Liliane Montevecchi

Liliane Montevecchi

Liliane Montevecchi during rehearsals for Stephen Sondheim's Follies in Concert in 1985
Born (1932-10-13) 13 October 1932
Paris, France
Occupation Actress, dancer, singer
Years active 1953–present

Liliane Montevecchi (born October 13, 1932) is a French-Italian actress, dancer, and singer.

Career

Born in Paris, France, Montevecchi began her career as a prima ballerina in Roland Petit's dance company. In the mid-1950s she was signed to a contract by MGM, which cast her in various roles in such films as The Glass Slipper and Daddy Long Legs (with Fred Astaire), in both of which she was acting with leading lady Leslie Caron, the Jerry Lewis vehicle The Sad Sack, The Young Lions with Montgomery Clift, Dean Martin and Marlon Brando, Meet Me in Las Vegas with Cyd Charisse, and King Creole with Elvis Presley.

After some television work in series such as Playhouse 90 and Adventures in Paradise at the end of the decade, Montevecchi opted to leave Hollywood for a star spot in the Folies Bergère and toured with the company for nine years. She replaced Colette Brosset in the 1958 Broadway revue La Plume de Ma Tante, and in 1982 she drew the attention of critics and audiences for her performance in Nine, for which she won both the Tony and Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She also has starred in musicals such as Irma La Douce, Gigi and Hello Dolly!. Seven years later she starred in Grand Hotel, earning a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.

On TV she guest–starred in more than 20 shows, and was nominated for an Emmy for Child of Our Time.

Montevecchi also appeared in the films Wall Street and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. She has appeared in concert at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center 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 also is featured in the recording of the 1985 concert version of Follies staged at Avery Fisher Hall.

In 1999, 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 as The Wizard and Jessica Grove as Dorothy. Montevecchi appeared as The Witch during the show's limited run at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.

In Seattle, Washington as well as San Francisco, CA, Montevecchi had a very successful turn as "Madame ZinZanni" at the Teatro ZinZanni since its opening.

In April 2009 she was honored as "Entertainer of the Year" Boys' Towns of Italy at their 64th Annual "Ball of the Year" Gala.

She returned to Teatro ZinZanni in June 2009 to reprise the role and in September 2011 for her final bow in the show Bonsoir Liliane!, starring alongside Kevin Kent, directed by Tommy Tune and choreographed by Tobias Larsson.

In early 2012, she joined with Kaye Ballard, Donna McKechnie and Lee Roy Reams for the musical review Doin' It For Love. The show played Albuquerque, New Mexico and Los Angeles in February and March with other dates to be announced and an expected run on Broadway and the West End.

Active in a number of humanitarian causes including fights against AIDS and cancer, Montevecchi was knighted by the Knights of Malta in 1985, and was given the Columbus Citizen Foundation's 1995 Woman of the Year Award.

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 March 2015, Ms. 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.

Filmography and roles

Other works

Albums

External links

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