Liliane Dina Montevecchi (October 13, 1932 – June 29, 2018) was a French actress, dancer, and singer. She won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in the original Broadway production of '' Nine'', and was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for '' Grand Hotel''.

Early life

Montevecchi was born on October 13, 1932 in the 15th arrondissement of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Her father, Franco Montevecchi, was an Italian painter. Her mother, Janine Trinquet, was a hat designer. Her parents separated shortly after her birth, and she was raised mainly by her mother. She began studying

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

at the age of 8 with primo ballerino Pierre Duprez. She finished her training at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

, under Jeanne Schwarz and Mathilde Kschessinska, and performed at the

Opéra Comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular ''opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Théâtre de la foire, Fair Theatres of St Germain and S ...

. She made her professional debut at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, in a ballet by David Lichine. In 1949, she performed at the coronation of

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

's Prince Rainier III. She also danced her first steps at the Casino de Paris with Jean Guélis.

Career

Montevecchi began her international career as a prima ballerina in Roland Petit's dance company. She appeared in '' The Glass Slipper'' with Michael Wilding and '' Daddy Long Legs'' (with Fred Astaire), in both of which she was acting with leading lady Leslie Caron. In the mid-1950s, she was signed to a contract by

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

, which cast her in various roles in such films as '' Moonfleet'' with Stewart Granger and '' Meet Me in Las Vegas'' with Cyd Charisse and John Brascia. She then played in the

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...

vehicle '' The Sad Sack'', '' King Creole'' with

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

, and '' The Young Lions'' with Montgomery Clift,

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

and

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

. She knew

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

and

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American actor often referred to as the "King of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". He appeared in more than 60 Film, motion pictures across a variety of Film genre, genres dur ...

, and she took classes at the Actors Studio in New York. Montevecchi replaced Colette Brosset in the 1958 Broadway revue ''La Plume de Ma Tante''. After some television work in series such as ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' is an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 134 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of t ...

'' and '' Adventures in Paradise'' at the end of the decade, Montevecchi opted to leave Hollywood for a star spot in the Folies Bergère in Las Vegas, toured with the company for nine years before appearing at the Folies Bergère in Paris from 1972 to 1978. In 1982, she drew the attention of critics and audiences for her performance in '' Nine'', with Raúl Juliá, for which she won both the Tony and

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Seven years later, she starred in '' Grand Hotel'', earning a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. On TV, she guests–starred in more than 20 shows. Montevecchi also appeared in the films ''

Wall Street Wall Street is a street in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs eight city blocks between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the west and South Street (Manhattan), South Str ...

'' and '' How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days'' with Matthew McConaughey. She appeared in concert at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

and

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

and toured internationally with her semi-autobiographical shows ''On the Boulevard'' and ''Back on the Boulevard''. Her solo album ''On the Boulevard'' is available from Jay Records. She is featured in the recording of the 1985 concert version of ''Follies'' staged at

Avery Fisher Hall David Geffen Hall is a concert hall at Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The 2,200-seat auditorium opened in 1962, and is the home of the New York Philharmonic. The facility, designed by Max Abramovitz, was o ...

, and she has starred in musicals such as '' Irma La Douce'', '' Gigi'' and '' Hello Dolly!''. In 1998, she replaced Eartha Kitt as The Wicked Witch of the West in Radio City Entertainment's touring production of '' The Wizard of Oz'', co-starring

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Ninnian Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last survivi ...

as The Wizard and Jessica Grové as Dorothy. She continued with the show until the spring of 1999 and was succeeded by Jo Anne Worley. In 2001, Montevecchi appeared as Mistinguett at the Théâtre National de l’Opéra Comique in Paris. In Seattle, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, Montevecchi had a very successful turn as Madame ZinZanni at Teatro ZinZanni beginning with the production at its opening, with Frank Ferrante, Michael Davis (juggler), Les Castors, Dreya Weber, Mat Plendl and the Steben Twins. She took part in the recording of the album ''The Divas'' with

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (, ; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing mo ...

