Cyd Charisse, 1922-2008.

2008-06-17 23:00:01

Cyd Charisse, the impossibly long-limbed actress and dancer (born Tula Ellice Finklea) who starred alongside Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly in classic musicals like "The Band Wagon" and "Singin' in the Rain," passed away today. From the AP: Her height was 5 feet, 6 inches, but in high heels and full-length stockings, she seemed serenely tall, and she moved with extraordinary grace. Her flawless beauty and jet-black hair contributed to an aura of perfection that Astaire described in his 1959 memoir, "Steps in Time," as "beautiful dynamite." You can watch her dance with Kelly at the end of "Singin' in the Rain" here on YouTube. [Photo: Charisse and Kelly in "Singin' in the Rain," MGM, 1952] + Actress-dancer Cyd Charisse dies in L.A. at 86 (AP) + Gene Kelly & Cyd Charisse - from singin' in the rain (YouTube)...

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