Ann Miller
Ann Miller
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Johnnie Lucille Collier (April 12, 1923 – January 22, 2004), known professionally as Ann Miller, was an American dancer, singer and actress. She is best remembered for her work in the Classical Hollywood musical films of the 1940s and 1950s. At age 13 in 1936, Miller became a showgirl at the Bal Tabarin. She was hired as a dancer in the "Black Cat Club" in San Francisco (she reportedly told them she was 18). It was there that she was discovered by Lucille Ball and talent scout/comic Benny Rubin (although some sources say this occurred at Bal Tabarin). This led Miller to be given a contract with RKO in 1936 at the age of 13 (she had also told them she was 18, and apparently provided a fake birth certificate, procured by her father - with the name "Lucy Ann Collier") and she remained there until 1940. In 1941, she signed with Columbia Pictures, where, starting with Time Out for Rhythm, she starred in 11 B movie musicals from 1941 to 1945. In July 1945, with World War II still raging in the Pacific, she posed in a bathing suit as a Yank magazine pin-up girl. She ended her contract in 1946 with one "A" film, The Thrill of Brazil. The ad in Life magazine featured Miller's leg in a large, red, bow-tied stocking as the "T" in "Thrill". She finally hit her mark in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals such as Easter Parade (1948), On the Town (1949) and Kiss Me Kate (1953). Miller was famed for her speed in tap dance. Studio publicists concocted press releases claiming she could tap 500 times per minute, but in truth, the sound of ultra-fast "500" taps was looped in later. Because the stage floors were waxed and too slick for regular tap shoes, she had to dance in shoes with rubber treads on the sole. Later she would loop the sound of the taps while watching the film and actually dancing on a "tap board" to match her steps in the film. Her film career effectively ended in 1956 as the studio system lost steam to television, but she remained active in the theater and on television. She starred on Broadway in the musical Mame in 1969, in which she wowed the audience in a tap number created just for her. In 1979 she astounded audiences in the Broadway show Sugar Babies with fellow MGM veteran Mickey Rooney, which toured the United States extensively after its Broadway run. In 1983, she won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago theatre. She appeared in a special 1982 episode of The Love Boat, joined by fellow showbiz legends Ethel Merman, Carol Channing, Della Reese, Van Johnson and Cab Calloway in a storyline that cast them as older relatives of the show's regular characters. Her last stage performance was a 1998 production of Stephen Sondheim's Follies, in which she played hardboiled Carlotta Campion and received rave reviews for her rendition of the song "I'm Still Here". For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Miller has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6914 Hollywood Blvd. In 1998, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to her. To honor Miller's contribution to dance, the Smithsonian Institution displays her favorite pair of tap shoes, which she playfully nicknamed "Moe and Joe".
Known For
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
82
Gender
Female
Birthday
1923-04-12 (102 years old)
Place of Birth
Houston, Texas, USA
Acting

2004

Judy Garland: By Myself as Self - Actor (voice)

2003

Broadway's Lost Treasures as Ann (segment "Sugar Babies")

2003

Rita as Self

2002

Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer as Self (archive footage)

2002

Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

2001

Mulholland Drive as Coco

2000

Hollywood Musicals of the 40's as Self (archive footage)

1996

E! True Hollywood Story as Not available

1994

That's Entertainment! III as Self - Co-Host / Narrator

1991

Home Improvement as Mrs. Keeney

1985

That's Dancing! as Not available

1982

Night of 100 Stars as Self

1977

The Love Boat as Connie Carruthers

1976

That's Entertainment, Part II as (archive footage)

1976

Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood as Presidents' Girl 2

1974

That's Entertainment! as (archive footage)

1971

Dames at Sea as Mona

1969

Love, American Style as Not available

1968

The Dick Cavett Show as Self - Guest

1964

The Hollywood Palace as Self - Dancer

1964

The Hollywood Palace as Self - Singer / Dancer

1956

Tony Awards as Self - Performer

1956

The Great American Pastime as Doris Patterson

1956

The Opposite Sex as Gloria Dahl

1955

Hit the Deck as Ginger

1954

Deep in My Heart as Performer in Artists and Models

1953

Kiss Me Kate as Lois Lane, "Bianca"

1953

Small Town Girl as Lisa Bellmount

1952

Lovely to Look At as Bubbles Cassidy

1951

Texas Carnival as Sunshine Jackson

1951

Two Tickets to Broadway as Joyce Campbell

1950

What's My Line? as Self - Mystery Guest

1950

Watch the Birdie as Miss Lucky Vista

1949

On the Town as Claire Huddesen

1948

The Kissing Bandit as Fiesta Specialty Dancer

1948

Easter Parade as Nadine Hale

1946

The Thrill of Brazil as Linda Lorens

1945

Eadie Was a Lady as Eadie Allen / Edithea Alden

1945

Eve Knew Her Apples as Eve Porter

1944

Carolina Blues as Julie Carver

1944

Sailor's Holiday as Not available

1944

Hey, Rookie as Winnie Clark

1944

Jam Session as Terry Baxter

1943

What's Buzzin', Cousin? as Ann Crawford

1943

Reveille with Beverly as Beverly Ross

1942

True to the Army as Vicki Marlow

1942

Priorities on Parade as Donna D'Arcy

1941

Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 2 as Not available

1941

Go West, Young Lady as Lola

1941

Time Out for Rhythm as Kitty Brown

1940

Melody Ranch as Julie Shelton

1940

Too Many Girls as Pepe

1940

Hit Parade of 1941 as Anabelle Potter

1938

Radio City Revels as Billie

1938

You Can't Take It with You as Essie Carmichael

1938

Having Wonderful Time as Vivian (uncredited)

1938

Tarnished Angel as Violet McMaster

1938

Room Service as Hilda Manny

1937

Stage Door as Annie

1937

New Faces of 1937 as Ann Miller

1937

The Life of the Party as Betty

1936

The Devil on Horseback as Dancer (uncredited)

1935

The Good Fairy as Girl in Orphanage (uncredited)

NaN

Private Screenings as Self