
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 ForActing
- Born12 April 1923 (age 102)
- Place of BirthHouston, Texas, USA
Ann Miller

- Known ForActing
- Born12 April 1923 (age 102)
- Place of BirthHouston, Texas, USA

Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age
2021

Hollywood Singing & Dancing: A Musical History - 1970's
2009
Easter Parade: On the Avenue
2005

Judy Garland: By Myself
2004

Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There
2003
Cole Porter in Hollywood: Begin the Beguine
2003
Cole Porter in Hollywood: Too Darn Hot
2003

Inside the Marx Brothers
2003

Rita
2003

Broadway's Lost Treasures
2003

Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer
2002

Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song
2002

Mulholland Drive
2001

Hollywood Musicals of the 40's
2000

Frank Sinatra Memorial
2000

Mulholland Dr.
1999

Inside the Dream Factory
1995

That's Entertainment! III
1994

Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie
1993

Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
1987

That's Dancing!
1985

Night of 100 Stars
1982

Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
1976

That's Entertainment, Part II
1976

That's Entertainment!
1974

Dames at Sea
1971

The Opposite Sex
1956

The Great American Pastime
1956

Hit the Deck
1955

Deep in My Heart
1954

Kiss Me Kate
1953

Small Town Girl
1953

Lovely to Look At
1952

Texas Carnival
1951

Two Tickets to Broadway
1951

Watch the Birdie
1950

On the Town
1949
Mighty Manhattan, New York's Wonder City
1949

Easter Parade
1948

The Kissing Bandit
1948

The Thrill of Brazil
1946
Eve Knew Her Apples
1945

Eadie Was a Lady
1945

Jam Session
1944

Carolina Blues
1944

Sailor's Holiday
1944

Hey, Rookie
1944

Reveille with Beverly
1943

What's Buzzin', Cousin?
1943

True to the Army
1942

Priorities on Parade
1942

Time Out for Rhythm
1941

Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1
1941

Go West, Young Lady
1941

Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 2
1941

Too Many Girls
1940

Melody Ranch
1940

Hit Parade of 1941
1940

You Can't Take It with You
1938

Room Service
1938

Having Wonderful Time
1938

Tarnished Angel
1938

Radio City Revels
1938

Stage Door
1937

The Life of the Party
1937

New Faces of 1937
1937

The Devil on Horseback
1936
