Eleanor Powell

AKA:
Eleanor Torrey Powell
Nationality:
American
Birthdate:
11/21/1912
Birthplace:
Springfield, Massachusetts
Death Date:
02/11/1982
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biography
Ever-smiling, world-class tap artist who danced her way through a dozen successful MGM musicals in the late 1930s and early 40s before retiring from the screen--save for a guest role in "The Duchess of Idaho" (1950). Typically cast as the determined hopeful whose talent and determination get her to the top, Powell was not a major actress, but she did display exuberance and a certain tongue-in-cheek charm, and her aggressive, androgynous dancing style made her as familiar a sight in top hat and tails as Fred Astaire.

Powell's best films include "Broadway Melody of 1936" (1935), which made her a Continued

Credits
Co-Executive Producer
1999
milestones
Year
Milestone
 
Began ballet lessons as a child; did not study tap until much later in the mid-1920s
1925 
Hired for first professional engagement by Gus Edwards; performed at the dinner show at the Ambassador Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey
1927 
Became emcee at the Martins Club
1929 
Broadway debut in "Follow Thru"
1930 
Film debut in a dance sequence in "Queen High"
Continued