Eleanor Powell | |
|---|---|
 1930s publicity photo | |
| Born | Eleanor Torrey Powell November 21, 1912 |
| Died | February 11, 1982 (aged 69) |
| Resting place | Hollywood Forever Cemetery |
| Occupation(s) | Dancer, actress |
| Years active | 1928–1953 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Peter Ford[1] |
| Signature | |
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Eleanor Torrey Powell (November 21, 1912 – February 11, 1982) was an American dancer and actress. Best remembered for her tap dance numbers in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s, she was one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's top dancing stars during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Powell appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and most prominently, in a series of movie musical vehicles tailored especially to showcase her dance talents, including Born to Dance (1936), Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937), Rosalie (1937), and Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940).[2] She retired from films in the mid-1940s but resurfaced for the occasional specialty dance scene in films such as Thousands Cheer. In the 1950s she hosted a Christian children's TV show and eventually headlined a successful nightclub act in Las Vegas. She died from cancer at 69. Powell is known as one of the most versatile and athletic female dancers of the Hollywood studio era.[2]
- ^ "Eleanor Powell, Tap Dancer of Stage and Films, Is Dead". The New York Times. February 12, 1982. p. B6. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
- ^ a b Cohen, Selma Jeanne; DANCE PERSPECTIVES FOUNDATION (1998). International Encyclopedia of Dance. New York; Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. pp. Powell, Eleanor. ISBN 9780195173697.