Movie musical legend Mitzi Gaynor died October 17 at the age of 93. The news was shared by the artist's management team, Rene Reyes and Shane Rosamonda, via a social media post.
"As we celebrate her legacy, we offer our thanks to her friends and fans and the countless audiences she entertained throughout her long life," reads Reyes and Rosamonda's statement. "Your love, support and appreciation meant so very much to her and was a sustaining gift in her life. She often noted that her audiences were 'the sunshine of my life.' You truly were."
Born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber September 4, 1931 in Chicago, Ms. Gaynor spent her childhood training to be a ballerina, later performing with Los Angeles Civic Light Opera after moving to Hollywood at age 11. By 17, the Illinois native was put on contract with 20th Century Fox, where she adopted the name she would use for her entire professional life—she already had gone by Mitzi as a nickname from Marlene, and a studio executive reportedly suggested subbing in Gaynor for Gerber. She made her screen debut with a supporting role in My Blue Heaven in 1950, picking up her first starring role the following year in Golden Girl.
Ms. Gaynor quickly starred in a string of movie musicals, including the 1952 Eva Tanguay biopic The I Don't Care Girl and 1954's There's No Business Like Show Business. In 1956, she starred in a remake of Broadway's Anything Goes that largely diverged from the stage version while including many of Cole Porter's songs; Ms. Gaynor memorably performed the title number. She would see her biggest success with the 1958 screen version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, starring as Ensign Nellie Forbush. Ms. Gaynor was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance.
"I was the right one," Ms. Gaynor told Playbill about starring in the South Pacific film in 2008, shortly after seeing Lincoln Center Theater's Tony-winning revival of the musical. "I had [theatre] experience. That was important—and I could sing in the same keys Mary Martin sang in." Of the stage revival, Ms. Gaynor said, "I wish our movie was as good. ... It's a fabulous production!"
Ms. Gaynor's last film, For Love or Money, was released in 1963, after which she focused more on TV variety specials and nightclub acts. Her nine primetime TV specials garnered 17 Emmy Award nominations.
Though Ms. Gaynor would never make it to Broadway, she did make a stage return in the late '80s, starring as Reno Sweeney in the national tour of Lincoln Center Theater's Anything Goes revival.
Ms. Gaynor married talent agent Jack Bean in 1954, a marriage that lasted until Bean's death in 2006. Bean would serve as her manager for the bulk of her career. The couple never had children.
