George Chakiris | |
|---|---|
 Chakiris in 2010 | |
| Born | (1932-09-16)September 16, 1932 (age 93) Norwood, Ohio, U.S. |
| Other names | George Kerris |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, dancer |
| Years active | 1947–1996, 2021 |
| Website | georgechakiris |
George Chakiris (born September 16, 1932) is an American actor and dancer. He is best known for his appearance in the 1961 film version ofWest Side Story as Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks gang, for which he won both theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor and theGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture.
Chakiris was born on September 16, 1932, inNorwood, Ohio, to Stelianos (Steve) and Zoe (née Anastasiadou) Chakiris, Greek immigrants from Turkey. He is one of eight siblings.[1][2][3]
His family moved toLong Beach, California, in 1944.[4][5] He attended Jefferson Junior High school and was graduated in 1950 fromWoodrow Wilson Classical High School, both in Long Beach.[6][7]
Chakiris attended one year atLong Beach City College, but wanted to pursue a career in dance, so he dropped out and moved to Hollywood. He worked in the advertising department ofMay Company California, a department store, and studied dance at night.[6][7]
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Chakiris made his film debut at age 15 in 1947 in the chorus ofSong of Love.[7]
For several years he appeared in small roles, usually as a dancer or a member of the chorus in various musical films, includingThe Great Caruso (1951),Stars and Stripes Forever (1952),Call Me Madam (1953),Second Chance (1953), andThe 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953).
He was a dancer inMarilyn Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" number inGentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and he appeared inGive a Girl a Break (1953) andWhite Christmas (1954).
He can be seen in the wedding dance in the MGM musical filmBrigadoon (1954), and appeared inThere's No Business Like Show Business (1954).
Chakiris was sometimes cast in non-Caucasian roles, including inWest Side Story as aPuerto Rican and inDiamond Head as anative Hawaiian.
Chakiris appeared uncredited as a dancer inWhite Christmas (1954), and his big break came when he appeared in a close-up withRosemary Clooney while she sang "Love, You Didn't Do Right by Me". A publicity photo of this generated a great deal of fan mail, andParamount signed him to a movie contract. "I got lucky with the close-up with Rosemary," said Chakiris.[8][9]
Chakiris appeared inThe Country Girl (1954) andThe Girl Rush (1955), dancing withRosalind Russell in the latter. He received a positive review fromHedda Hopper.[10]
MGM borrowed him forMeet Me in Las Vegas (1956), and he danced in Las Vegas.[11]
Chakiris had a small non-dancing part inUnder Fire (1957).
About 1958, frustrated with the progress of his career, Chakiris left Hollywood for New York. The stage musicalWest Side Story had been running for a year onBroadway, and Chakiris auditioned forJerome Robbins. He was cast in the London production as Riff, leader of the Jets. The musical launched on theWest End in late 1958, and Chakiris received excellent reviews, playing it for almost 22 months.[12]
TheMirisch Brothers bought the film rights toWest Side Story and screen-tested Chakiris. They thought his dark complexion made him more suited to the role of Bernardo, leader of the Sharks, and castRuss Tamblyn as Riff. Filming took seven months.[13][6]
The film adaptation ofWest Side Story (1961) was hugely successful, and Chakiris won theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance. This led to a long-term contract with theMirisch Company.[14]
Chakiris played the lead role inTwo and Two Make Six (1962), directed byFreddie Francis.
Chakiris starred as a doctor in the filmDiamond Head (1963), oppositeCharlton Heston andYvette Mimieux.[15]
In the early 1960s, he embarked on a career as apop singer, resulting in a couple of minor hits. In 1960, he recorded asingle with producerJoe Meek. He would have two charting albums,George-Chakiris andMemories Are Made of This, they would peak at No. 28 and 45 in theUS respectively.[16]
Chakiris's fee around this time was reported to be $100,000 per movie.[17] His first new film for the Mirisches wasFlight from Ashiya (1964), shot in Japan withYul Brynner andRichard Widmark.
The Mirisches reunited Chakiris with Brynner inKings of the Sun (1963), an epic about theMayans, which was a box-office flop. Chakiris went to Italy to makeBebo's Girl (1964) withClaudia Cardinale.
