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Esther Williams
Birthday:
August 8
Birth Name:
Esther Jane Williams
Height:
174 cm
Biography
[about director Busby Berkeley, who set up a dangerous shot for her while filming Désir d'amour (1953) at Cypress Gardens, FL] My life was of no importance to him at all. The shot was the thing.
[about director Busby Berkeley, who set up a dangerous shot for her while filming Désir d'amour (1953) at Cypress Gardens, FL] My life was of no importance to him at all. The shot was the thing.
[as a young player to MGM boss Louis B. Mayer, who had scolded her] Mr. Mayer, please don't yell at me. You can make movies, but you can't get to the end of the pool first. So you can't yell at me 'til you can.
[as a young player to MGM boss Louis B. Mayer, who had scolded her] Mr. Mayer, please don't yell at me. You can make movies, but you can't get to the end of the pool first. So you can't yell at me 'til you can.
[on her marriage to Fernando Lamas] A really terrific guy comes along and says, "I wish you'd stay at home and be my wife", and that's the most logical thing in the world for a Latin. And I loved being a Latin wife--you get treated very well.
[on her marriage to Fernando Lamas] A really terrific guy comes along and says, "I wish you'd stay at home and be my wife", and that's the most logical thing in the world for a Latin. And I loved being a Latin wife--you get treated very well.
I've been a lucky lady. I've had three exciting careers. Before films I had the experience of competitive swimming, with the incredible fun of winning. I had a movie career with all the glamour that goes with it. That was ego-fulfilling, but it was like the meringue on the pie. My marriage with [Fernando Lamas--that was the filling, that was the apple in the...
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I've been a lucky lady. I've had three exciting careers. Before films I had the experience of competitive swimming, with the incredible fun of winning. I had a movie career with all the glamour that goes with it. That was ego-fulfilling, but it was like the meringue on the pie. My marriage with [Fernando Lamas--that was the filling, that was the apple in the pie.
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When I first started swimming, not many girls participated in the sport. They either didn't want to get their hair wet or wanted to go out on Friday nights instead of going to a meet. But as a result of the popularity of the water ballet, pretty girls began to swim.
When I first started swimming, not many girls participated in the sport. They either didn't want to get their hair wet or wanted to go out on Friday nights instead of going to a meet. But as a result of the popularity of the water ballet, pretty girls began to swim.
MGM made money off me, but they never understood the art form. Not until the fifth picture did I even get a choreographer.
MGM made money off me, but they never understood the art form. Not until the fifth picture did I even get a choreographer.
[in 2003] I was just a swimmer who got lucky.
[in 2003] I was just a swimmer who got lucky.
[International Swimming Hall of Fame] If swimming would make his daughter grow up to look like Esther Williams, then father was willing to pay for the lessons.
[International Swimming Hall of Fame] If swimming would make his daughter grow up to look like Esther Williams, then father was willing to pay for the lessons.
The popular "Andy Hardy" series movies were MGM's tests for its promising stars such as Judy Garland, Lana Turner and Donna Reed. If you didn't make it in those pictures, you were never heard from again.
The popular "Andy Hardy" series movies were MGM's tests for its promising stars such as Judy Garland, Lana Turner and Donna Reed. If you didn't make it in those pictures, you were never heard from again.
I don't know to this day how I managed to fit into those bathing suits when I was pregnant, but I did.
I don't know to this day how I managed to fit into those bathing suits when I was pregnant, but I did.
No one had ever done a swimming movie before so we just made it up as we went along. I ad-libbed all my own underwater movements.
No one had ever done a swimming movie before so we just made it up as we went along. I ad-libbed all my own underwater movements.
All they ever did for me at MGM was change my leading man and the water in my pool.
All they ever did for me at MGM was change my leading man and the water in my pool.
I was called America's mermaid, because it appeared that I could stay underwater indefinitely.
I was called America's mermaid, because it appeared that I could stay underwater indefinitely.
Esther Williams
Esther Jane Williams was born on August 8, 1921 in Inglewood, California. Her youth was spent as a teenage swimming champion and she won three United States National championships. She eventually was spotted by a MGM talent scout while working in a Los Angeles department store. She made her film debut with MGM in an "Andy Hardy" picture called Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942). She became Mickey Rooney's love interest in the movie, and her character was called Sheila Brooks. Following this movie, stardom was not far away. MGM created a special sub-genre for her known as "Aqua Musicals". Her first swimming role was in Le bal des sirènes (1944). This was a simple movie compared to her later big splashes such as La première sirène (1952), co-starring Victor Mature and Walter Pidgeon. Esther Williams was often called "America's Mermaid", as it appeared that she could stay underwater forever!Following the decline of the once lucrative MGM aqua musical, she attempted dramatic roles. L'enquête de l'inspecteur Graham (1956), is one example of this new found dramatic confidence. It co-starred George Nader and John Saxon. Also, The Big Show (1961), co-starring Cliff Robertson and Robert Vaughn was another dramatic role. Overall, Esther's acting skills were limited and, as a musical star in the audience's eyes, she was unsuccessful. She retired from the movie industry in the 1960s, returning as a star guest in That's Entertainment! III (1994) discussing her appearance in MGM films. She certainly is recognized today for bringing enjoyment, escapism and entertainment on the big screen and has also a highly successful business in swimwear. Occasional television work discussing her contribution to the film industry is a treat for her fans from time to time.Esther Williams died at age 91 in her sleep on June 6, 2013 in her home in Los Angeles, California.
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