Cyd Charisse (March 8, 1922 – June 17, 2008) was an American dancer and actress. After recovering from polio as a child and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s. Her roles usually featured her abilities as a dancer, and she was often paired with Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly.
Charisse appeared uncredited in some films like Escort Girl (1941) and was in a short for Warner Bros, The Gay Parisian (1942). She also made some uncredited appearances in Mission to Moscow (1943) and Thousands Cheer (1943). She was borrowed by Warners for In Our Time (1944), playing a ballerina.
Cyd Charisse gained attention in Ziegfeld Follies (1945), where she performed in the “This Heart of Mine” sequence with Fred Astaire. By the late 1940s, she was getting bigger roles, such as in The Unfinished Dance (1947) and On an Island with You (1948), often starring alongside other MGM musical stars like Ricardo Montalbán and Esther Williams.
Even in the 1940s, her long, elegant lines and smooth dancing style set her apart from other Hollywood dancers. While she became a true screen legend in the 1950s with Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and The Band Wagon (1953), the 1940s were essential in shaping her career.
