George Chakiris
George Chakiris | |
|---|---|
 Chakiris in 2019 | |
| Born | September 16, 1934 Norwood, Ohio, U.S. |
| Other names | George Kerris |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1947–1996 |
| Website | GeorgeChakiris.com |
George Chakiris (Greek: Γεώργιος Τσακίρης; born September 16, 1934) is a retired Greek actor. He is best known for his appearance in the 1961 film version of West Side Story as Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks gang, for which he won both the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture.
Life and career[]
Early life[]
Chakiris was born in Norwood, Ohio to Steven and Zoe (née Anastasiadou) Chakiris,[1] immigrants from Greece. He attended high school in Tucson, Arizona and Long Beach, California.[2][3]
Chakiris attended one year of college, but he wanted to dance, so he dropped out and moved to Hollywood. He worked in the advertising branch of a department store and studied dancing at night.[2]
Early films[]
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, including The Great Caruso (1951), Stars and Stripes Forever (1952), Call Me Madam (1953), Second Chance (1953) and The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953).
He was one of the dancers in Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" number in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and he was in Give a Girl a Break (1953) and White Christmas (1954).
He can be seen in the funeral dance in the MGM musical film Brigadoon (1954) and was in There's No Business Like Show Business (1954).
Paramount[]
Chakiris appeared as a dancer in White Christmas (1954). A publicity photo of Chakiris with Rosemary Clooney from her scene with "Love, You Didn't Do Right by Me" generated fan mail, and Paramount signed him to a movie contract. "I got lucky with the close-up with Rosemary," said Chakiris.[4][5]
Chakiris was in The Country Girl (1954) and The Girl Rush (1955), dancing with Rosalind Russell in the latter. He received a positive notice from Hedda Hopper.[6]
MGM borrowed him for Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956), and he danced in Las Vegas.[7]
Chakiris had a small non-dancing part in Under Fire (1957).
West Side Story[]
Frustrated with the progress of his career, Chakiris left Hollywood for New York. West Side Story had been running for a year on Broadway, and Chakiris auditioned for Jerome Robbins. He was cast in the London production as Riff, leader of the Jets. The musical launched on the West End in late 1958, and Chakiris received excellent reviews, playing it for almost 22 months.[8]
The Mirisch Brothers bought the film rights to West Side Story and tested Chakiris. They ended up feeling his dark complexion made him more ideal for the role of Bernardo, leader of the Sharks, and cast Russ Tamblyn as Riff. Filming took seven months.[9][2]
The film of West Side Story (1961) was hugely successful, and Chakiris won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance. This led to a long-term contract with the Mirisch Company.[10]
Chakiris played the lead role in Two and Two Make Six (1962), directed by Freddie Francis.
He starred as a doctor in the film Diamond Head (1963) opposite Charlton Heston and Yvette Mimieux, which was popular.[11]
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.
Three-picture deal with Mirisch Brothers[]
Chakiris' fee around this time was a reported $100,000 per movie.[12] His first new film for the Mirishes was Flight from Ashiya (1964), shot in Japan with Yul Brynner and Richard Widmark.
The Mirisches reunited Chakiris with Brynner in Kings of the Sun (1963), an epic about the Mayans which was a box-office flop. Chakiris went to Italy to make Bebo's Girl (1964) with Claudia Cardinale.
He did 633 Squadron (1964), a popular war movie with Cliff Robertson, the last movie he made for the Mirisches. Chakiris later said he made a mistake with his Hollywood films by looking at the "potential" of them instead of the quality of the roles.[13]
Europe[]
Chakiris played a Greek terrorist in Cyprus in a British filmThe High Bright Sun (1965) with Dirk Bogarde. He went to Italy for The Mona Lisa Has Been Stolen (1965) and France for Is Paris Burning? (1966).[14]
He acted with Catherine Deneuve and Gene Kelly in Jacques Demy's French musical Les Demoiselles de Rochefort (1967). Around this time, his manager cancelled his contract with Capitol Records.[15] However he enjoyed his time in Europe, saying he had time to "experiment and refine my craft."[13] He also did a nightclub act at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, his first stage work since West Side Story.
The show was successful and led to Chakiris receiving an offer to appear with Jose Ferrer in a TV production of Kismet (1967). He did The Day the Hot Line Got Hot (1968) in France and The Big Cube (1969) with Lana Turner in America. He made Sharon vestida de rojo (1970) in Spain.[16]
1970s and 1980s[]
In 1969, Chakiris did a stage production of The Corn Is Green in Chicago with Eileen Herlie. He enjoyed the experience and it revived his confidence as an actor. He said all the films he made after West Side Story had been "a waste of time...it was difficult to take them seriously...It was my fault and no one else's".[17]
Chakiris accepted a dramatic role on Medical Center to change his image.[17]
He starred in the first national tour of the Stephen Sondheim musical Company, touring as Bobby in 1971-1972.
