Tony Award Winner Liliane Montevecchi Dies at 85
Montevecchi is best known to Broadway audiences for her acclaimed appearances in two Maury Yeston-Tommy Tune collaborations: Nine and Grand Hotel.
She was not on the list.
Tony winner Liliane Montevecchi—the Paris-born dancer, actor, and singer—passed away June 29 at her Manhattan home at the age of 85 following a battle with colon cancer, according to The New York Times.
Born October 13, 1932, the triple threat, who had a zest for life and the stage, started her ballet studies when she was nine; by the time she was 18 she had joined Roland Petit's dance company, Les Ballets de Paris, where she eventually became a prima ballerina.
By the mid-50s, Hollywood had beckoned, and Montevecchi became a contract player for MGM, appearing in such films as The Glass Slipper, Daddy Long Legs, Moonfleet, Meet Me in Las Vegas, The Living Idol, The Sad Sack, The Young Lions, and more. Montevecchi returned to dancing in 1964 when she joined the Folies-Bergère in Las Vegas. She spent nine years working with that troupe and the Paris company.
Although she had made her Broadway debut in 1958 in La Plume de Ma Tante and appeared in the 1964 musical revue Folies Bergère, Montevecchi's breakthrough role was playing producer Liliane La Fleur in Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit's Nine, which was directed and choreographed by Tommy Tune and won the 1982 Tony Award for Best Musical. Montevecchi, who stopped the show with the appropriately titled “Folies Bergeres,” was also honored with the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical—a category that included two of her Nine co-stars, Karen Akers and the late Anita Morris.
Montevecchi would return to Broadway one more time, in 1989 in Grand Hotel—another musical that featured a score by Yeston (half of the score was by Robert Wright and George Forrest) and direction and choreography by Tune. Montevecchi, who was cast as prima ballerina Elizaveta Grushinskaya, earned a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.
She also starred in the 1998 Broadway-aimed Paper Mill Playhouse production of Follies, appeared in concerts at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and toured internationally with her semi-autobiographical shows On the Boulevard and Back on the Boulevards. She last appeared on the New York cabaret stage in 2016 at Feinstein's/54 Below.
Montevecchi took her first dance classes at 8 with Pierre Duprez, primo ballerino of the Opera in Paris, France. She entered the Conservatoire and completed her training of two years, with Jeanne Schwarz and Mathilde Kschessinska, on the stage of the Opéra Comique. She appeared for the first time on a stage at the Champs Elysées theater in a ballet by David Lichine. She then worked with Léonide Massine and danced in Monte Carlo for the coronation of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco in 1949. She also danced her first steps at the Casino de Paris with Jean Guélis.
Montevecchi began her international career as a prima ballerina in Roland Petit's dance company. She appeared in The Glass Slipper with Michael Wilding and Daddy Long Legs (with Fred Astaire), in both of which she was acting with leading lady Leslie Caron. In the mid-1950s, she was signed to a contract by MGM, which cast her in various roles in such films as Moonfleet with Stewart Granger and Meet Me in Las Vegas with Cyd Charisse and John Brascia. She then played in the Jerry Lewis vehicle The Sad Sack, King Creole with Elvis Presley, and The Young Lions with Montgomery Clift, Dean Martin and Marlon Brando. She knew Gene Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Clark Gable, and she took classes at the Actors Studio in New York.
Montevecchi replaced Colette Brosset in the 1958 Broadway revue La Plume de Ma Tante. 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 in Las Vegas, toured with the company for nine years before appearing at the Folies Bergère in Paris from 1972 to 1978. In 1982, she drew the attention of critics and audiences for her performance in Nine, with Raúl Juliá, for which she won both the Tony and Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. 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. Montevecchi also appeared in the films Wall Street and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days with Matthew McConaughey. She 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 is featured in the recording of the 1985 concert version of Follies staged at Avery Fisher Hall, and she has starred in musicals such as Irma La Douce, Gigi and Hello Dolly!.
In 1998, 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 Grové as Dorothy. She continued with the show until the spring of 1999 and was succeeded by Jo Anne Worley.
In 2001, Montevecchi appeared as Mistinguett at the Théâtre National de l’Opéra Comique in Paris.
