Liliane Montevecchi

Liliane Montevecchi (October 13, 1932 – June 29, 2018) was a French-Italian actress, dancer, and singer.

Career

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, alongside Marilyn Monroe.

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 also has starred in musicals such as Irma La Douce, Gigi and Hello Dolly!.

In 1999, 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. Montevecchi appeared as The Witch during the show's limited run at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.

In 2001, Montevecchi appeared as Mistinguett at the Théâtre National de l’Opéra Comique in Paris.

In Seattle, Washington as well as San Francisco, Montevecchi had a very successful turn as "Madame ZinZanni" at Teatro ZinZanni beginning with the production at its opening ans appearing alongside Frank Ferrante, Michael Davis (juggler), Les Castors, Dreya Weber, Mat Plendl and many other talented artists. 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.

She returned to Teatro ZinZanni in June 2009 to reprise the role and in September 2011 in the show Bonsoir Liliane!, starring alongside Kevin Kent, directed by Tommy Tune and choreographed by Tobias Larsson.

In December 2010, Kaye Ballard, Montevecchi and Donna McKechnie starred in a Santa Fe production of From Broadway with Love, directed by Richard Jay-Alexander and staged at the Lensic Theater. In early 2012, she joined with Kaye Ballard and Lee Roy Reams for the musical review Doin' It For Love, music directed by David Geist. The show played Austin, Texas and Los Angeles. All profits benefited animal protection and advocacy.

In March 2015, Montevecchi won critical praise for recreating her Tony nominated role of Grushinskaya in Grand Hotel: The 25th Anniversary Reunion Concert at 54 Below, in New York City.

In November 2015, at the behest of producer Patrick Niedo, Montevecchi brought a triumphant solo show Aller-Retour (Round Trip) to Paris for the first time.

On July 12 2017, she joined Francesca Capetta and Stacy Sullivan for a birthday salute to late film star and recording artist Dean Martin in the Weill Recital Hall at New York’s Carnegie Hall.

She died on June 29, 2018.

Awards and nominations

In 1982, Montevecchi won both the Tony and Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Liliane La Fleur in Nine.

Active in a number of humanitarian causes including fights against AIDS and cancer, Montevecchi was knighted by the Knights of Malta in 1985.

She earned a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Elizaveta Grushinskaya in Grand Hotel in 1990.

She was given the Columbus Citizens Foundation's 1995 Woman of the Year Award.

In April 2009, she was honored as "Entertainer of the Year" Boys' Towns of Italy at their 64th Annual "Ball of the Year" Gala.

She was honored by the French Minister of Culture as the "Officer of Arts and Culture" to France and the world at large in 2013.

In January 2017, Montevecchi was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Ziegfeld Society of New York City.