Chakiris worked heavily on TV in the 1970s and 1980s in Britain and America, guest-starring on Hawaii Five-O, Police Surgeon, Thriller, Notorious Woman, Wonder Woman, Fantasy Island, CHiPs, Matt Houston, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Poor Little Rich Girls, Hell Town and Murder, She Wrote.
He appeared in the final episode of The Partridge Family as an old high school boyfriend to Shirley Partridge (Shirley Jones). Their kiss goodbye was the final scene in the program's run. He also starred in the film Why Not Stay for Breakfast? (1979).
Chakiris appeared in several episodes of Dallas and had a role on Santa Barbara.
Later career[]
Chakiris had a recurring role on the TV show Superboy as Professor Peterson during the first two seasons from 1988 to 1990.
He was top-billed in the film Pale Blood (1990) and guest-starred on Human Target and The Girls of Lido. He played The King and I on stage in 1995 in Los Angeles.
Chakiris' last role to date was in a 1996 episode of the British 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,[18] working as a jewelry designer for his own brand, George Chakiris Collections, consisting of handmade original sterling silver jewelry.
In 2012, he presented a musical about veganism titled Loving the Silent Tears.[19][20]
In 2021, Chakiris appears in the film Not to Forget (2021), which aims to raise awareness and funds for the fight against Alzheimer's. The movie, directed by Valerio Zanoli, stars Karen Grassle and 5 Academy Award winners: George Chakiris, Cloris Leachman, Louis Gossett Jr., Tatum O'Neal, and Olympia Dukakis.
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Song of Love | Choir boy | As George Kerris |
| 1951 | The Great Caruso | Dancer | Uncredited |
| 1952 | Stars and Stripes Forever | Ballroom dancer | Uncredited |
| 1953 | Call Me Madam | Dancer in 'The Ocarina' Number | |
| The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T | Dancer | As George Kerris | |
| Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | Dancer (Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend") | Uncredited | |
| Second Chance | Background Observer in Dance Sequence | Uncredited | |
| Give a Girl a Break | Dancer | Uncredited | |
| 1954 | Brigadoon | Specialty dancer | Uncredited |
| White Christmas | Dancer in 'Mandy' and 'Love' numbers | Uncredited | |
| The Country Girl | Dancer with pick | Uncredited | |
| There's No Business Like Show Business | Dancer | Uncredited | |
| 1955 | The Girl Rush | Chorus boy, 'Hillbilly Heart' number | Uncredited |
| 1956 | Meet Me in Las Vegas | Young groom | As George Kerris |
| 1957 | Under Fire | Pvt. Steiner | Uncredited |
| 1961 | West Side Story | Bernardo Nuñez | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture |
| 1962 | Two and Two Make Six | Larry Curado | |
| Diamond Head | Dr. Dean Kahanna | ||
| 1963 | Kings of the Sun | Balam | |
| 1964 | La ragazza di Bube | Bebo | |
| Flight from Ashiya | 2nd Lt. John Gregg | ||
| 633 Squadron | Lt. Erik Bergman | ||
| 1965 | The High Bright Sun | Haghios | |
| 1966 | On a volé la Joconde | Vincent | |
| Is Paris Burning? | GI in tank | ||
| 1967 | Les Demoiselles de Rochefort | Étienne | |
| 1968 | Le Rouble à deux faces | Eric Ericson | |
| 1969 | The Big Cube | Johnny Allen | |
| Sharon vestida de rojo | Robert Bowman | ||
| 1979 | Why Not Stay for Breakfast? | George Clark | |
| 1982 | Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again | Himself | |
| 1990 | Pale Blood | Michael Fury | |
| 2021 | Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It | Himself | Documentary |
| 2021 | Not to Forget | Bank Manager |
Selected television appearances[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Ford Star Jubilee | Episode: "You're the Top" | |
| 1968 | The Carol Burnett Show | Episode 20 (January 22, 1968) | |
| 1969 | The Jackie Gleason Show | Episode: "Mousey the Dip" | |
| 1970–1975 | Medical Center | Alex Solkin | 3 episodes |
| 1972 | Hawaii Five-O | Chris Lahani | 1 episode |
| 1974 | The Partridge Family | Capt. Chuck "Cuddles" Corwin | Episode: ". . . - - - . . . (S.O.S.)" |
| Thriller | Robert Stone | Episode: "Kiss Me and Die" | |
