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Ann Miller Biography
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At the age of thirteen, Ann Miller signed under RKO, although she told the producers that she was already eighteen then. She stayed under the production company until 1940. In 1941, Ann Miller moved to Columbia Pictures and joined her friend Lucille Ball. She also grabbed the throne as Queen of B-Movies while at Columbia. In the late 1940s, Ann Miller finally made it to stardom as she landed on lead roles in MGM musicals including Kiss Me, Kate, On the Town, and Easter Parade.
Ann Miller became famous for her brilliant skills in tap dancing. She was able to make 500 taps per minute. Her distinctive appearance became widely known as well, for she became one of the stalwarts of the studio-era ideal of glamour, a look which reflected massive bouffant hair, heavy makeup and bright red lipstick, matched with dresses that highlighted her slim figure and long legs. Ann Miller’s career on film ended in 1956, but she then became active on theater and television.
In 1979, Ann Miller garnered a standing ovation in her performance on the Broadway show Sugar Babies alongside Mickey Rooney. Ann Miller continued to be active on television as she appeared in a special episode of The Love Boat in 1982. She was joined by other showbiz veterans Ethel Merman, Della Reese, Van Johnson, Cab Calloway and Carol Channing. Her last onstage performance was in 1998, where she played the role of Carlotta Campion in Follies, by Stephen Sondheim. Ann Miller was last seen on the film Mulholland Drive, directed by David Lynch in 2001. She also made a guest appearance on Home Improvement as a dance instructor.
Ann Miller died of cancer at the age 80 on January 22, 2004. She was interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6914 Hollywood Blvd. Ann Miller had three husbands, Reese Milner, Bill Moss, and Arthur Cameron, all of which she divorced.
