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 Gwen Verdon was born to the theater. Her mother, Gertrude, was a vaudevillian and dancer. Her father, Joseph, was an MGM studio electrician. She had to wear corrective boots as a child to straighten out her legs, which were misshapen by childhood illness. Nonetheless, she first appeared as a tapper on stage at age 6. She got her break in Bob Fosse's "Damn Yankees" in 1955. She married Fosse in 1960 and separated from him, although never divorcing him, in the mid-'70s. More stage and screen work quickly followed with highlights in "New Girl In Town", "Redhead", "Sweet Charity", and "Chicago". She and her daughter, Nicole Fosse, created the current stage musical "Fosse". Upon her death, Broadway dimmed all of its marquee lights in tribute.Born Gwyneth Evelyn Verdon in Culver City, California to British emigrant parents, Joseph William Verdon (1896-1978) and Gertrude Lillian Verdon (nee Standring; 1896-1956), she had one brother, William Farrell Vernon (1922-1991). Her father was an electrician at MGM and Gertrude was a former dancer and vaudeville veteran. When she was a child, young Gwen was afflicted with rickets, a disease that left her legs so badly misshapen that she was called "Gimpy" by other children and had to wear orthopedic boots and stiff braces. Gertrude Verdon placed her daughter in dance classes at the age of 3 in hopes of strengthening her legs and improving her carriage. By six years of age, the little girl was studying many dance forms (ballroom, Balinese, tap, jazz, juggling, flamenco) with Clara Reid.She attended Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, where she was cast in a revival of "Show Boat". However, she shocked her parents and instructors by abandoning her budding career to elope with a tabloid reporter, James Heneghan. The marriage lasted five years and produced a son, Jim Henaghan, who was entrusted to the care of his maternal grandparents. Verdon went back to work in 1948 as an assistant choreographer to the temperamental Jack Cole, whom she helped with shows like "Magdalena" and "Alive and Kicking". Although she landed a few small film roles as a "specialty dancer", she was more often delegated to instruct such actresses as Jane Russell, Lana Turner, Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe.Cole cast Verdon in his show "Alive and Kicking", but the show was a bitter disappointment to both Cole and Verdon and closed quickly. Verdon returned to Hollywood to raise her son and teach dance. However, 1953 brought 28-year-old Verdon a big break in the Cole Porter musical "Can Can", which was choreographed by Michael Kidd. Her role as "Claudine" in "Can Can" brought her a Tony. At the conclusion of the "Garden of Eden" number, the house went wild. Verdon left the stage, went to her dressing room and changed into her bathrobe. The audience would not stop applauding until she took another bow... which she did--dressed in her bathrobe. The ostensible star of the piece, Lilo, was not pleased at being outshined. Verdon's next role was as "Lola", the sexy, volatile seductress in "Damn Yankees", a role choreographed by Bob Fosse; she also played the part in the film version.Verdon won her second Tony for this role. Fosse chose Verdon over Marilyn Monroe. Fosse and Verdon collaborated on "New Girl In Town" and "Redhead", bringing her her third and fourth Tonys. She and Fosse wed in 1960. Verdon took a six-year hiatus to raise her daughter, Nicole Fosse. In 1966, she returned to the stage to portray the role of "Charity Hope Valentine" in "Sweet Charity", with a Cy Coleman/Dorothy Fields score, book by Neil Simon and choreography by none other than Fosse, himself. It ran for more than 600 performances. This musical was turned into a movie in 1969 with Shirley MacLaine in the lead. Verdon coached MacLaine throughout. Verdon and Fosse legally separated in 1971 due to Fosse's serial infidelity, but never divorced. They remained close friends and worked together on "Chicago" (Verdon's last Broadway show), in which she played "Roxie Hart", as well as the musical "Dancin'" and in Fosse's autobiographical film, All That Jazz (1979).In recent years, Verdon and her daughter, Nicole, collaborated to create the Broadway show "Fosse". Along with her two children, Verdon had four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She continued to instruct dance and musical theatre up until 1999. Unfortunately, on October 18, 2000, while visiting her daughter in Woodstock, Vermont, Verdon died in her sleep, aged 75, from natural causes. That same night, the lights on Broadway were dimmed in honor of her passing.