, Thelma Houston, Sally Kellerman, Christine Deaver, Debbie de Coudreaux, Francine Reed, Juliana Rambaldi and Kristin Clayton in 2006. She returned to Teatro ZinZanni in June 2009 to reprise the role and in September 2011 in the show ''Bonsoir Liliane!'', starring with Kevin Kent, directed by Tommy Tune and choreographed by Tobias Larsson. In December 2010, Kaye Ballard, Montevecchi and Donna McKechnie starred in ''From Broadway with Love'', directed by Richard Jay-Alexander and staged at the Lensic Theater. In early 2012, she joined Kaye Ballard and Lee Roy Reams for the musical review ''Doin' It for Love'', directed by David Geist. In March 2015, Montevecchi won critical praise for recreating her Tony-nominated role of Grushinskaya in ''Grand Hotel: The 25th Anniversary Reunion Concert'' at 54 Below in New York City. In November 2015, at the behest of producer Patrick Niedo, Montevecchi brought her solo show ''Aller-Retour'' (Round Trip) to Paris for the first time. On July 12, 2017, she joined Francesca Capetta and Stacy Sullivan for a birthday salute to the late film star and recording artist Dean Martin in the Weill Recital Hall at New York’s

Death

Montevecchi died on June 29, 2018, at age 85. A memorial service was held July 6, 2018, at Gotham Hall in New York City and she was buried in Gambais, France.

Awards and nominations

In 1982, Montevecchi won both the Tony and

for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Liliane La Fleur in '' Nine''. She earned a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Elizaveta Grushinskaya in '' Grand Hotel'' in 1990. She was honored by the French Minister of Culture as the "Officer of Arts and Culture" to France and the world at large in 2013. In January 2017, Montevecchi was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Ziegfeld Society of New York City.

Filmography and roles

* ''

Women of Paris A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional uter ...

'' (1953) as Une Femme de Paris (as Montevecchi) * '' The Glass Slipper'' (1955) as Tehara * '' Daddy Long Legs'' (1955) as College Girl (uncredited) * '' Moonfleet'' (1955) (as Liliane Montevecchi of the Ballet de Paris) as Gypsy * '' Meet Me in Las Vegas'' (1956) (a.k.a. ''Viva Las Vegas!'') (UK) as Lilli * '' The Living Idol'' (1957) (a.k.a. ''El Ídolo viviente'') (Mexico) as Juanita * '' The Sad Sack'' (1957) as Zita * '' The Young Lions'' (1958) as Françoise * '' King Creole'' (1958) as Forty Nina * '' Me and the Colonel'' (1958) as Cosette * '' 77 Sunset Strip'' (1959, TV series) as Tosca * '' Behind Closed Doors'' (1959, TV Series) as Marcella * ''

'' (1959, TV series) as Estrella / Carla * '' Adventures in Paradise'' (1959, TV Series) as Therese Privaux * '' The Tab Hunter Show'' (1960–1961, TV series) as Andrea / Maria * '' Mr. Broadway'' (1964, TV series) as Vici * '' T.H.E. Cat'' (1967, TV series) as Countess De Laurent * '' It Takes a Thief'' (1969, TV Series) as Madame Tanya Varhos * ''39° Gala de l'Union des Artistes'' at the cirque d'hiver in Paris (1972) * ''La vie rêvée de Vincent Scotto'' (1973, TV movie) as Gay Deslys * ''Musidora'' (1973, TV movie) as Musidora * ''Au théâtre ce soir'' (1974, TV series) as Francine * ''Chobizenesse'' (1975) (a.k.a. ''Show Business'', English title) as Gigi Nietzsche * ''

'' (1987) as Woman at 'Le Cirque' * ''The Funny Face of Broadway'' (1997, documentary by Rémy Batteault) * ''Of Penguins and Peacocks'' (2000, TV movie) as

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including by Alexandre Dumas fils, ...

