There are times when an actress may touch the lives of many people and as a result, people feel connected to them in a very special way. When they die, it can affect more people than just their close circle of family and friends.
That is how many are experiencing the news that actress Mitzi Gaynor has passed away. Her death was confirmed in a statement on Twitter and the 93-year-old was said to have died peacefully from natural causes.
Many people remember Mitzi Gaynor because of the different roles that she played, including television specials and movie musicals. Her part in the performance of South Pacific, however, is one that really took her to fame.
Mitzi Gaynor was born on September 4, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois. Over the course of her life, she became well-known as a dancer and singer and would often work in Hollywood musicals and on television.
She really was destined to be part of such a lifestyle because she was raised in a creative family. Her father was a musician and her mother was a ballet dancer. She moved to Los Angeles when she was only a child and was trained in dancing.
In the 1950s, she got her big break by starring in a number of musical films. She was known as a very beautiful and vibrant individual and could really dance.
Some of the movies that she was known for starring in included one with Marilyn Monroe, ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’. She also appeared in the 1956 movie, The Birds and the Bees.
When she appeared in the film adaptation of Rogers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific in 1958, however, her career went to a new height. She starred as Ensign Nellie Forbush in that film.
During the 1960s, her success began to wane slightly so she decided to shift to something else and take part in only live performances. She would go on tours with her singing and play on the Las Vegas stage.
You would often see her on television, including a number of musical variety specials that were on in the 1960s and 1970s. She put on some high-energy performances that really left people wanting more.
Sometimes, she would appear as a guest on variety shows on TV, including The Donald O’Connor Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. She was on The Ed Sullivan Show at the same time as the Beatles’ second appearance.
In 1954, she married Jack Bean and they stayed together until he passed away in 2006. They didn’t have any children but they did enjoy life together.
May she rest in peace.
