Frances Taylor Davis

Frances Taylor Davis
Born
Frances Elizabeth Taylor

September 28, 1929
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedNovember 17, 2018(2018-11-17) (aged 89)
Other namesElizabeth Taylor (on Broadway), Frances Davis
Occupation(s)Dancer, choreographer, actress
Known forFirst black ballerina in the Paris Opera Ballet
Spouses
  • Jean-Marie Durand
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1955, divorced)​
  • ​
    (m. 1959⁠–⁠1968)​

Frances Taylor Davis (September 28, 1929 – November 17, 2018) was an American dancer and actress who was a member of the Katherine Dunham Company, and the first African American ballerina to perform with the Paris Opera Ballet.[1]

Credited as Elizabeth Taylor, she had roles in the Broadway musicals Mr. Wonderful, Shinbone Alley, and was an original cast member of West Side Story.[1] Taylor also appeared in the Off-Broadway productions of Carmen Jones and Porgy and Bess.[2] At the peak of her career, she left Broadway to marry jazz musician Miles Davis.[3]

  1. ^ a b Rogo, Paula (November 18, 2018). "Frances Taylor Davis, First Wife Of Miles Davis, Has Died". Essence.
  2. ^ Crease, Stephanie Stein (2003). Gil Evans: Out of the Cool: His Life and Music. Chicago Review Press. p. 199. ISBN 978-1-55652-986-3.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).