Nicholas Bala Covacevich (born January 11, 1938), known professionally as Nick Navarro (and earlier credited as Nick Covacevich and Nick Novarro) is a Mexican-American former dancer and choreographer known for his work in both stage and film productions. As a performer, he was best known in the 1960s with prominent film roles in

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

and

Hootenanny Hoot ''Hootenanny Hoot'' is a 1963 folk music musical film directed by Gene Nelson. It stars Peter Breck and Ruta Lee. Plot A TV director, having split up with his producer-wife, decides to telecast a traveling hootenanny show. Cast * Peter Breck a ...

, and danced alongside

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

and

Sandra Dee Sandra Dee (born Alexandra Zuck; April 23, 1942 – February 20, 2005) was an American actress. Dee began her career as a child model, working first in commercials and then film in her teenage years. Best known for her portrayal of ingénues ...

. His later work as a choreographer was most closely associated with Las Vegas shows.Barrios, R. (2020). West Side Story: The Jets, the Sharks, and the Making of a Classic. United States: Running Press.

Early life

Navarro was born in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, in 1938 to Tomás Covacevich (1899 to 1976) and Guadalupe Bala (1909 to 1997). He was the third of their three sons, his two older brothers being Roberto and Jorge. He also had an older half-sister, Maria Esperanza, from his father's first marriage. His father worked on the Mexican railway when Navarro was a child. The family moved to

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Texas in 1946 when Navarro was eightEthel Steadman, ''Two Young Stars Visit To Promote Film'', The Greenville News, Greenville, South Carolina · Wednesday, September 04, 1963 and when he was 15, the family moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Navarro began dancing in schools at the age of 17 and received a scholarship to continue his study and joined the

Lester Horton Lester Iradell Horton (January 23, 1906 – November 2, 1953) was an American dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Early years and education Lester Iradell Horton was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on January 23, 1906. His interest in dance was ...

dancers. Although Navarro's family name, Covacevich, is Yugoslavian in origin, his paternal grandparents, Jesús Covacevich and Delfina Gastélum were both born in Mexico in the 1870s. On his maternal side, all of his great-grandparents were from Mexico.

Career

Navarro became a professional with the Lester Horton Dancers and worked in a number of venues among which was the Moulin Rouge night club in Los Angeles (where he met his future wife, Leona Gage, in 1958).''Leona Gage to Wed Again'', Ledger Star, Norfolk Virginia, November 11, 1958, p 9 Navarro was later signed for a Fred Astaire television show.Harold L. Cail, “Hootenanny Hoot Dancers Give Preview of New Twist,” Evening Express (Portland, Maine), August 24, 1963. When the one-year contract on that show expired, he joined

Juliet Prowse Juliet Anne Prowse (25 September 1936 – 14 September 1996) was a British-American dancer and actress whose four-decade career included stage, television and film. She was born in Bombay (today's Mumbai) then of British India, raised in South ...

whom he had been teaching dance, and toured with her for 18 months. At the end of the Prowse tour, Navarro auditioned for the film version of

. He later recalled that there were "Hundreds of dudes, all sizes and shapes". The winnowing-out process involved five or more follow-up calls. Of the over 150 who auditioned in Los Angeles, Navarro was one of three that got a part and his was to be both a dancing and a speaking role as one of the Sharks, Toro. Before performing in West Side Story, Navarro had had a chorus role in the

film

Let's Make Love ''Let's Make Love'' is a 1960 American musical comedy film made by 20th Century Fox in DeLuxe Color and CinemaScope. Directed by George Cukor and produced by Jerry Wald from a screenplay by Norman Krasna, Hal Kanter and Arthur Miller, the f ...