He acted in633 Squadron (1964), a war movie withCliff Robertson, the last movie he made for the Mirisches. Chakiris later said he made a mistake with his Hollywood films by looking at the "potential" of them instead of the quality of the roles.[18]
Chakiris played a Greek terrorist in Cyprus in a British film,The High Bright Sun (1965), withDirk Bogarde.[19] He went to Italy forThe Mona Lisa Has Been Stolen (1965) and France forIs Paris Burning? (1966).[20]
He appeared withCatherine Deneuve andGene Kelly inJacques Demy's French musical filmThe Young Girls of Rochefort (1967). Around this time, his manager cancelled his contract with Capitol Records.[21] However, he enjoyed his time in Europe, saying he had time to "experiment and refine my craft."[18] He also performed a nightclub act atCaesars Palace in Las Vegas, his first stage work sinceWest Side Story. The show was successful and led to Chakiris receiving an offer to appear withJose Ferrer in a TV production ofKismet (1967). He appeared inThe Day the Hot Line Got Hot (1968) in France, andThe Big Cube (1969) withLana Turner in America. He madeSharon Vestida de Rojo (Sharon Dressed in Red) (1970) in Spain.[22]
In 1969, Chakiris did a stage production ofThe Corn Is Green in Chicago withEileen Herlie. He enjoyed the experience and it revived his confidence as an actor. He said all the films he made afterWest Side Story had been "a waste of time...it was difficult to take them seriously...It was my fault and no one else's."[23]
Chakiris accepted a dramatic role on TV'sMedical Center to change his image.[23]
He starred in the first national tour of theStephen Sondheim musicalCompany, in the role of Bobby, from 1971-1972.
Chakiris worked heavily on TV in the 1970s and 1980s in Britain and the U.S., guest-starring onHawaii Five-O,Police Surgeon,Thriller,Notorious Woman,Wonder Woman,Fantasy Island,CHiPs,Matt Houston,Scarecrow and Mrs. King,Poor Little Rich Girls,Hell Town andMurder, She Wrote.
He appeared in the final episode (March 22, 1974) ofThe Partridge Family as an old high school boyfriend to Shirley Partridge (Shirley Jones). Their kiss goodbye was the final scene in the program's run. He also starred in theTerry Marcel filmWhy Not Stay for Breakfast? (1979).
Chakiris appeared in several episodes ofDallas and had a role onSanta Barbara.
Chakiris was top-billed in thevampire filmPale Blood (1990). On TV, he had a recurring role on the seriesSuperboy as Professor Peterson from 1988 to 1990, and guest-starred onHuman Target and theminiseriesThe Girls of Lido.
On stage, he starred in aLong Beach Civic Light Opera production ofThe King and I in 1995.[24]
On March 23, 1998, on the70th Academy Awards telecast, he appeared in the "Oscar's Family Album" segment, a historic gathering of 70 actors who have received both competitive andhonorary awards seated onstage together.[25]
He has given occasional television interviews since then, but is mostly retired. His hobby of making sterling silver jewelry has turned into a new occupation,[26] working as a jewelry designer for his own brand, George Chakiris Collections, consisting of handmade original sterling silver jewelry.