Bio:
Gwen Verdon was born to the theater. Her mother, Gertrude, was a vaudevillian and dancer. Her father, Joseph, was an MGM studio electrician. She had to wear corrective boots as a child to straighten out her legs, which were misshapen by childhood illness. Nonetheless, she first appeared as a tapper on stage at age 6. She got her break in Bob Fosse's "Damn Yankees" in 1955. She married Fosse in 1960 and separated from him, although never divorcing him, in the mid-'70s. More stage and screen work quickly followed with highlights in "New Girl In Town", "Redhead", "Sweet Charity", and "Chicago". She and her daughter, Nicole Fosse, created the current stage musical "Fosse". Upon her death, Broadway dimmed all of its marquee lights in tribute.
Born Gwyneth Evelyn Verdon in Culver City, California to British emigrant parents, Joseph William Verdon (1896-1978) and Gertrude Lillian Verdon (nee Standring; 1896-1956), she had one brother, William Farrell Vernon (1922-1991). Her father was an electrician at MGM and Gertrude was a former dancer and vaudeville veteran. When she was a child, young Gwen was afflicted with rickets, a disease that left her legs so badly misshapen that she was called "Gimpy" by other children and had to wear orthopedic boots and stiff braces. Gertrude Verdon placed her daughter in dance classes at the age of 3 in hopes of strengthening her legs and improving her carriage. By six years of age, the little girl was studying many dance forms (ballroom, Balinese, tap, jazz, juggling, flamenco) with Clara Reid.She attended Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, where she was cast in a revival of "Show Boat". However, she shocked her parents and instructors by abandoning her budding career to elope with a tabloid reporter, James Heneghan. The marriage lasted five years and produced a son, Jim Henaghan, who was entrusted to the care of his maternal grandparents. Verdon went back to work in 1948 as an assistant choreographer to the temperamental Jack Cole, whom she helped with shows like "Magdalena" and "Alive and Kicking". Although she landed a few small film roles as a "specialty dancer", she was more often delegated to instruct such actresses as Jane Russell, Lana Turner, Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe.Cole cast Verdon in his show "Alive and Kicking", but the show was a bitter disappointment to both Cole and Verdon and closed quickly. Verdon returned to Hollywood to raise her son and teach dance. However, 1953 brought 28-year-old Verdon a big break in the Cole Porter musical "Can Can", which was choreographed by Michael Kidd. Her role as "Claudine" in "Can Can" brought her a Tony. At the conclusion of the "Garden of Eden" number, the house went wild. Verdon left the stage, went to her dressing room and changed into her bathrobe. The audience would not stop applauding until she took another bow... which she did--dressed in her bathrobe. The ostensible star of the piece, Lilo, was not pleased at being outshined. Verdon's next role was as "Lola", the sexy, volatile seductress in "Damn Yankees", a role choreographed by Bob Fosse; she also played the part in the film version.Verdon won her second Tony for this role. Fosse chose Verdon over Marilyn Monroe. Fosse and Verdon collaborated on "New Girl In Town" and "Redhead", bringing her her third and fourth Tonys. She and Fosse wed in 1960. Verdon took a six-year hiatus to raise her daughter, Nicole Fosse. In 1966, she returned to the stage to portray the role of "Charity Hope Valentine" in "Sweet Charity", with a Cy Coleman/Dorothy Fields score, book by Neil Simon and choreography by none other than Fosse, himself. It ran for more than 600 performances. This musical was turned into a movie in 1969 with Shirley MacLaine in the lead. Verdon coached MacLaine throughout. Verdon and Fosse legally separated in 1971 due to Fosse's serial infidelity, but never divorced. They remained close friends and worked together on "Chicago" (Verdon's last Broadway show), in which she played "Roxie Hart", as well as the musical "Dancin'" and in Fosse's autobiographical film, All That Jazz (1979).In recent years, Verdon and her daughter, Nicole, collaborated to create the Broadway show "Fosse". Along with her two children, Verdon had four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She continued to instruct dance and musical theatre up until 1999. Unfortunately, on October 18, 2000, while visiting her daughter in Woodstock, Vermont, Verdon died in her sleep, aged 75, from natural causes. That same night, the lights on Broadway were dimmed in honor of her passing.
