long and shapely legs for $5 million
• As Hollywood's golden age of musicals died out in the 1960s, she made occasional appearances on TV and launched a successful nightclub act with her husband Tony Martin
• Appeared in Janet Jackson's music video for "Alright" in 1990
• Made her belated Broadway debut in 1992 in Grand Hotel