George Chakiris

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George Chakiris (born September 16, 1934) is an American dancer and film actor.

Early life

Chakiris was born in Norwood, Ohio to Steven and Zoe (née Anastasiadou) Chakiris,^[1] immigrants from Greece. Chakiris studied at the American School of Dance.^[2]

Career

Chakiris made his film debut in 1947, in the chorus of Song of Love. For several years he appeared in small roles, usually as a dancer or a member of the chorus in various musical films. He was one of the dancers in Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" number in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and appeared as a dancer alongside Rosemary Clooney in White Christmas. He can also be seen in the "Chop Suey" number in the musical film Flower Drum Song.

His biggest success came with the film West Side Story (1961), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Bernardo, leader of the "Sharks". Prior to the film, he'd appeared as "Riff," leader of the "Jets," in the West End (London) production of the same musical. He starred as a doctor in the film Diamond Head (1963) opposite Charlton Heston and Yvette Mimieux, and appeared alongside Gene Kelly in Jacques Demy's French musical Les Demoiselles de Rochefort (1967).

In addition to film, Chakiris performed on Broadway and for television. In the early 1960s, he embarked on a career as a pop singer, resulting in a couple of minor hit songs. In 1960, he recorded one single with noted producer Joe Meek.

Chakiris worked more in television in the 1970s and 1980s, appearing on such shows as Wonder Woman, Medical Center, Hawaii Five-O, Dallas, Murder, She Wrote and the TV daytime drama Santa Barbara.

Chakiris had a recurring role on the TV show Superboy as Professor Peterson during the series' first two seasons from 1988-1990. Chakiris's last role to date was in a 1996 episode of the sitcom Last of the Summer Wine. He has given occasional television interviews since then but is mostly retired. His hobby of making sterling silver jewelry has turned into a new occupation.^[3]

Filmography

Selected television appearances

References

External links

• George Chakiris at the Internet Movie Database