In 2012, he presented a musical aboutveganism titledLoving the Silent Tears.[27][28]
In 2021, Chakiris appeared in the filmNot to Forget (2021), which aims to raise awareness and funds for the fight againstAlzheimer's disease. The movie, directed by Valerio Zanoli, starsKaren Grassle and fiveAcademy Award winners: George Chakiris,Cloris Leachman,Louis Gossett Jr.,Tatum O'Neal, andOlympia Dukakis.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Song of Love | Choir boy | As George Kerris |
| 1951 | The Great Caruso | Dancer | Uncredited |
| 1952 | Stars and Stripes Forever | Ballroom dancer | Uncredited |
| 1953 | Call Me Madam | Dancer in 'The Ocarina' Number | |
| The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. | Dancer | As George Kerris | |
| Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | Dancer ("Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend") | Uncredited[29] | |
| Second Chance | Background Observer in Dance Sequence | Uncredited | |
| Give a Girl a Break | Dancer | Uncredited | |
| 1954 | Brigadoon | Specialty dancer | Uncredited |
| White Christmas | Dancer in 'Mandy' and 'Love' numbers | Uncredited | |
| The Country Girl | Dancer with pick | Uncredited | |
| There's No Business Like Show Business | Dancer | Uncredited | |
| 1955 | The Girl Rush | Chorus boy, 'Hillbilly Heart' number | Uncredited |
| 1956 | Meet Me in Las Vegas | Young groom | As George Kerris |
| 1957 | Under Fire | Pvt. Steiner | Uncredited |
| 1961 | West Side Story | Bernardo | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture |
| 1962 | Two and Two Make Six | Larry Curado | |
| Diamond Head | Dr. Dean Kahanna | ||
| 1963 | Kings of the Sun | Balam | |
| 1964 | La ragazza di Bube | Bebo | English:Bebo's Girl |
| Flight from Ashiya | 2nd Lt. John Gregg | ||
| 633 Squadron | Lt. Erik Bergman | ||
| 1965 | The High Bright Sun | Haghios | |
| 1966 | On a volé la Joconde [fr] | Vincent | English:The Mona Lisa Has Been Stolen |
| Is Paris Burning? | GI in tank | ||
| 1967 | Les Demoiselles de Rochefort | Étienne | English:The Young Girls of Rochefort |
| 1968 | Le Rouble à Deux Faces | Eric Ericson | US title:The Day the Hot Line Got Hot |
| 1969 | The Big Cube | Johnny Allen | |
| Sharon Vestida de Rojo | Robert Bowman | English:Sharon Dressed in Red | |
| 1979 | Why Not Stay for Breakfast? | George Clark | |
| 1982 | Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again | Himself | |
| 1990 | Pale Blood | Michael Fury | |
| 2021 | Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It | Himself | Documentary aboutRita Moreno, his costar inWest Side Story (1961) |
| 2021 | Not to Forget | Bank Manager |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Ford Star Jubilee | Episode: "You're the Top" | |
| 1968 | The Carol Burnett Show | Episode 18 (January 22, 1968) | |
| 1969 | The Jackie Gleason Show | Episode: "Mousey the Dip" | |
| 1970–1975 | Medical Center | Alex Solkin | 3 episodes |
| 1972 | Hawaii Five-O | Chris Lahani | Episode: "Death Is a Company Policy" |
| 1974 | The Partridge Family | Capt. Chuck "Cuddles" Corwin | Episode: ". . . - - - . . . (S.O.S.)" |
| Thriller | Robert Stone | Episode: "Kiss Me and Die" | |
| Notorious Woman | Frédéric Chopin | Miniseries | |
| 1978 | The New Adventures of Wonder Woman | Carlo Indrezzano | Episode: "Death in Disguise" |
| Return to Fantasy Island | Pierre | ||
| 1982 | Fantasy Island | Captain Claude Dumont | Episode: "The Magic Camera/Mata Hari/Valerie" |
| 1983 | CHiPs | Bernard DeJardine | Episode: "Fox Trap" |
| Matt Houston | Brett Cole | Episode: "The Showgirl Murders" | |
| 1984 | Matt Houston | Clark Sawyer | Episode: "Waltz of Death" |
| One Life to Live | Unknown episodes | ||
| Poor Little Rich Girls | Prince Rudolph | Episode: "The Gentleman Caller" | |
| Nihon no omokage | Lafcadio Hearn | Japanese miniseriesja:日本の面影 | |
| Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Angelo Spinelli | Episode: "Lost and Found" | |
| 1985 | Hell Town | Ric Montenez | Episode: "Let My Jennie Go" |
| 1986 | Dallas | Nicholas | 14 episodes |
| 1988 | Santa Barbara | Daniel Espinoza | |
| 1989 | Murder, She Wrote | Eric Bowman | Episode: "Weave a Tangled Web" |
| 1989–1990 | Superboy | Professor Peterson | 9 episodes |
| 1992 | Human Target | Robillard | Episode: "Chances Are" |
| 1995 | Les Filles du Lido | Saskia | Miniseries |
| 1996 | Last of the Summer Wine | Max Bernard | Episode: "Extra! Extra!" |
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