Tivia:
Taught Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe to dance.For Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), she coached stars Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe in both their dance and walk--Monroe with less sex, Russell with more.Suffered from childhood disease that caused her legs to be badly bent and misshapen; her mother enrolled her in dance to strengthen them.Although she and Bob Fosse separated in 1971, they remained married until his death in 1987. The couple had a daughter, Nicole Fosse (b. 1963). She was with Fosse when he collapsed from a heart attack just prior to the opening night of a revival of "Sweet Charity" at the National Theatre in Washington, DC; he was the director/choreographer, and she was the assistant choreographer.Although uncredited, she was an assistant choreographer in Sweet Charity (1969).Before "Sweet Charity" made it to Broadway, her throat began hurting, but she continued to sing until she was almost completely voiceless. She was hospitalized, and it was discovered that a feather from one of the boas used for a costume was wrapped around her vocal cords.Won four Tony Awards: one as Best Supporting or Featured Actress Musical) in 1954 for "Can-Can;" and three as Best Actress (Musical) in 1956 for "Damn Yankees!," a role she recreated in the film version of the same name., Damn Yankees (1958); in 1958 for "New Girl in Town," in a tie with her co-star Thelma Ritter; and in 1959 for "Redhead." She was also nominated as Best Actress (Musical) in 1966 for "Sweet Charity" and in 1976 for "Chicago."Awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1998 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington, DC.Never pulled the "diva" act and was not overly possessive about her award-winning stage roles. In fact, she gamely coached Shirley MacLaine on the set of Sweet Charity (1969), who was recreating Gwen's title character.First married at the age of 17 (to a tabloid reporter).Went on stage for a performance of "Sweet Charity" after finding out her mother passed away. She claimed that the only way she could cope was to go on with the show.After her electrifying performance as "Claudine" in "Can-Can", Broadway critics hailed her as the greatest Broadway "discovery" since Mary Martin sang "My Heart Belongs To Daddy".Collected glass perfume bottles.Did not pursue dancing as a career until 1948.Daughter of British emigrants to the US, who worked in Hollywood and lived in Culver City, where she was born.Received further ballet training from Ernest Belcher, Marge Champion's father.Mother of Nicole Fosse (b. 1963)Mother of Jim Henaghan (b. 1943).Portrayed in Fosse/Verdon (2019) by Michelle Williams. who won an Emmy Award on 9/22/19 for her performance.Dance teacher in Culver City was Clara Reid.Brother: William Farrell Verdon (1922-91).Tied with Angela Lansbury for most Tony wins by a performer in an individual acting category (Lead Actress in a Musical), with four each. She accomplished this first and in only six years: 1954 for "Can-Can", 1956 for "Damn Yankees", 1958 for "New Girl in Town", and 1959 for "Redhead".In 1958 she and Thelma Ritter tied for the Tony for Lead Actress in a Musical, for "New Girl in Town". They were the first of ten ties in any category at the Tonys.One of six performers who won the Tony in back-to-back years. She won in 1958 for "New Girl in Town" and 1959 for "Redhead", both in the category Lead Actress in a Musical. The others are Shirley Booth (1949/50), Sandy Dennis (1963/64), Stephen Spinella (1993/94), Judith Light (2012/13), and Laurie Metcalf (2017/18).She and Bob Fosse are one of several married couples to have both won Tonys. She received four, he received nine. The only year the couple won in the same ceremony was in 1959, for "Redhead": She won Lead Actress in a Musical and he for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography. |
| Name: |
Gwen Verdon |
Type: |
Actress,Additional Crew,Art Department (IMDB) |
| Area: |
All World |
Platform: |
IMDB |
| Category: |
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Business scope: |
Actress,Additional Crew,Art Department |
| Products for sale: |
Actress,Additional Crew,Art Department |
| Last update: |
2024-07-01 05:27:23 |
| Height: |
5' 4' (1.63 m) |
| Biography: |
Gwen Verdon was born to the theater. Her mother, Gertrude, was a vaudevillian and dancer. Her father, Joseph, was an MGM studio electrician. She had to wear corrective boots as a child to straighten out her legs, which were misshapen by childhood ill |
| Trivia: |
