Acting
Esther Williams
Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics because of the outbreak of World War II, she joined Billy Rose's Aquacade, where she took on the role vacated by Eleanor Holm after the show's move from New York City to San Francisco. While in the city, she spent five months swimming alongside Olympic gold-medal winner and Tarzan star Johnny Weissmuller. Williams caught the attention of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer scouts at the Aquacade. After appearing in several small roles, and alongside Mickey Rooney in an Andy Hardy film and future five-time co-star Van Johnson in A Guy Named Joe, Williams made a series of films in the 1940s and early 1950s known as "aquamusicals", which featured elaborate performances with synchronised swimming and diving. Every year from 1945 to 1949, Williams had at least one film among the 20 highest-grossing films of the year. In 1952, Williams appeared in her only biographical role, as Australian swimming star Annette Kellerman in Million Dollar Mermaid, which went on to become her nickname while she was at MGM. Williams left MGM in 1956 and appeared in a handful of unsuccessful feature films, followed by several extremely popular water-themed network television specials, including one from Cypress Gardens, Florida. Williams was also a successful businesswoman. Before retiring from acting, she invested in a "service station, a metal products plant, a manufacturer of bathing suits, various properties and a successful restaurant chain known as Trails." She lent her name to a line of swimming pools, retro swimwear, and instructional swimming videos for children, and served as a commentator for synchronized swimming at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Description above from the Wikipedia article Esther Williams, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
Esther Williams: Hollywood's Mermaid
Film · 2024
The Fabulous Allan Carr
Film · 2017
Listen to Me Marlon
Film · 2015
Hollywood Legenden
Film · 2004
Busby Berkeley: Going Through the Roof
Film · 2003
Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer
Film · 2002
The Original Mermaid
Film · 2002
Hollywood Musicals of the 40's
Film · 2000
Glorious Technicolor
Film · 1998
Parkinson
Series · 1998
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Series · 1996
Private Screenings
Series · 1996
That's Entertainment! III
Film · 1994
MGM: When the Lion Roars
Series · 1992
Stars and Stripes: Hollywood and World War II
Film · 1991
Pebble Mill
Series · 1991
Burt Reynolds' Conversations with...
Series · 1991
Dance Crazy in Hollywood
Film · 1990
Tom & Jerry's 50th Birthday Bash
Film · 1990
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
Film · 1987
Night of 100 Stars II
Film · 1985
That's Dancing!
Film · 1985
That's Entertainment, Part II
Film · 1976
That's Entertainment!
Film · 1974
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Film · 1972
Magic Fountain
Film · 1963
The Big Show
Film · 1961
The Big Party
Series · 1959
Raw Wind in Eden
Film · 1958
Andy Hardy Comes Home
Film · 1958
The Donna Reed Show
Series · 1958
The Unguarded Moment
Film · 1956
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
Series · 1956
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Series · 1956
The Steve Allen Show
Series · 1956
Jupiter's Darling
Film · 1955
MGM Parade
Series · 1955
The Jimmy Durante Show
Series · 1954
Reflets de Cannes
Series · 1954
Easy to Love
Film · 1953
Dangerous When Wet
Film · 1953
The Oscars
Series · 1953
Million Dollar Mermaid
Film · 1952
Skirts Ahoy!
Film · 1952
Omnibus
Series · 1952
Texas Carnival
Film · 1951
Callaway Went Thataway
Film · 1951
Pagan Love Song
Film · 1950
Duchess of Idaho
Film · 1950
The Costume Designer
Film · 1950
Screen Actors
Film · 1950
Lux Video Theatre
Series · 1950
What's My Line?
Series · 1950
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Film · 1949
Neptune's Daughter
Film · 1949
On an Island with You
Film · 1948
The Ed Sullivan Show
Series · 1948
Fiesta
Film · 1947
This Time for Keeps
Film · 1947
Easy to Wed
Film · 1946
Till the Clouds Roll By
Film · 1946
The Hoodlum Saint
Film · 1946
Thrill of a Romance
Film · 1945
Ziegfeld Follies
Film · 1945
Parade of Aquatic Champions
Film · 1945
A Guy Named Joe
Film · 1944
Bathing Beauty
Film · 1944
Twenty Years After
Film · 1944
Andy Hardy's Double Life
Film · 1942
Inflation
Film · 1942
Personalities
Film · 1942