Gwen Verdon
Verdon in 1954
Born	Gwyneth Evelyn Verdon (1925-01-13)January 13, 1925[1] Culver City, California, U.S.
Died	October 18, 2000(2000-10-18) (aged 75) Woodstock, Vermont, U.S.
Occupations	Actress, dancer
Years active	1936–2000
Spouses	James Henaghan ​ ​ (m. 1942; div. 1947)​ Bob Fosse ​ ​ (m. 1960; died 1987)​
Children	2, includingNicole Fosse

Gwyneth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon (January 13, 1925 – October 18, 2000) was an American actress and dancer. She won fourTony Awards for her musical comedy performances, and she served as an uncredited choreographer's assistant and specialty dance coach for theater and film. Verdon was a critically acclaimed performer on Broadway in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, having originated many roles in musicals, including Lola inDamn Yankees, the title character inSweet Charity, andRoxie Hart inChicago.

Her second husband was director-choreographerBob Fosse, with whom she worked on a number of theater and film projects. After Fosse's death, she worked to preserve his legacy.^[2]

Verdon was born inCulver City, California, the second child of Gertrude Lilian (née Standring) and Joseph William Verdon, who were both British immigrants to the United States by way of Canada.^[3] Her brother was William Farrell Verdon, her father was an electrician atMGM Studios, and her mother was a formervaudevillian of theDenishawn dance troupe, as well as adance teacher.^[4]

As a toddler, she suffered fromrickets, which led to her being called "Gimpy" by other children and spent her early years inorthopedic boots and rigidleg braces. At age three, her mother enrolled her in dance classes. Further ballet training strengthened her legs and improved her carriage.^{[citation needed]}

By age six, she was dancing on stage. She went on to study multiple dance forms, ranging from tap, jazz, ballroom andflamenco toBalinese. She also studied juggling. At age 11, she appeared as a solo ballerina in the musical romance filmThe King Steps Out (1936), directed byJosef von Sternberg and starringGrace Moore andFranchot Tone. She attendedHamilton High School in Los Angeles and studied under ballet enthusiast Ernest Belcher. While in high school, she was cast in arevival ofShow Boat.^[5]

In 1942, Verdon's parents asked her to marry family friend and tabloid reporter James Henaghan after he got her pregnant at 17 years old, and she quit dancing to raise their child.^[6] In 1945, she appeared as a dancer in the movie musicalBlonde From Brooklyn. After her divorce, she entrusted her son Jimmy to the care of her parents.^{[citation needed]}

Early on, Verdon found a job as assistant to choreographerJack Cole, whose work was respected by bothBroadway and Hollywoodmovie studios. During her five-year employment with Cole, she took small roles in movie musicals as a "specialty dancer". She also taught dance to stars such asJane Russell,Fernando Lamas,Lana Turner,Rita Hayworth,Betty Grable, andMarilyn Monroe.^[7][8][9]

Verdon started out on Broadway going from onechorus line to another. Her breakthrough role finally came when choreographerMichael Kidd cast her as the second female lead inCole Porter's musicalCan-Can (1953), starring Frenchprima donna Lilo. Out-of-town reviewers hailed Verdon's interpretation of Eve in theGarden of Eden ballet as a performance that upstaged the show's star, who reputedly demanded Verdon's role be cut to only two featured dance numbers. With her role reduced to little more than an ensemble part, Verdon formally announced her intention to quit by the time the show premiered on Broadway. But her opening-nightGarden of Eden performance was so well-received that the audience screamed her name until the startled actress was brought from her dressing room in a towel to take a curtain call.^[10] Verdon received a pay increase and her firstTony Award for her performance.^[11]

Verdon's biggest critical and commercial success was her following show,George Abbott'sDamn Yankees (1955), based on the novelThe Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant. The musical ran for 1,019 performances. Verdon won another Tony and went to Hollywood to repeat her role in the 1958 movie versionDamn Yankees, singing "Whatever Lola Wants". Fosse can be seen partnered with her in the originalmambo duet "Who's Got the Pain".^[12]

Verdon won another Tony for her performance in the musicalNew Girl in Town as a hard-luck girl fleeing from her past as a prostitute. She won her fourth Tony for the murder-mystery musicalRedhead, Fosse's Broadway debut as a director/choreographer.^[11] In 1960, Fosse and Verdon wed.^[13]

In 1966, Verdon returned to the stage in the role of Charity inSweet Charity, which, like many of her earlier Broadway triumphs, was choreographed and directed by husband Fosse. The show is loosely based onFederico Fellini's screenplay forNights of Cabiria. It was followed by a movie version starringShirley MacLaine as Charity, featuringRicardo Montalbán,Sammy Davis Jr. andChita Rivera, with Fosse at the helm of his first film as director and choreographer. Verdon helped with the choreography. The numbers include the famed "Big Spender", "Rhythm of Life", "If My Friends Could See Me Now", and "I'm a Brass Band". Verdon also traveled to Berlin to help Fosse withCabaret, the musical film for which he won anOscar forBest Director.^[14]

