Juliet Prowse

Infobox actress
name = Juliet Prowse


imagesize =
caption =
birthname = Juliet Anne Prowse
birthdate = birth date|1936|09|25
birthplace = Bombay, Bombay Presidency, India
deathdate = death date and age|1996|09|14|1936|09|25
deathplace = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
occupation = Actress and dancer
spouse = Eddie Frazier (1969-1970)
John McCook (1972-1979), one child

Juliet Anne Prowse (September 25 1936 – September 14 1996) was a South African dancer, whose four decade career included stage, television and film but dancing remained her true love. She was known for her striking beauty, sultry smile and famous long legs.

Early life

Prowse was born in Bombay and raised in South Africa.

Prowse began studying dance at the age of four. In her early twenties she was dancing at a club in Paris when she was spotted by a talent agent and eventually signed to play the part of "Claudine" in the 1960 Walter Lang film, "Can-Can".

Her dancing labeled "immoral" by Nikita Khrushchev

It was during the filming of "Can-Can" in 1959 that she captured the international spotlight. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev visited the set of the film and after Prowse performed a rather saucy can-can for the Russian leader, he proclaimed her dance "immoral." Little did Khrushchev know that he was a great press agent, because the publicity brought Prowse considerable attention in the United States. From there, her career took off.cite web | title=Encyclopedia Brittanica | work= Juliet Prowse| url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-480770/Juliet-Prowse | accessmonthday=September | accessyear=2007]

Film and television career

She met Frank Sinatra on the set of "Can-Can". Time magazine did not care for the movie but said the beautiful young dancer was the best thing in it: "In fact, the only thing really worth seeing is Juliet Prowse, a young South African hoofer who puts some twinkle in the stub-toed choreography. And the only thing really worth hearing is the crack that Frank flips back at Juliet when she whips a redoubtable hip in his direction. "Don't point," he gasps. "It's rude." cite web | title=Time Magazine | work=New Pictures, movie review of Can-Can| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,894827,00.html | accessmonthday=September 17 | accessyear=2007] She would go on to appear with him and other notable guests such as Ella Fitzgerald, Peter Lawford, Hermione Gingold, The Hi-Lo's, Red Norvo, Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra on the 1959, "Frank Sinatra Show." She at times would sing in the chorus with other guests or Sinatra would adoringly sing to her. cite web | title=You Tube | work= The Frank Sinatra Show December 13 1959 with Juliet Prowse| url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB6A7gf1zZ4 | accessmonthday=September 17 | accessyear=2007]

Sinatra and Prowse announced their engagement in 1962. Soon afterwards, they called it quits. They broke up, according to publicity handouts, because Prowse wanted to concentrate on her career. Actually, she admitted: "I was as much flattered as I was in love. He (Sinatra) was a complex person, and after a few drinks he could be very difficult." [ The Guardian Obituary, September 16th 1996, By Ronald Bergan]

Prowse went on to co-star alongside Elvis Presley in "G.I. Blues". During shooting of the film they had a short and intense fling. "Elvis and I had an affair.... We had a sexual attraction like two healthy young people, but he was already a victim of his fans. We always met in his room and never went out." [ The Guardian Obituary, September 16th 1996, By Ronald Bergan]

She starred in her own NBC sitcom for one season: 1965's "Mona McCluskey", which was produced by George Burns. She also did other feature films, including "The Fiercest Heart" (1961) and "Who Killed Teddy Bear?" with Sal Mineo (1965).

Although her film and television career did not make her as big a star as predicted, Prowse had a rather philosophical way of looking at it. "Things generally happen for the best...I never worry about what happens in my career, because I can always do something else."cite web | title=The Free Library | work= Juliet Prowse| url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/JULIET+PROWSE,+59,+ACTRESS,+DANCER+IN+1960S+TELEVISION,+MOVIE...-a083967450 | accessmonthday=September 17 | accessyear=2007] Prowse would later go on to headline successful Las Vegas shows, commanding a very high salary. Stating that Las Vegas was the most demanding place she ever worked, she won "Entertainer of the Year" for the Vegas run of Sweet Charity. She would later show off her famous dancer's legs in a series of lucrative nationwide commercials for L’eggs.

Juliet Prowse was the first guest on "The Muppet Show".

In the late 1970s, Prowse appeared in a book about Bikram Choudhury's yoga, performing some of the poses.

In the late '80s, she was mauled by an 80-pound leopard — twice. Once, while filming a scene for Circus of the Stars in 1989 and later that same year during a promotional stint, when the same leopard attacked her. The latter attack was more serious, requiring upwards of 20 stitches to reattach her ear.

Throughout the mid 1980's and 1990's, Prowse hosted the "Championship Ballroom Dance Competition" on PBS.

Battle with cancer and death

In 1994, Prowse was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In 1995, she went into remission and was well enough to tour with Mickey Rooney in Sugar Babies. Unfortunately, the cancer returned, and she succumbed to the disease on September 14, 1996, just two weeks short of her sixtieth birthday.

She was survived by her son and her mother. Her ex-husband, TV actor John McCook, who is the father of her only child, reconciled with her shortly before she died after many years of acrimony.

References

External links

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Persondata
NAME=Prowse, Juliet
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=British-American dancer and actress
DATE OF BIRTH=1936-09-25
PLACE OF BIRTH=Bombay
DATE OF DEATH=1996-09-14
PLACE OF DEATH=Los Angeles