Mitzi Gaynor was an actress and singer known for movie musicals including “South Pacific” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”
- Died: October 17, 2024 (Who else died on October 17?)
- Details of death: Died of natural causes at the age of 93.
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Mitzi Gaynor’s legacy
Gaynor was just 17 when she signed a contract with Twentieth Century Fox, and she was soon cast in her film debut, “My Blue Heaven” (1950). She starred in films including “Golden Girl” (1951), “Bloodhounds of Broadway” (1952), and “Down Among the Sheltering Palms” (1953) before being cast in the hit film “There’s No Business Like Show Business” (1954). Gaynor received good reviews for her performance in the popular film, but instead of immediately jumping to a new career height, she instead took several years away from Hollywood to get married.
When Gaynor returned to acting, it was to star in “Anything Goes” and “The Birds and the Bees” in 1956, as well as “The Joker Is Wild” and “Les Girls” in 1957. In 1958, she starred in the role that led to her greatest fame, playing Nellie Forbush in “South Pacific,” with musical numbers including “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair” and “I’m in Love With a Wonderful Guy.” Gaynor only starred in a few more movies before retiring from films, with her last movie role coming in 1963’s “For Love or Money.”
After her film career, Gaynor often appeared on television, starring in a series of specials beginning with 1968’s “Mitzi” and with later installments including “Mitzi… A Tribute to the American Housewife” (1974) and “Mitzi… Zings Into Spring” (1977). She recorded albums and appeared as a nightclub performer in Las Vegas and elsewhere, as well as touring in the one-women show, “Razzle Dazzle: My Life Behind the Sequins.” Gaynor also wrote a column for the Hollywood Reporter.
Notable quote
“Show business is my life, darling. Don’t you understand?” —from a 2012 interview with the Television Academy Foundation
Tributes to Mitzi Gaynor
Full obituary: Los Angeles Times