(alongside Robert Banas, another West Side Story dancer). However, the success of West Side Story opened up a number of opportunities in film including a dual role in

Take Her, She's Mine ''Take Her, She's Mine'' is a 1963 American comedy film starring James Stewart and Sandra Dee and based on a 1961 Broadway comedy written by the husband-and-wife team of Henry and Phoebe Ephron. The film was directed by Henry Koster with a scre ...

alongside Sandra Dee, where he played both a French lover and an Apache dancer. He then landed the role as Jed Morse alongside

Pamela Austin Pamela Austin is an American retired actress. Early life Austin was born in Omaha, Nebraska. She spent part of her childhood in Europe, as her father served a tour of duty with the Air Force there. Austin studied dancing at California State U ...

in 1963. At this time, he was regarded as one of the nations top young dancers. Whilst performing in ''Hootenanny Hoot'', Navarro assisted choreographer Hal Belfer in working out many of the steps in the new dance being promoted by the movie (at the time hoping to "nudge the Twist and Bossa Nova to one side"). Navarro had by this time changed his stage name from Covacevich to Novarro. When interviewed during the promotional tour of Hootenanny Hoot, he said that Novarro was a family name that he had decided to use because Covacevich was too hard to pronounce.Young Stars Visit Raleigh On Tour for Hootin’ Movie, The News and Observer, Raleigh, North Carolina · Tuesday, September 10, 1963 Navarro danced in the film adaptation of

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story, based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'' and on the Pygmalion (1938 film), 1938 film ...

and as Nick Novarro, he had a major role in ''Scream of the Butterfly'' in 1965 alongside Nelida Lobato. He also had 1966 roles in

The Swinger ''The Swinger'' is a 1966 American sex comedy film directed by George Sidney and starring Ann-Margret and Anthony Franciosa. Plot Kelly Olsson is an aspiring writer, but ''Girl-Lure'' magazine keeps rejecting her racy submissions. Kelly decides ...

and

The Pad (and How to Use It) ''The Pad (and How to Use It)'' is a 1966 comedy film directed by Brian G. Hutton. It was based on the one-act play ''The Private Ear'' by Peter Shaffer. Plot A sensitive man named Bob Handman (Brian Bedford), who lives alone in his apartment, ...

, a film that earned

James Farentino James Farentino (February 24, 1938 – January 24, 2012) was an American actor. He appeared in television, film, and on stage, including '' The Final Countdown'', ''Jesus of Nazareth'', and ''Dynasty''. Career Born in Brooklyn, Farentino attended ...

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

for most promising newcomer. His live performance career continued alongside these major forays into movies. After his final promotion stop for

, he flew straight to

Hot Springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

to open

's night club act there. He also later costarred with

Mamie Van Doren Mamie Van Doren (; born Joan Lucille Olander; February 6, 1931) is an American actress, singer, and model. A Bombshell (slang), blonde bombshell, she is one of the "Three M's" along with Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, who were friends and ...

in the show Ziegfeld Follies at the Thunderbird Hotel. Throughout the early sixties Novarro was also a dance teacher and worked with notable students, including some he would support or co-star with such as

Pamela Mason Pamela Mason (10 March 1916 – 29 June 1996), also known as Pamela Kellino, was an English actress, author, and screenwriter, known for being the creative partner and first wife of English actor James Mason. Early life and personal life Born ...

, and

Vera-Ellen Vera-Ellen (born Vera-Ellen Rohe; February 16, 1921 – August 30, 1981) was an American dancer, actress, and singer. She is remembered for her solo performances as well as her work with partners Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Danny Kaye, and Donald ...

