24 Facts About Toni Basil

Toni Basil was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, where her father moved the family for his work when she was a child.

Toni Basil was a lead dancer in the 1964 beach party film Pajama Party, and a dancer in the Elvis Presley movie, Viva Las Vegas.

Toni Basil is credited as a choreographer for some episodes of The Carol Burnett Show.

In 1980, Toni Basil choreographed, and co-directed with David Byrne, the music video for "Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads.

Toni Basil worked with Talking Heads again to direct and choreograph the video for the song "Crosseyed and Painless", taken from the same album Remain in Light.

Toni Basil choreographed David Bowie's Diamond Dogs Tour in 1974, his Glass Spider Tour in 1987, and his video for "Time Will Crawl".

Toni Basil is one of the seven original Lockers, the street dance group considered "the group that changed the face of dance".

Toni Basil is recognized as having been a seminal influence in bringing street dance to the attention of the American public.

Toni Basil choreographed the TV Land Awards salute to Soul Train in 2005, as well as the TV Land Awards salute to Sid and Marty Krofft in 2009.

Toni Basil choreographed Quentin Tarantino's 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood at the age of 75, and appeared in an uncredited cameo, wearing her trademark fedora and dancing with Margot Robbie on the Pan Am flight.

Toni Basil was surprised by Tarantino's detailed knowledge of both 1960s dances and her previous work, and said she personally knew two of the real-life people who are portrayed in the film: Sharon Tate and Jay Sebring, who were both killed in the Tate-LaBianca murders.

Toni Basil sang, solo, the swinging jazz number "Wham Rebop Boom Bam" in the first season of Saturday Night Live for the January 17,1976, show with Buck Henry as host.

Toni Basil sold out solo shows at The Roxy in Los Angeles in June 1976, and sang the song on The Merv Griffin Show.

Toni Basil guested with The Lockers during the first season of Saturday Night Live and, in later seasons, as a singer and filmmaker, to perform in her urban style Swan Lake.

Devo member Gerald Casale and Toni Basil were in a relationship at the time, and Toni Basil had been an early supporter of the group.

Toni Basil contributed vocals for the Devo song "The Only One" in 1987, part of the soundtrack of the horror film Slaughterhouse Rock, in which Toni Basil starred.

Toni Basil began her acting career by appearing in the films Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces.

Toni Basil directed short art films including Game of the Week, A Dance Film, Out Trip, and The Ping Pong Match.

The Los Angeles Times noted Toni Basil's deft editing transformed an ordinary ping pong match into an energetic dance routine.

Toni Basil's awards include Hip Hop International's Living Legend Award, a Grammy nomination for Long Form Video 1983, an Emmy nomination and win for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography for The Smothers Brothers in 1988, two MTV Award nominations, American Choreography Awards: four nominations and two wins including Lifetime Achievement Innovator, and The Los Angeles Theater Ovation: Street Dance Award.

Toni Basil has received platinum and gold discs in the US, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Philippines, and France.

Toni Basil was given tribute at The Carnival: Choreographer's Ball, Monsters of Hip-Hop Masters of Movement, and in Portraits of America's Great Choreographers.

Toni Basil was featured in the Museum of Modern Art Calendar of Artists and on the cover of Dance Magazine.

On January 25,2012, Toni Basil presented The Electric Boogaloos with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 13th anniversary show of The Carnival: Choreographer's Ball for their role in popularizing dance styles such as popping and electric boogie.