Dancer, Actress. Regarded by many as one of the top dancers in films from the 1940s and 1950s, she is best known for her performances in the MGM musicals "The Unfinished Dance" (1947), "Singin' in the Rain" (1952), and "The Band Wagon" (1953). She was born Tula Ellice Finklea in Amarillo, Texas, and began training as a ballet dancer at the age of eight. She later joined the Ballet Russe. In 1939, she married her dancing instructor Nico Charisse. Among her other memorable film credits are "Ziegfeld Follies" (1946), "The Harvey Girls" (1946), "Till the Clouds Roll By" (1946), "Fiesta" (1947), "East Side, West Side" (1949), "Brigadoon" (1954), "It's Always Fair Weather" (1955), "Meet Me in Las Vegas" (1956), "Silk Stockings" (1957), and "Twilight for the Gods" (1958). Among her leading men were Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Her second husband was singer Tony Martin.
Dancer, Actress. Regarded by many as one of the top dancers in films from the 1940s and 1950s, she is best known for her performances in the MGM musicals "The Unfinished Dance" (1947), "Singin' in the Rain" (1952), and "The Band Wagon" (1953). She was born Tula Ellice Finklea in Amarillo, Texas, and began training as a ballet dancer at the age of eight. She later joined the Ballet Russe. In 1939, she married her dancing instructor Nico Charisse. Among her other memorable film credits are "Ziegfeld Follies" (1946), "The Harvey Girls" (1946), "Till the Clouds Roll By" (1946), "Fiesta" (1947), "East Side, West Side" (1949), "Brigadoon" (1954), "It's Always Fair Weather" (1955), "Meet Me in Las Vegas" (1956), "Silk Stockings" (1957), and "Twilight for the Gods" (1958). Among her leading men were Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Her second husband was singer Tony Martin.
Bio by: C.S.
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Beloved Wife
Mother & Grandmother
She Danced Into Our Hearts
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