Cyd Charisse could sing, act, and dance, and people remembered her legs almost as much as her talent. She became one of the brightest figures from the old Hollywood era and many still think of her as the definition of elegance.
She started out as a sick and skinny kid in Texas and her nickname Sid came from her brother who could not say Sis. Later a producer changed it to the spelling everyone knows today.
After she had polio her parents signed her up for ballet so she could get stronger. She explained it simply when she said: “I was skinny, and it looked like a good way to build me up.”
Dance became her lifelong passion and it shaped everything that came after. By her teenage years she was getting noticed by serious teachers and she trained in Los Angeles, London, and Paris while trying out different stage names.
She first appeared in movies through small dance parts and she did not even get credit for some of them. MGM signed her anyway because they saw something in the way she moved. She later got attention when she danced with Gene Kelly for a short moment in Ziegfeld Follies even though the part was small.
Her major breakthrough came in Singin in the Rain where she did not say one line. In the green dress with her long legs and smooth movements she created one of the most famous scenes in all of movie musicals.
People often asked her whether she liked dancing with Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly more. She once answered: “I’d say they were the two greatest dancing personalities ever to grace the screen. Each has a unique style and is a delight to work with. But it’s like comparing apples and oranges – they’re both equally wonderful.”
She kept a quiet personal life and stayed away from the wild Hollywood scene and that helped her keep a long and steady career. When musicals stopped being popular she moved into television and stage work and even performed in a nightclub act with her husband which showed she could keep entertaining at any age.
She earned honors like the National Medal of Arts and an honorary doctorate which showed how much respect she carried in the industry. She married singer Tony Martin in 1948 and they stayed together for more than sixty years.
She once explained how they met and said: “Well, he had an agent – Nat Goldstone – and I also had the same agent. Nat introduced me to Tony, and there happened to be a popular foreign film showing in town that everyone was eager to see. He invited me to go with him, and that’s how we started dating.”
They had one child together and she had another son from a previous marriage and their home life stayed mostly private. But in 1979 tragedy struck when American Airlines Flight 191 crashed outside Chicago and killed everyone on board along with two people on the ground.
One of the victims was Sheila, the wife of her son Nico. Nico had grown up in a blended but steady Hollywood home and had just become a lawyer. Losing his wife in a major air disaster brought grief that affected the whole family.
Cyd Charisse died in 2008 at the age of 86 after a heart attack. Her career left a strong mark because she brought grace, strength, and emotion to every role. People still watch her dances today and talk about how natural and effortless she made it all look.
Her influence continues as new performers discover her work and understand why she was considered one of the greatest.