Taught Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe to dance.For Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), she coached stars Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe in both their dance and walk--Monroe with less sex, Russell with more.Suffered from childhood disease that caused her legs to be badly bent and misshapen; her mother enrolled her in dance to strengthen them.Although she and Bob Fosse separated in 1971, they remained married until his death in 1987. The couple had a daughter, Nicole Fosse (b. 1963). She was with Fosse when he collapsed from a heart attack just prior to the opening night of a revival of "Sweet Charity" at the National Theatre in Washington, DC; he was the director/choreographer, and she was the assistant choreographer.Although uncredited, she was an assistant choreographer in Sweet Charity (1969).Before "Sweet Charity" made it to Broadway, her throat began hurting, but she continued to sing until she was almost completely voiceless. She was hospitalized, and it was discovered that a feather from one of the boas used for a costume was wrapped around her vocal cords.Won four Tony Awards: one as Best Supporting or Featured Actress Musical) in 1954 for "Can-Can;" and three as Best Actress (Musical) in 1956 for "Damn Yankees!," a role she recreated in the film version of the same name., Damn Yankees (1958); in 1958 for "New Girl in Town," in a tie with her co-star Thelma Ritter; and in 1959 for "Redhead." She was also nominated as Best Actress (Musical) in 1966 for "Sweet Charity" and in 1976 for "Chicago."Awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1998 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington, DC.Never pulled the "diva" act and was not overly possessive about her award-winning stage roles. In fact, she gamely coached Shirley MacLaine on the set of Sweet Charity (1969), who was recreating Gwen's title character.First married at the age of 17 (to a tabloid reporter).Went on stage for a performance of "Sweet Charity" after finding out her mother passed away. She claimed that the only way she could cope was to go on with the show.After her electrifying performance as "Claudine" in "Can-Can", Broadway critics hailed her as the greatest Broadway "discovery" since Mary Martin sang "My Heart Belongs To Daddy".Collected glass perfume bottles.Did not pursue dancing as a career until 1948.Daughter of British emigrants to the US, who worked in Hollywood and lived in Culver City, where she was born.Received further ballet training from Ernest Belcher, Marge Champion's father.Mother of Nicole Fosse (b. 1963)Mother of Jim Henaghan (b. 1943).Portrayed in Fosse/Verdon (2019) by Michelle Williams. who won an Emmy Award on 9/22/19 for her performance.Dance teacher in Culver City was Clara Reid.Brother: William Farrell Verdon (1922-91).Tied with Angela Lansbury for most Tony wins by a performer in an individual acting category (Lead Actress in a Musical), with four each. She accomplished this first and in only six years: 1954 for "Can-Can", 1956 for "Damn Yankees", 1958 for "New Girl in Town", and 1959 for "Redhead".In 1958 she and Thelma Ritter tied for the Tony for Lead Actress in a Musical, for "New Girl in Town". They were the first of ten ties in any category at the Tonys.One of six performers who won the Tony in back-to-back years. She won in 1958 for "New Girl in Town" and 1959 for "Redhead", both in the category Lead Actress in a Musical. The others are Shirley Booth (1949/50), Sandy Dennis (1963/64), Stephen Spinella (1993/94), Judith Light (2012/13), and Laurie Metcalf (2017/18).She and Bob Fosse are one of several married couples to have both won Tonys. She received four, he received nine. The only year the couple won in the same ceremony was in 1959, for "Redhead": She won Lead Actress in a Musical and he for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography. |
| Trademarks: |
Flaming red hair
Throaty, grainy, yet girlish singing voice |
| Quotes: |
I like the character of Charity because she's so hopeful. She's never bitter, and plenty of things happen to her that could make her bitter. She always thinks tomorrow's going to be beautiful. And someday it will be.
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These girls I've played are naive and pure. They are looking for someone to really love. But they aren't very bright, and they haven't been brought up in a family situation that enables them to evaluate. As for the prostitutes, well they're 'loved' every 20 minutes, or what substitutes for love in about 90% of American homes-- I'm pretty cynical about that.
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<hr>
Sex in a dance is in the eyes of the beholder. I never thought my dances sexy. I suppose that's because I see myself with my face washed, and to me I look like a rabbit.
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On second husband Bob Fosse: "Bob Fosse grew up around strip clubs. Women were his hobby. He'd even cheat on his mistress. Part of him felt guilty, another part was ecstatic. In the end, it helped lead him to an early death". |
| Job title: |
Actress,Additional Crew,Art Department |
| Others works: |
(1948) Stage: Appeared in "Magdalena". Musical.
(1950) Stage: Appeared in "Alive and Kicking". Musical revue. Music by Hal Borne, Irma Jurist, Sammy Fain, Hoagy Carmichael and Harold J. Rome. Additional music by Sonny Burke, Leo Schum |
| Spouse: |
Bob Fosse (April 1, 1960 - September 23, 1987) (his death, 1 child)James Henaghan (1942 - 1947) (divorced, 1 child) |
| Children: |
Nicole FosseJim Henaghan |
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