* ''Mistinguett, la dernière revue'' (2001, TV movie) as Mistinguett * ''An Evening with Rosanne Seaborn'' (2001, TV movie) as Mrs. Mannering * ''L'Idole'' (2002) (a.k.a. ''The Idol'', English title) as Nicole * '' How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days'' (2003) as Mrs. DeLauer * ''Comment j'ai accepté ma place parmi les mortels'' (2008, short) as Mirna * ''Jours de France'' (2016) (a.k.a. ''4 Days in France'', English title) as Judith Joubert (final film role)

Stage work

* ''La Croqueuse de Diamants'' (1952), Théâtre de l’Empire, Paris, France * ''La Plume de Ma Tante'', original Broadway production (1958), Broadway * ''La Grosse Valse'' (1962-1963), Théâtre des Variétés, Paris, France as Nana * ''Folies Bergère'', original Broadway production (1964), Broadway * ''Nine'', original Broadway production (1982), Broadway as Liliane La Fleur * ''Gotta Getaway!'' (1984) Radio City Music Hall, New York * ''Irma La Douce'' (1986) with Robert Clary, Atlantic City * ''Star Dust'', concert reading (1987), New York * ''On the Boulevard'' (1988), Kaufman Theatre, New York * ''Nymph Errant'', London concert revival (1989), West End, London, UK * ''Grand Hotel'', original Broadway production (1989), Broadway as Elizaveta Grushinskaya * ''Grand Hotel'', national tour (1992), US Tour * ''Nine'', London concert revival (1992), West End, London, UK as Liliane La Fleur * ''Grand Hotel'', London production (1992), West End, London, UK as Elizaveta Grushinskaya * ''Hello, Dolly!'' (1995), Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Liège, Belgium * ''Gigi'' (1996) with Gavin MacLeod, Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, New Jersey * ''Back on the Boulevard'' (1996), Kaufman Theatre, New York * ''Divorce Me, Darling!'', Regional Revival (1997), UK * ''Gigi'' (1998) with Gavin MacLeod, TX's Theatre Under the Stars, Houston, Texas * ''Follies'', Paper Mill Playhouse Revival (1998), Millburn, New Jersey as Solange Lafitte * ''The Wizard of Oz'', Radio City Entertainment's touring production (1998-1999) as The Wicked Witch of the West * ''Mistinguett, la dernière revue'' (2001), Opéra Comique, Paris, France as Mistinguett * ''Love, Chaos and Dinner'' (2002-2003), Teatro ZinZanni, San Francisco, California as Madame ZinZanni * ''The Boy Friend'', regional revival (2003), UK as Madame Dubonnet * ''Love, Chaos and Dinner'' (2007), Teatro ZinZanni, Seattle, Washington as Madame ZinZanni * ''A La Folie!'' (2008) with Michael Davis (juggler), Teatro ZinZanni, San Francisco, California * ''Back on the Boulevard'' (2009), Pizza on the Park, London, UK * ''Bottega ZinZanni : All Dressed Up with Some Place to Go'' (2009), Teatro ZinZanni, Seattle, Washington as Dina Monte * ''Majestic'' (2009) with Les Castors, Palazzo, Vienna, Austria * ''From Broadway With Love'' (2010) with Kaye Ballard & Donna McKechnie, Lensic Theater, Santa Fe, New Mexico * ''Tigerplast Varieté Show'' (2011), Tigerpalast, Frankfurt, Germany * ''Bonsoir Liliane!'' (2011), Teatro ZinZanni, Seattle, Washington * ''Doin' It For Love'' (2012) with Kaye Ballard & Lee Roy Reams, Austin, TX & Wilshire Ebell Theatre, Los Angeles, California * ''Broadway Babes ONE NIGHT ONLY'' (2014) with Kaye Ballard & Donna McKechnie, Albuquerque, New Mexico * ''Zazou'' (2014), The York Theatre, New York * ''Tigerplast Varieté Show'' (2014), Tigerpalast, Frankfurt, Germany * ''Paris on the Thames'' (2015), Brasserie Zédel, London, UK * ''54 Sings Grand Hotel: The 25th Anniversary Concert'' (2015), Feinstein's/54 Below, New York as Elizaveta Grushinskaya * ''An intimate evening with Liliane Montevecchi'' (2015), The Mansion Inn, Rock City Falls, New York * ''Steve Ross on Broadway'' (2015), Birdland Jazz Club, New York * ''A Classic Night: A Tribute to Liliane Montevecchi'' (2015), Alvin Ailey Theatre, New York * ''Tigerplast Varieté Show'' (2015), Tigerpalast, Frankfurt, Germany * ''Aller-Retour'', musical review (2015), Vingtième Théâtre, Paris, France * ''Concert les Funambules'' (2015), Sunset/Sunside, Paris, France * ''Be My Valentine'' (2016), Feinstein's/54 Below, New York * ''Liliane Montevecchi Live at Zédel'' (2016), Brasserie Zédel, London, UK * ''Tigerplast Varieté Show'' (2016), Tigerpalast, Frankfurt, Germany * ''Hotel l'Amour'' (2016) with Frank Ferrante, Teatro ZinZanni, Seattle, Washington * ''Ziegfeld Follies of the Air: The New 1934 Live from Broadway Broadcast Revue'' (2017), Birdland Jazz Club, New York * ''We'll Take a Glass Together: The Songs of Wright & Forrest from MGM to Grand Hotel'' (2017) with Karen Akers, Ida K. Lang Recital Hall at Hunter College, New York * ''Francesca Capetta sings Dean Martin: A Centennial Celebration'' (2017), Carnegie Hall, New York