Although estranged as a couple, Verdon continued to collaborate with Fosse as a performer and a choreographer. In the 1975 Broadway production of the Fosse-directed musicalChicago, Verdon originated the role of murderessRoxie Hart oppositeChita Rivera'sVelma Kelly. Although the musical was almost universally panned by critics, who compared it unfavorably to Cabaret, Gwen Verdon was singled out for praise: her performance was "delectable" wrote the NY Times theater critic.^[15] Verdon also helped out with Fosse's paean to Broadway dancing in the musicalDancin' (1978), as well as Fosse's autobiographical filmAll That Jazz (1979).^[16] The helpmate/peer played byLeland Palmer in that film is based on the role Verdon played in Fosse's real life. She also developed a close working relationship with Fosse's romantic partner of six years, Broadway dancerAnn Reinking, working as an instructor for Reinking's musical theatre classes.^[17]

After the 1975 stage version ofChicago Verdon focused on film acting, playing character roles in movies such asThe Cotton Club (1984),Cocoon (1985), andCocoon: The Return (1988). She collected several Emmy nominations in her guest performances on television shows, including nominations for appearances onMagnum, P.I. (1988),Dream On (1993) andHomicide: Life on the Street (1993). Her screen roles continued in prestigious films, such as the mother of Mia Farrow's title character in theWoody Allen movieAlice (1990) and the eccentric Aunt Ruth (a turn which earned her aScreen Actors Guild Award nomination) inMarvin's Room (1996), co-starringMeryl Streep,Diane Keaton, andLeonardo DiCaprio. Other film roles include Alora inWalking Across Egypt (1999) andBruno (2000).

Verdon served as artistic consultant to the 1999 Broadway musicalFosse, reprising classic Fosse choreography without any formal narrative; the revue was conceived and co-directed byRichard Maltby Jr. andAnn Reinking. (Verdon's daughter with Fosse, performerNicole Fosse received a "special thanks" credit.) With glowing reviews,Fosse ran for 1000 performances on Broadway and collected four Tonys, including theTony Award for Best Musical.^[18]

Verdon was married twice and had two children. She married tabloid reporter James Archibald Henaghan in 1942. They had a son, Jim, the following year and divorced in 1947. In 1960, Verdon married choreographerBob Fosse. They had a daughter,Nicole, in 1963. Fosse's extramarital affairs put a strain on their marriage, and by 1971, Verdon and Fosse were separated, but never divorced. She was involved in relationships with actorScott Brady and actor Jerry Lanning, son ofRoberta Sherwood.^[19] Verdon was with Fosse when he suffered a fatal heart attack at theWillard Hotel in Washington, D.C., in September 1987.^[20]

Verdon was a cat fancier, having up to six cats at one time, with the pets carrying names such as "Feets Fosse", "Junie Moon", and "Tidbits Tumbler Fosse".^[21]

Verdon was a mental health-care advocate; later in life, she openly spoke about the positive effects of mental-health counseling. Along with teaching dance as a form of therapy, she sat on the board of directors for the New York Postgraduate Center for Mental Health, and actively raised funds to support mental health-care research.^[22]

She was also stated to be a big fan of baseball, and went to day games with her scout son.^[23]

Verdon died from a heart attack on October 18, 2000, aged 75, at her daughter's home inWoodstock, Vermont.^[24][25][13] Later that night, at 8 pm, all marquee lights on Broadway were dimmed in a tribute to Verdon.^[13]

Fosse/Verdon is an 8-part Americanminiseries starringSam Rockwell as Fosse andMichelle Williams as Verdon.^[26] The series, which tells the story of the couple's troubled personal and professional relationship, is based on the biographyFosse by Sam Wasson.^[27] It premiered in eight parts on April 9, 2019, onFX. At the71st Primetime Emmy Awards,Fosse/Verdon received seventeen nominations, includingOutstanding Limited Series and acting nominations for Rockwell, Williams, andMargaret Qualley (asAnn Reinking). Williams won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.^[28]

• In 1956, Verdon released an album titledThe Girl I Left Home For. The album includes her covers of popular jazz standards of the time.^[30]

• Gwen Verdon atIMDb
• Gwen Verdon at theInternet Broadway Database
• Gwen Verdon at theTCM Movie Database
• Gwen Verdon atPlaybill Vault

• 1925 births
• 2000 deaths
• 20th-century American actresses
• 20th-century American dancers
• 20th-century American singers
• 20th-century American women singers
• Actresses from Culver City, California
• Alexander Hamilton High School (Los Angeles) alumni
• American female dancers
• American film actresses
• American jazz dancers
• American musical theatre actresses
• American people of Canadian descent
• Dancers from California
• Donaldson Award winners
• Grammy Award winners
• Singers from California
• Tony Award winners
• United States National Medal of Arts recipients

• CS1 maint: archived copy as title
• CS1 maint: others
• Webarchive template wayback links
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from January 2024
• Articles with hCards
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from April 2024
• IBDB name template using Wikidata
• TCMDb name template using non-numeric ID from Wikidata
• Playbill person template using Wikidata