Liza Minnelli | |
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 Minnelli in 1973 | |
| Born | Liza May Minnelli March 12, 1946 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1949–present |
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| Parents | |
| Relatives | Lorna Luft (half-sister) Joey Luft (half-brother) |
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
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Liza May Minnelli (/ˈlaɪzə/ LY-zə; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades, and is one of the few performers awarded a non-competitive EGOT.[1] Minnelli is a Knight of the French Legion of Honour and subject of the 2024 documentary, Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story.[2][3]
Minnelli's parents were actress and singer Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli. After moving to New York City in 1961, she began her career as a musical theatre actress, nightclub performer, and traditional pop artist. She made her professional stage debut in the 1963 Off-Broadway revival of Best Foot Forward[4] and received the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for starring in Flora the Red Menace in 1965,[5] which marked the start of her lifelong collaboration with John Kander and Fred Ebb. They wrote, produced or directed many of Minnelli's future stage acts and television series and helped create her stage persona of a stylized survivor, including her career-defining performances of anthems of survival ("New York, New York", "Cabaret", and "Maybe This Time").[6] Along with her roles on stage and screen, this persona and her style of performance contributed to Minnelli's status as an enduring gay icon.[7]
An acclaimed performance in the drama film The Sterile Cuckoo (1969) marked a film breakthrough for Minnelli and brought her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She later received the award for her performance as Sally Bowles in the musical film Cabaret (1972), which brought her to international prominence. Most of her following films, including Lucky Lady (1975), New York, New York (1977), Rent-a-Cop (1988), and Stepping Out (1991), were not as successful, aside from the major box office hit and critically lauded Arthur (1981) which starred Minnelli. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for Lucky Lady, New York, New York and Arthur.[8] She returned to Broadway on a number of occasions, including The Act (1977), for which she received her second Tony Award, as well as The Rink (1984) and Liza's at The Palace.... (2008). Minnelli has also worked on various television formats and has predominantly focused on music hall and nightclub performances since the late 1970s. Her concert performances at Carnegie Hall in 1979 and 1987 and at Radio City Music Hall in 1991 and 1992 are recognized among her most successful. From 1988 to 1990, she toured with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. in Frank, Liza & Sammy: The Ultimate Event.
While Minnelli is known for her renditions of American standards, her early-1960s pop singles were produced to attract a young audience.[9][10] Her albums from 1968 to 1977 contained contemporary singer-songwriter material. In 1989, she ventured into the contemporary pop scene by collaborating with the Pet Shop Boys on the album Results. After a hiatus due to serious health problems, Minnelli returned to the concert stage in 2002 with Liza's Back and recurred as a guest star on the sitcom Arrested Development between 2003 and 2013. Since the 2010s, she has avoided huge concert performances in favor of small retrospective performances.[11][12][13][14][15]
- ^ "Liza Minnelli Opens 3-Week Carnegie Date". The New York Times. May 31, 1987.
...and her voice—a ripe, rounded alto whose physical qualities remain uncannily reminiscent of her mother, Judy Garland...
- ^ "Liza Minnelli receives Legion of Honour award". BBC News. July 12, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ Hammond, Pete (June 12, 2024). "'Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story' Review: Minnelli Docu Benefits From Unseen Footage, Compelling Interviews And The Star Herself – Tribeca Festival". Deadline. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
- ^ Scott Schechter (2004): The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook, pp. 12–13.
- ^ Scott Schechter (2004): The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook, p. 47.
- ^ James Leve (2009): Kander and Ebb, p. 20.
- ^
Sources:
- Leve, James (March 2009). Kander and Ebb. Yale University Press. pp. 20, 33, 117–119. ISBN 9780300155945.
- Morrison, James (April 27, 2010). Hollywood Reborn: Movie Stars of the 1970s. Rutgers University Press. p. 14. ISBN 9780813547497.
- Musto, Michael (August 25, 2014). "The 12 Greatest Female Gay Icons of All Time". Out. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- ^ Scott Schechter (2004): The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook, p. 87.
- ^ Scott Schechter (2004): The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook, pp. 13, 127
- ^ Scott Schechter (2006): The Complete Capitol Collection
- ^ Bernstein, Jacob (August 8, 2012). "Fire Island′s Got Talent". The New York Times. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam (June 30, 2018). "Liza Minnelli Joins Michael Feinstein for Intimate Concert and Conversation Tonight". Playbill. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- ^ "Liza Minnelli Returns to the Stage with a Touching Tribute". Broadwayworld. July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- ^ Quintos, Michael (July 6, 2018). "BWW Review: Liza Minnelli and Michael Feinstein Perform Together at OC's Segerstrom Center". Broadwayworld. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- ^ Abramovitch, Seth (June 25, 2018). "What Is Going On With Liza Minnelli? Longtime Collaborator Opens Up About Her Health". Broadwayworld. Retrieved July 17, 2018.