Ann Miller

Ann Miller

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: Acting
Birthday: 1923-04-12
Place of Birth: Houston, Texas, USA
Also Known As: Johnnie Lucille Collier, Lucille Collier, Lucy Ann Collier

Movies List of Ann Miller

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Mulholland Drive

2001 Movie
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On the Town

1949 Movie
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Kiss Me Kate

1953 Movie
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Easter Parade

1948 Movie
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The Opposite Sex

1956 Movie
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Lovely to Look At

1952 Movie
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Texas Carnival

1951 Movie
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Stage Door

1937 Movie
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Room Service

1938 Movie
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Having Wonderful Time

1938 Movie
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Too Many Girls

1940 Movie
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Time Out for Rhythm

1941 Movie
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Reveille with Beverly

1943 Movie
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Small Town Girl

1953 Movie
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Hit the Deck

1955 Movie
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The Kissing Bandit

1948 Movie
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Jam Session

1944 Movie
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The Life of the Party

1937 Movie
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Carolina Blues

1944 Movie
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Melody Ranch

1940 Movie
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Tarnished Angel

1938 Movie
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Radio City Revels

1938 Movie
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Go West, Young Lady

1941 Movie
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Watch the Birdie

1950 Movie
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Hit Parade of 1941

1940 Movie
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The Thrill of Brazil

1946 Movie
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The Good Fairy

1935 Movie
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Eve Knew Her Apples

1945 Movie
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New Faces of 1937

1937 Movie
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That's Entertainment!

1974 Movie
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Sailor's Holiday

1944 Movie
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Deep in My Heart

1954 Movie
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Mulholland Dr.

1999 Movie
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Eadie Was a Lady

1945 Movie
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Hey, Rookie

1944 Movie
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Dames at Sea

1971 Movie
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True to the Army

1942 Movie
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Priorities on Parade

1942 Movie
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Rita

2003 Movie
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That's Dancing!

1985 Movie
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Night of 100 Stars

1982 Movie