In Seattle, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, Montevecchi had a very successful turn as Madame ZinZanni at Teatro ZinZanni beginning with the production at its opening, with Frank Ferrante, Michael Davis (juggler), Les Castors, Dreya Weber, and Mat Plendl. She took part in the recording of the album The Divas with Joan Baez, Thelma Houston, Sally Kellerman, Christine Deaver, Debbie de Coudreaux, Francine Reed, Juliana Rambaldi and Kristin Clayton in 2006.
Montevecchi, who is survived by longtime companion Claudio Saponi, was honored by the French Minister of Culture in 2013 as an Officer of Arts and Culture to France and the world. She will be buried in a private ceremony in Paris; a New York memorial service is expected.
Filmography and roles
Montevecchi along with Sara García in The Living Idol (1957)
Women of Paris (1953) as Une Femme de Paris (as Montevecchi)
The Glass Slipper (1955) as Tehara
Daddy Long Legs (1955) as College Girl (uncredited)
Moonfleet (1955) (as Liliane Montevecchi of the Ballet de Paris) as Gypsy
Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956) (a.k.a. Viva Las Vegas!) (UK) as Lilli
The Living Idol (1957) (a.k.a. El Ídolo viviente) (Mexico) as Juanita
The Sad Sack (1957) as Zita
The Young Lions (1958) as Françoise
King Creole (1958) as Forty Nina
Me and the Colonel (1958) as Cosette
77 Sunset Strip (1959, TV series) as Tosca
Behind Closed Doors (1959, TV Series) as Marcella
Playhouse 90 (1959, TV series) as Estrella / Carla
Adventures in Paradise (1959, TV Series) as Therese Privaux
The Tab Hunter Show (1960–1961, TV series) as Andrea / Maria
Mr. Broadway (1964, TV series) as Vici
T.H.E. Cat (1967, TV series) as Countess De Laurent
It Takes a Thief (1969, TV Series) as Madame Tanya Varhos
39° Gala de l'Union des Artistes at the cirque d'hiver in Paris (1972)
La vie rêvée de Vincent Scotto (1973, TV movie) as Gay Deslys
Musidora (1973, TV movie) as Musidora
Au théâtre ce soir (1974, TV series) as Francine
Chobizenesse (1975) (a.k.a. Show Business, English title) as Gigi Nietzsche
Wall Street (1987) as Woman at 'Le Cirque'
The Funny Face of Broadway (1997, documentary by Rémy Batteault)
Of Penguins and Peacocks (2000, TV movie) as Sarah Bernhardt
Mistinguett, la dernière revue (2001, TV movie) as Mistinguett
An Evening with Rosanne Seaborn (2001, TV movie) as Mrs. Mannering
L'Idole (2002) (a.k.a. The Idol, English title) as Nicole
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) as Mrs. DeLauer
Comment j'ai accepté ma place parmi les mortels (2008, short) as Mirna
Jours de France (2016) (a.k.a. 4 Days in France, English title) as Judith Joubert (final film role)
Stage work
La Croqueuse de Diamants (1952), Théâtre de l’Empire, Paris, France
La Plume de Ma Tante, original Broadway production (1958), Broadway
La Grosse Valse (1962-1963), Théâtre des Variétés, Paris, France as Nana
Folies Bergère, original Broadway production (1964), Broadway
Nine, original Broadway production (1982), Broadway as Liliane La Fleur
Gotta Getaway! (1984) Radio City Music Hall, New York
Irma La Douce (1986) with Robert Clary, Atlantic City
Star Dust, concert reading (1987), New York
On the Boulevard (1988), Kaufman Theatre, New York
Nymph Errant, London concert revival (1989), West End, London, UK
Grand Hotel, original Broadway production (1989), Broadway as Elizaveta Grushinskaya
Grand Hotel, national tour (1992), US Tour
Nine, London concert revival (1992), West End, London, UK as Liliane La Fleur
Grand Hotel, London production (1992), West End, London, UK as Elizaveta Grushinskaya
Hello, Dolly! (1995), Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Liège, Belgium
Gigi (1996) with Gavin MacLeod, Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, New Jersey
Back on the Boulevard (1996), Kaufman Theatre, New York
Divorce Me, Darling!, Regional Revival (1997), UK