Other works

* '' The Hollywood Palace'' as herself - Singer / ... (3 episodes, 1965–1966) - Episode #4.10 (1966) TV episode as herself - Singer - Episode #3.19 (1966) TV episode as herself - Singer/Dancer - Episode #2.29 (1965) TV episode as herself - Singer/Dancer * '' The 36th Annual Tony Awards'' (1982) (TV) as herself - Winner : Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical * '' The 37th Annual Tony Awards'' (1983) (TV) as herself - Presenter * ''Follies in Concert'' (1986) (TV) as Solange Lafitte * '' The 44th Annual Tony Awards'' (1990) (TV) as herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Musical * ''NBC's "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson" with

Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno ( ; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show'' from 1992 until 200 ...

- Season 29'' (1991) (TV) as herself - Guest * ''Tout le monde en parle'' as herself (1 episode, dated 28 April 2001) * '' Broadway The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There'' (2003) as herself a.k.a. ''Broadway'' (USA: short title) a.k.a. ''Broadway: The Golden Age'' (USA: short title) a.k.a. ''Broadway: The Movie'' (USA: short title)

Albums

* ''C'est beau l'amour à Paris/Grain de poivre'', Versailles, 1981 * ''Nine: Original Cast Album'' (cast recording),

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

, 1982 * ''Follies in Concert'' (cast recording), RCA, 1985 * ''Nymph Errant'', EMI, 1990 * ''Grand Hotel: The Musical - Broadway Cast Recording'' (cast recording), RCA, 1992 * ''Nine'' (1992 London Concert, cast recording), RCA, 1992 * ''There's No Business Like Show Business: Broadway Showstoppers'', Sony, 1993 * ''Divorce Me Darling!'' (cast recording), Jay Records, 1998 * ''Follies - The Complete Recording'' (cast recording), Tee Vee Toons, 1998 * ''On the Boulevard'' (original cast), Jay Records, 1998 * ''La Tournée des Grands Ducs'' (various artists), Idol/Marianne Melodie, 2005 * ''The Divas'', One Reel/Teatro ZinZanni, 2006 * ''BROADWAY: THE GREAT ORIGINAL CAST RECORDINGS'', Masterworks Broadway, 2015 * ''Les Funambules'' (chansons d'amour pour tous), Blossom, 2017

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Montevecchi, Liliane 1932 births 2018 deaths Actresses from Paris French female dancers French television actresses French film actresses French vedettes 20th-century French actresses 21st-century French actresses French people of Italian descent