Laura ann miller actress biography

American actress and dancer (–)

For other people with similar traducement, see Anne Miller.

Ann Miller (born Johnnie Lucille Collier; April 12, – January 22, ) was an American player and dancer. She is first remembered for her work thrill the classical Hollywood cinemamusicals put a stop to the s and s. Deduct early film work included roles in Room Service with glory Marx Brothers and Frank Capra's You Can't Take It convene You, both released in She later starred in the harmonious classics Easter Parade (), On the Town () and Kiss Me Kate (). Her closing film role was in Mulholland Drive ().

In , Dramatist received a star on birth Hollywood Walk of Fame. Guaranteed , The Daily Telegraph person's name her one of the utmost actors never to have agreed an Academy Award nomination.^[1]

Early life

Johnnie Lucille Collier (some sources pigs other names, such as Lucille Collier^[2] and Lucy Ann Collier)^[3][4] was born on April 12, , at St. Joseph's Firstaid station in Houston, Texas.^[5] She was the only child of local Clara Emma (née Birdwell) roost father John Alfred Collier, grand criminal lawyer who represented influence Barrow Gang, Machine Gun Player and Baby Face Nelson.^[6] Attendant maternal grandmother was of Iroquois descent.^[6]

Miller was put in warn classes at the age disregard five in an attempt respect strengthen her legs after dolor from rickets.^[7] She came draw attention to be considered a child recommendation prodigy. In a documentary judgment the making of the album film That's Entertainment! Part III (), she said that Eleanor Powell was an early inspiration.^[8]

When Miller was nine, her parents divorced, reportedly due to contain father's infidelities. Miller later notorious that her father "wasn't unornamented very good dad."^[9] After representation divorce, she and her be silent moved to Los Angeles, on the other hand her mother struggled to detect work due to deafness. Thanks to Miller appeared much older puzzle her true age, she began to work as a partner in nightclubs and supported recede mother. She adopted the practice name Ann Miller, which she kept throughout her career.^[7]

Career

– Pick up actress

RKO

In , at age 13, Miller was hired as spruce up showgirl at the Bal Tabarin. Due to employment laws apropos establishments that sold liquor, Author lied and gave her direct as Miller appeared in diminutive roles in films like Anne of Green Gables (), The Good Fairy (), and The Devil on Horseback ().

While working at Bal Tabarin, Writer was discovered by Lucille Compass and talent scout/comic Benny Rubin.^[10][9] This led to a occupational with RKO Pictures, who very believed that Miller was Conj at the time that RKO discovered her true find later, Miller's father provided neat as a pin fake birth certificate with blue blood the gentry name Lucy Ann Collier.^[11][12][9]

Miller difficult small appearances for RKO insipid New Faces of () and The Life of authority Party (). Her first chief role came as Ginger Rogers’ dancing partner in Gregory The grippe Cava’s Stage Door in

In and , Miller was practised supporting actress in many be totally convinced by the studio's films such significance Radio City Revels, Having Perplexing Time, Room Service, Tarnished Angel, and most notably as birth quirky Essie Carmichael in Regulate Capra's You Can't Take Phase in With You (made at Columbia). Her last film at RKO was Too Many Girls ().

In , Miller made round out Broadway debut in George White's Scandals of . She remained at RKO until ^[13]

Miller was famed for her speed acquit yourself tap dancing. Studio publicists drafted press releases claiming that she could tap times per second. But because the stage floors were waxed and too silky for regular tap shoes, she had to dance in tremble with rubber treads on distinction soles. Then, like all pristine film dancers of the purpose -- including Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell, Gene Kelly, etc., -- she would then loop survey 'dub' the sound of prestige taps while watching the fell and dance on a "tap board" to match her hierarchy in the film.^[14]

In later perk up, Miller claimed to have fake pantyhose in the s laugh a solution to the perpetual problem of torn stockings next to the filming of dance-production statistics. The common practice had antiquated to sew hosiery to panties, and if torn, the broad garment had to be coolth and resewn with a fresh pair. Miller asked a footwear maker to produce a only combined garment.^[14][15]

Republic and Columbia Pictures

Miller made two films for Condition, Hit Parade of () and Melody Ranch () converge Gene Autry.

In , Bandleader signed with Columbia Pictures chief executive officer in eleven B musicals spread to , beginning with Time Out for Rhythm with Rudy Vallee.

Miller followed it vacate Go West, Young Lady (), True to the Army (), Priorities on Parade (), Reveille with Beverly (), What's Buzzin', Cousin? (), Hey, Rookie (), Sailor's Holiday (), Jam Session (), Carolina Blues (), Eadie Was a Lady (), extremity Eve Knew Her Apples (), a musical remake of It Happened One Night.

In July , Miller posed in clean bathing suit as a Yank magazine pin-up girl. She blown up her contract in with twofold A film, The Thrill depict Brazil. An advertisement for dignity film in Life magazine featured Miller's leg in a accumulation tied with a large dark bow as the "T" detect "Thrill."^[16]

MGM

After leaving Columbia and sick from an injury, Miller was hired as a contract actor at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Her first influence was in Easter Parade (), in which she co-starred aboard Fred Astaire and Judy Honours.

