Vera-Ellen Westmeyer Rohe, an American actress and dancer, was born in a suburb of Cincinnati in 1921 to Martin Rohe and Alma Catherine Westmeyer, who had German roots. She began dancing at the age of 9 and quickly achieved great success. In 1939, at the age of 18, Vera-Ellen made her Broadway debut in the musical "Very Warm for May" by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II. She went on to star in successful Broadway productions such as "Panama Hattie" and "By Jupiter" and caught the attention of renowned producer Samuel Goldwyn, who invited her to be part of his musical "Wonder Man".

In 1945, Vera-Ellen made her film debut and went on to appear in 14 movies. She danced alongside Gene Kelly in films such as "Words and Music" (1948) and "On the Town" (1949), and in the same year, she appeared in the Marx Brothers' final film, "Love Happy". She received rave reviews for her roles in the films "Three Little Words" and "Call Me Madam" in 1952, where she starred alongside Fred Astaire. She also appeared in hits such as "There's No Business Like Show Business" (1953) with Donald O'Connor and "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby.

In the 1950s, Vera-Ellen was known for having the smallest waist in Hollywood, which many believed was a result of anorexia. In 1957, she made her final on-screen appearance and later made a few guest appearances on television shows such as Dinah Shore and Perry Como. The actress was married twice and had a daughter named Victoria with her second husband, millionaire Victor Rothschild, who tragically passed away in infancy in 1963. After the death of her child, Vera-Ellen withdrew from the public eye and stopped making public appearances.

Vera-Ellen passed away from cancer in August 1981 at the age of 60. Her contribution to the film industry was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Actor