George Chakiris
George Chakiris
Born in Ohio to Greek parents, George Chakiris made his first film appearance as an adolescent chorus singer in Song of Love (1947), the filmed biography of Robert and Clara Schumann. After receiving training as a dancer, Chakiris was given a few unbilled solo spots in such film musicals as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and White Christmas (1954). His roles increased in size after he became a dramatic actor in the late 1950s. Chakiris went on to win an Academy Award for his singing/dancing/acting portrayal of Puerto Rican gang leader Bernardo in West Side Story (1961), after which his starring career went into an unexpected eclipse. George Chakiris' television credits include a leading role (along with Anna Maria Alberghetti, Jose Ferrer and Barbara Eden) in a 1967 TV adaptation of Kismet; a co-starring stint with Rosemary Harris in Notorious Woman, a 1975 dramatization of the life of George Sand which premiered in the U.S. on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre; and a recurring role on the prime-time serial Dallas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Filmography of George Chakiris:
- The Big Cube with Lana Turner , Richard Egan , Dan O'Herlihy
- Is Paris Burning? with Jean-Paul Belmondo , Charles Boyer , Leslie Caron , Gert Frobe , Jean-Pierre Cassel , Kirk Douglas , Anthony Perkins , Simone Signoret , Orson Welles , Glenn Ford , Yves Montand , Robert Stack , Bruno Cremer , Claude Dauphin , Daniel Gelin , Michel Piccoli , Jean-Louis Trintignant , Alain Delon , Michel Lonsdale , E.G. Marshall , Wolfgang Preiss , Simone Signoret
- West Side Story with Natalie Wood , Russ Tamblyn , Rita Moreno , Simon Oakland , Ned Glass , John Astin
- White Christmas with Bing Crosby , Danny Kaye , Rosemary Clooney , Vera-Ellen , Dean Jagger , Mary Wickes , Percy Helton , Sig Rumann , Grady Sutton , Herb Vigran
- Brigadoon with Gene Kelly , Van Johnson , Cyd Charisse , Barry Jones , Albert Sharpe , Eddie Quillan , Stuart Whitman
George Chakiris Trivia