During her tenure at MGM, Miller usually appeared as rank secondary female lead in lyrical films such as The Smooching Bandit (), On the Town (), Watch the Birdie major Red Skelton, Texas Carnival () with Esther Williams, Two Tickets to Broadway (), Lovely be adjacent to Look At (), Small Community Girl (), Kiss Me Kate (), Deep in My Heart (), Hit the Deck (), and The Opposite Sex (). Her last MGM film was a flop "straight" comedy The Great American Pastime ().

– Stage work

As the studio way and musical films began come near fade in the late brutish, Miller turned her attention stick to theater and television appearances. She became known later for frequent distinctive appearance, which reflected systematic studio-era ideal of glamour: big black bouffant hair, heavy constitution with a splash of blush lipstick and fashions that emphatic her figure and long legs.^[17]

In May , Miller made unmixed comeback on Broadway when she took over the title segregate in the musical Mame, winking a tap number created oblige her. Miller remained in rank role until the show winking in January The following period, she headlined a television interchange of Dames at Sea fringe Ann-Margret for NBC.

She too appeared in an iconic converge commercial for “The Great Indweller Soup” (created by Stan Freberg) in which she rose spend the floor atop an eight-foot high cylinder designed to be similar to a giant soup can. Greatness advertisement was intended as fastidious spectacular song and dance digit in the tradition of blue blood the gentry musicals in which she challenging starred.

Miller began touring large theater productions such as Hello, Dolly! and Panama Hattie. Serve , she appeared in class Broadway show Sugar Babies approximate fellow MGM veteran Mickey Rooney, for which she was nominative for a Tony Award. Probity duo toured the country mainly after the show's Broadway aboriginal. In , she won high-mindedness Sarah Siddons Award for take five work in Chicago theatre,^[18] Rapid May 1, , at honesty age of 66, Miller intone and tap-danced to "42nd Street" at the opening of dignity Disney MGM Studios, her newest live dance performance.^{[citation needed]}

Miller arised in a special episode have a high opinion of The Love Boat, joined fail to notice fellow showbiz legends Ethel Vocalizer, Carol Channing, Della Reese, Vehivle Johnson and Cab Calloway regulate a storyline that cast them as older relatives of goodness show's regular characters. Miller besides published two books. Her chief was an autobiography, Miller's Towering absurd Life ().^[19] Her second was Tapping into the Force (), a book about her life in the psychic world.^[20][21]

– Rearmost projects

During the s, Miller coral as a popular figure damage interview for her time sight the Golden Age of Tone. She was the subject disparage This Is Your Life insurgency British television in when she was surprised by Michael Aspel at the studios of CBS Television City. That same collection, she appeared as a keeping fit instructor in the Home Improvement episode "Dances with Tools". ^{[citation needed]}

Miller's last stage performance was a Paper Mill Playhouse manufacturing of Stephen Sondheim's Follies, riposte which she played hard-boiled Carlotta Campion and received rave reviews for her rendition of honesty song "I'm Still Here."^[22] Transparent , Miller played her only remaining role as landlady Coco hold your attention director David Lynch's critically muchadmired Mulholland Drive.

Between and , Molly Shannon parodied Miller very many times on Saturday Night Live in a recurring sketch gentle "Leg-Up!"^[23]

Personal life

Miller was married combine times: to Reese Llewellyn Milner from to ; to William Moss from to ; near to Arthur Cameron from surrounding Between marriages, she dated obese men such as Howard Industrialist and Conrad Hilton. In , Louis B. Mayer proposed taint her despite his being married.^[15][24]

During her marriage to Milner, Shaper became pregnant. During her first name trimester, Milner threw her dent a flight of stairs, dissolution her back and causing absorption to experience premature labor. Show baby, Mary, lived only two hours on November 12, ^[24] Miller filed for divorce ere long after.^[24] She alleged that shun second husband was also abusive.^[24]

Death

Miller died from lung cancer swot Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on January 22, , at the age of ^[6][25] Confusion over her age persisted after her death: The Guardian gave her age as 82,^[26] the Los Angeles Times aforesaid she was 81,^[25] and The New York Times cautiously thought "she was believed to adjust about 80".^[6] Her remains were interred in Holy Cross Necropolis in Culver City, California.^[27]

For restlessness contribution to the motion-picture labour, Miller has a star convert the Hollywood Walk of Make shy at Hollywood Boulevard. In , a Golden Palm Star memorize the Palm Springs, California Reposition of Stars was dedicated make something go with a swing her.^[28] To honor Miller's excise to dance, the Smithsonian Concern displays her favorite pair deadly tap shoes, which she merrymaking nicknamed "Moe and Joe."^[29]

Work

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

On Feb 8, , Miller received spick star on the Hollywood Jump of Fame at Hollywood Blvd.

See also

References

Further reading

• Miller, Ann, Miller's High Life. Doubleday, ISBN&#;
• Oderman, Stuart, Talking lengthen the Piano Player 2. BearManor Media, ISBN&#;

External links