1. Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber, known professionally as Mitzi Gaynor, was an American actress, singer and dancer.
28 Facts About Mitzi Gaynor
1. 2.
Mitzi Gaynor was born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber in Chicago on September 4,1931, to Henry de Czanyi von Gerber, a violinist, cellist and music director of Hungarian descent and his wife Pauline, a dancer.
3.
Mitzi Gaynor trained as a ballerina as a child and began her career in the corps de ballet.
4.
Mitzi Gaynor signed a seven-year contract with Twentieth Century-Fox at age 17.
5.
Mitzi Gaynor sang, acted and danced in a number of film musicals, often paired with some of the male musical stars of the day.
6.
Mitzi Gaynor made her film debut in the musical My Blue Heaven ; Betty Grable and Dan Dailey starred and she had a supporting role.
7.
Mitzi Gaynor starred in Down Among the Sheltering Palms, playing a South Sea island girl.
8.
Mitzi Gaynor was the female lead in Three Young Texans.
9.
Mitzi Gaynor was billed after Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor, Marilyn Monroe, Dan Dailey, and Johnnie Ray.
10.
Mitzi Gaynor married Jack Bean, a talent agent and public relations executive for MCA, in San Francisco on November 18,1954.
11.
Mitzi Gaynor had just been released from Twentieth Century-Fox with four years left on her contract and decided that, since she had the time off, she would get married.
12.
In 1956, Gaynor appeared in the Paramount remake of Anything Goes, co-starring Bing Crosby, Donald O'Connor, and Zizi Jeanmaire, loosely based on the musical by Cole Porter, P G Wodehouse, and Guy Bolton.
13.
In 1957, Mitzi Gaynor appeared in MGM's Les Girls, directed by George Cukor, with Gene Kelly and Kay Kendall.
14.
Mitzi Gaynor followed that with Happy Anniversary, co-starring David Niven, and the United Kingdom production Surprise Package, a musical comedy thriller directed by Stanley Donen.
15.
Dancing and singing in a duet with Noel Coward, Mitzi Gaynor performed this song in the film.
16.
Mitzi Gaynor appeared between two sets by The Beatles when they made their second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 16,1964.
17.
Mitzi Gaynor performed for a nine-minute segment from the stage of the Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach, separated by one commercial break.
18.
Mitzi Gaynor sang "Too Darn Hot" and a blues medley.
19.
Mitzi Gaynor became fond of the city and frequently made guest appearances on local television for interviews.
20.
Mitzi Gaynor recorded the title song from her film Happy Anniversary for the Top Rank label.
21.
For several decades, Mitzi Gaynor appeared regularly in Las Vegas and at nightclub and concert venues throughout the United States and Canada.
22.
Mitzi Gaynor's one-woman show Razzle Dazzle: My Life Behind the Sequins toured the United States and Vancouver from 2009 through 2014, including a two-week engagement in New York City.
23.
Mitzi Gaynor was married to Jack Bean from 1954 until his death in 2006; Bean served as her manager.
24.
Mitzi Gaynor died from natural causes in Los Angeles on October 17,2024, at age 93.
25.
On March 8,2009, Mitzi Gaynor was honored with the 2009 Boston Youth Moves lifetime achievement award, presented by Chita Rivera at Swellegance, the Boston Youth Moves annual fundraiser in Boston.
26.
On November 7,2009, Mitzi Gaynor was honored with Chapman University's lifetime achievement in the arts award during the 28th annual American celebration gala night at Chapman University in Orange, California.
27.
On September 10,2016, Mitzi Gaynor was honored with the inaugural Legend Award from Nigel Lythgoe's Dizzy Feet Foundation.
28.
On October 14,1968, Gaynor starred in Mitzi, her first television special.