Esther Williams
Biography
Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics because of the outbreak of World War II, she joined Billy Rose's Aquacade, where she took on the role vacated by Eleanor Holm after the show's move from New York City to San Francisco. While in the city, she spent five months swimming alongside Olympic gold-medal winner and Tarzan star Johnny Weissmuller. Williams caught the attention of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer scouts at the Aquacade.
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After appearing in several small roles, and alongside Mickey Rooney in an Andy Hardy film and future five-time co-star Van Johnson in A Guy Named Joe, Williams made a series of films in the 1940s and early 1950s known as "aquamusicals", which featured elaborate performances with synchronised swimming and diving.
Every year from 1945 to 1949, Williams had at least one film among the 20 highest-grossing films of the year. In 1952, Williams appeared in her only biographical role, as Australian swimming star Annette Kellerman in Million Dollar Mermaid, which went on to become her nickname while she was at MGM. Williams left MGM in 1956 and appeared in a handful of unsuccessful feature films, followed by several extremely popular water-themed network television specials, including one from Cypress Gardens, Florida.
Williams was also a successful businesswoman. Before retiring from acting, she invested in a "service station, a metal products plant, a manufacturer of bathing suits, various properties and a successful restaurant chain known as Trails." She lent her name to a line of swimming pools, retro swimwear, and instructional swimming videos for children, and served as a commentator for synchronized swimming at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Esther Williams, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known for
That's Entertainment!(archive footage) (uncredited)7.4
Ziegfeld FolliesEsther Williams (segment "A Water Ballet")6.0
A Guy Named JoeEllen Bright6.7
Take Me Out to the Ball GameK.C. Higgins6.7
That's Entertainment, Part II(archive footage)7.0
Neptune's DaughterEve Barrett6.1
Bathing BeautyCaroline Brooks5.9
Till the Clouds Roll ByEsther Williams - Signing Autographs (uncredited)5.8
Million Dollar MermaidAnnette Kellerman6.5
Dangerous When WetKaty Higgins6.0
That's Dancing!From 'Bathing Beauty' (archive footage)6.9
The Donna Reed ShowMolly Duncan
Filmography
- 1992MGM: When the Lion RoarsSeries (3 episodes)
- 1985That's Dancing!Film: From 'Bathing Beauty' (archive footage)
- 1976That's Entertainment, Part IIFilm: (archive footage)
- 1974That's Entertainment!Film: (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1963Magic FountainFilm: Hyacinth Tower
- 1961The Big ShowFilm: Hillary Allen
- 1958Andy Hardy Comes HomeFilm: Sheila Brooks (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1958The Donna Reed ShowSeries: Molly Duncan (1 episode)
- 1958Raw Wind in EdenFilm: Laura
- 1956The Unguarded MomentFilm: Lois Conway
- 1956Dick Powell's Zane Grey TheatreSeries: Sarah Harmon (1 episode)
- 1955Jupiter's DarlingFilm: Amytis
- 1953Easy to LoveFilm: Julie Hallerton
- 1953Dangerous When WetFilm: Katy Higgins
- 1952Million Dollar MermaidFilm: Annette Kellerman
- 1952Skirts Ahoy!Film: Whitney Young
- 1951Callaway Went ThatawayFilm: Esther Williams (uncredited)
- 1951Texas CarnivalFilm: Debbie Telford
- 1950Pagan Love SongFilm: Mimi Bennett
- 1950Lux Video TheatreSeries: Vicki (1 episode)
- 1950Duchess of IdahoFilm: Christine Riverton Duncan
- 1949Neptune's DaughterFilm: Eve Barrett
- 1949Take Me Out to the Ball GameFilm: K.C. Higgins
- 1948On an Island with YouFilm: Rosalind Rennolds
- 1947This Time for KeepsFilm: Nora Cambaretti
- 1947FiestaFilm: Maria Morales
- 1946Till the Clouds Roll ByFilm: Esther Williams - Signing Autographs (uncredited)
- 1946Easy to WedFilm: Connie Allenbury
- 1946The Hoodlum SaintFilm: Kay Lorrison
- 1945Ziegfeld FolliesFilm: Esther Williams (segment "A Water Ballet")
- 1945Thrill of a RomanceFilm: Cynthia Glenn
- 1944Bathing BeautyFilm: Caroline Brooks
- 1944A Guy Named JoeFilm: Ellen Bright
- 1944Twenty Years AfterFilm: (archive footage)
- 1942Andy Hardy's Double LifeFilm: Sheila Brooks
- 1942InflationFilm: Mrs. Smith
- 1942PersonalitiesFilm: Sheila Brooks (screen test footage) (uncredited)
Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.