.Norman Ridenhour, Hootenanny show called good field, Birmingham Post-Herald, Birmingham, Alabama, August 29, 1963. Navarro then turned his energy to choreography and ran the successful Nick Navarro Dancers group. As well as Las Vegas shows he also choreographed the 1974 Annual Las Vegas Entertainment Awards. He then spent time in the south of France and Monte Carlo. In 1977 he was based at Le Ruhl Casino in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionKandyland in 1987. Other TV credits in the early 1990s included

Delusion A delusion is a fixed belief that is not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, confabulation, dogma, illusion, hallucination, or some other m ...

in 1991 and La Toya Jackson's Playboy Celebrity Centerfold in 1994. He was also engaged as choreographer for productions on cruise ships (such as the Royal Caribbean's

Sovereign of the Seas ''Sovereign of the Seas'' may refer to one of these ships: * ''Sovereign of the Seas'', an English first-rate warship of 102 guns; later renamed ''Sovereign'' in the navy of the Commonwealth of England in 1650 and then ''Royal Sovereign'' in the n ...

). In 2000, Navarro choreographed the renowned ''Splash'' at the

Riviera () is an Italian word which means , ultimately derived from Latin , through Ligurian . It came to be applied as a proper name to the coast of Liguria (the Genoa region in northwestern Italy) in the form , then shortened in English. Riviera may a ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

in 2000

Personal life

In October 1958, whilst performing in the Moulin Rouge night club in Los Angeles, he met fellow performer and former

Miss USA 1957 Miss USA 1957 was the sixth Miss USA pageant, held at Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California on July 17, 1957, during the run-up to the year's Miss Universe pageant. At the end of the pageant, Mary Leona Gage of Maryland was ...

, Leona Gage. Within four weeks they announced their engagement, and were married that year. They had one son together, Nicholas Anthony, but their short marriage was beset by fighting and they divorced in 1961. In August 1963, Navarro won custody of his son from Gage. Navarro then had a two-year relationship with

following her break-up with

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

. There were rumours that Navarro and Prowse had secretly married, but these were firmly denied by Prowse. After his relationship with Prowse, Navarro met Dagmar Wrede, a Swedish ex-ballerina and Las Vegas showgirl(although sometimes reported as hailing from Germany) and married her in 1964. The marriage to Wrede was short-lived, and in 1968 he married Jacqueline Douguet. However, this ended in divorce a year later. Navarro then married Mary Lucrezia Lapenta in 1973 to whom he would be married for 25 years before divorcing in 1998. They had three children, Mario, Ophelia and Brianna. In August 2000, Navarro married Reiko Bright. They divorced in 2021.

Productions

Acting

Film

*'' The I Don’t Care Girl'' (1953), Dancer (uncredited) *''

'' (1961 film) - Toro, member of the Sharks *''

'' (1961), Chorus Boy (uncredited) *'' Calypso Joe'' (1962) *''

'' (1963) – Jed Morse (credited as Nic Novarro) *''

'' (1963) - dancer *''

'' (1964) – Dancer (uncredited) *Scream of the Butterfly (1965) – David (credited as Nic Novarro) *''

'' (1966) – Bearded Bitnik (uncredited) *''

'' (1966) – Beatnik

Television

*Appeared on The Fred Astaire TV Spectacular, as well as the shows of Andy Williams, Bob Hope, and Danny Kaye (by 1963).Marvin Cobie, Two stars stop here to promote movie, Winston-Salem Journal, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, September 5, 1963. *''

Mona McCluskey ''Mona McCluskey'' (also known as ''Meet Mona McCluskey'') is an American sitcom that aired on NBC as part of its 1965-66 schedule. The series stars Juliet Prowse in the title role, and aired from September 16, 1965 to April 14, 1966. Synopsis P ...

'' (1966) – The Beard

Choreography

Film and Video

*'' Playboy Celebrity Centerfold: La Toya Jackson'' (1994) – Choreographer (credited as Nick Covacevich) *''

'' (1991) – Choreographer *'' Kandyland'' (1987) – Choreographer

Television

*'' The 1974 Annual Las Vegas Entertainment Awards'' (1974) – Choreographer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Navarro, Nick 1938 births American modern dancers Mexican modern dancers American choreographers Mexican choreographers Entertainers from Mexico City Mass media people from Los Angeles People from Houston Mexican male dancers Musical theatre choreographers Living people