Gigi (1998) with Gavin MacLeod, TX's Theatre Under the Stars, Houston, Texas
Follies, Paper Mill Playhouse Revival (1998), Millburn, New Jersey as Solange Lafitte
The Wizard of Oz, Radio City Entertainment's touring production (1999) as The Wicked Witch of the West
Mistinguett, la dernière revue (2001), Opéra Comique, Paris, France as Mistinguett
Love, Chaos and Dinner (2002-2003), Teatro ZinZanni, San Francisco, California as Madame ZinZanni
The Boy Friend, regional revival (2003), UK as Madame Dubonnet
Love, Chaos and Dinner (2007), Teatro ZinZanni, Seattle, Washington as Madame ZinZanni
A La Folie! (2008) with Michael Davis (juggler), Teatro ZinZanni, San Francisco, California
Back on the Boulevard (2009), Pizza on the Park, London, UK
Bottega ZinZanni : All Dressed Up with Some Place to Go (2009), Teatro ZinZanni, Seattle, Washington as Dina Monte
Majestic (2009) with Les Castors, Palazzo, Vienna, Austria
From Broadway With Love (2010) with Kaye Ballard & Donna McKechnie, Lensic Theater, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Tigerplast Varieté Show (2011), Tigerpalast, Frankfurt, Germany
Bonsoir Liliane! (2011), Teatro ZinZanni, Seattle, Washington
Doin' It For Love (2012) with Kaye Ballard & Lee Roy Reams, Austin, TX & Wilshire Ebell Theatre, Los Angeles, California
Broadway Babes ONE NIGHT ONLY (2014) with Kaye Ballard & Donna McKechnie, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Zazou (2014), The York Theatre, New York
Tigerplast Varieté Show (2014), Tigerpalast, Frankfurt, Germany
Paris on the Thames (2015), Brasserie Zédel, London, UK
54 Sings Grand Hotel: The 25th Anniversary Concert (2015), Feinstein's/54 Below, New York as Elizaveta Grushinskaya
An intimate evening with Liliane Montevecchi (2015), The Mansion Inn, Rock City Falls, New York
Steve Ross on Broadway (2015), Birdland Jazz Club, New York
A Classic Night: A Tribute to Liliane Montevecchi (2015), Alvin Ailey Theatre, New York
Tigerplast Varieté Show (2015), Tigerpalast, Frankfurt, Germany
Aller-Retour, musical review (2015), Vingtième Théâtre, Paris, France
Concert les Funambules (2015), Sunset/Sunside, Paris, France
Be My Valentine (2016), Feinstein's/54 Below, New York
Liliane Montevecchi Live at Zédel (2016), Brasserie Zédel, London, UK
Tigerplast Varieté Show (2016), Tigerpalast, Frankfurt, Germany
Hotel l'Amour (2016) with Frank Ferrante, Teatro ZinZanni, Seattle, Washington
Ziegfeld Follies of the Air: The New 1934 Live from Broadway Broadcast Revue (2017), Birdland Jazz Club, New York
We'll Take a Glass Together: The Songs of Wright & Forrest from MGM to Grand Hotel (2017) with Karen Akers, Ida K. Lang Recital Hall at Hunter College, New York
Francesca Capetta sings Dean Martin: A Centennial Celebration (2017), Carnegie Hall, New York
Other works
The Hollywood Palace as Herself - Singer / ... (3 episodes, 1965–1966) - Episode #4.10 (1966) TV episode as Herself - Singer - Episode #3.19 (1966) TV episode as Herself - Singer/Dancer - Episode #2.29 (1965) TV episode as Herself - Singer/Dancer
The 36th Annual Tony Awards (1982) (TV) as Herself - Winner : Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
The 37th Annual Tony Awards (1983) (TV) as Herself - Presenter
Follies in Concert (1986) (TV) as Solange Lafitte
The 44th Annual Tony Awards (1990) (TV) as Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Musical
NBC's "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson" with Jay Leno - Season 29 (1991) (TV) as Herself - Guest
Tout le monde en parle as Herself (1 episode, dated 28 April 2001)
Broadway The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (2003) as Herself a.k.a. Broadway (USA: short title) a.k.a. Broadway: The Golden Age (USA: short title) a.k.a. Broadway: The Movie (USA: short title)
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