| Notorious Woman | Frédéric Chopin | Miniseries | |
| 1978 | Wonder Woman | Carlo Indrezzano | Episode: "Death in Disguise" |
| Return to Fantasy Island | Pierre | ||
| 1982 | Fantasy Island | Captain Claude Dumont | Episode: "The Magic Camera/Mata Hari/Valerie" |
| 1983 | CHiPs | Bernard DeJardine Fox Trap | 1 episode |
| Matt Houston | Brett Cole | Episode: "The Showgirl Murders" | |
| 1984 | Matt Houston | Clark Sawyer | Episode: "Waltz of Death" |
| One Life to Live | Unknown episodes | ||
| Poor Little Rich Girls | Prince Rudolph | Episode: "The Gentleman Caller" | |
| Nihon no omokage | Lafcadio Hearn | Japanese miniseries ja:日本の面影 | |
| Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Angelo Spinelli | Episode: "Lost and Found" | |
| 1985 | Hell Town | Ric Montenez | Episode: "Let My Jennie Go" |
| 1986 | Dallas | Nicholas | 14 episodes |
| 1988 | Santa Barbara | Daniel Espinoza | |
| 1989 | Murder, She Wrote | Eric Bowman | Episode: "Weave a Tangled Web" |
| 1989–1990 | Superboy | Professor Peterson | 9 episodes |
| 1992 | Human Target | Robillard | Episode: "Chances Are" |
| 1995 | Les Filles du Lido | Saskia | Miniseries |
| 1996 | Last of the Summer Wine | Max Bernard | Episode: "Extra! Extra!" |
See also[]
References[]
- ^ George Chakiris Biography (1934-). Film Reference.com.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Greeks Have a Word for It---Chakiris, Los Angeles Times, December 10, 1961: Q4.
- ^ George Chakiris. Yahoo! Movies.
- ^ George Chakiris makes holiday homecoming Kiesewetter, John. Cincinnati Enquirer; Cincinnati, Ohio [Cincinnati, Ohio]Dec 12, 2011.
- ^ "Biography for George Chakiris" on TCM.com
- ^ Edmond O'Brien Cast in Jack Webb 'Blues', Hopper, Hedda. Los Angeles Times February 8, 1955: B6.
- ^ Dance Star Does Unique 'Viva Vegas' Role; Kent Taylor in Films Again Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times July 22, 1955: 17.
- ^ Playboys of the Western World Wilson, Angus. The Observer December 14, 1958: 15.
- ^ Vidal Will Write 'Reunion' Script: Tamblyn and Chakiris Join Cast of 'West Side Story', Hopper, Hedda. Los Angeles Times June 28, 1960: B8.
- ^ p.201 Mirisch, Walter I Thought We Were Making Movies, Not History Univ of Wisconsin Press, April 10, 2008
- ^ Constant, Hard Work Pays Off for George by Louella O. Parsons. The Washington Post, Times Herald April 1, 1962: G2.
- ^ Scheuer, Philip K. "Chakiris' Salary Hits Six Figures: Philippine Actor Climbing; Wide Screen for 'Squares'?" Los Angeles Times, May 30, 1962: C9.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Scott, John L. "Chakiris Likes Nightclub Life" Los Angeles Times, August 4, 1967: d7.
- ^ Two Signed for 'Paris', Briggs, Andrew. Los Angeles Times September 21, 1965: c13.
- ^ CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD; Gracious dance; George Chakiris remains grateful to choreographer and director Jerome Robbins for 'West Side Story.' King, Susan. Los Angeles Times November 11, 2013: D.3.
- ^ "Everything Is Roses for George Chakiris", Florabel Muir. The Washington Post, Times Herald September 6, 1967: B13.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Hollywood Today: George Chakiris Tries Cutting the Ice as Hollywood Looks at His New Image by Norma Lee Browning. Chicago Tribune November 22, 1970: nw2.
- ^ Holleran, Scott. A Boy Like That. BoxOfficeMojo.com. March 21, 2003.
- ^ "In-Depth with Loving the Silent Tears Guest Speaker: George Chakiris (Vegetarian)". GodsDirectContact.org. 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
- ^ Wagley, Catherine (October 30, 2012). "That Musical About Veganism Starring Jon Secada and Based on the Poetry of Supreme Master Ching Hai, Explained". LA Weekly. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
External links[]
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- American male dancers
- American male film actors
- American male stage actors
- Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners
- Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners
- American people of Greek descent
- People from Norwood, Ohio
- 1934 births
- Living people
- Male actors from Ohio
- American male television actors
- 20th-century American male actors