Esther Williams
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. 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.
Filmography
Esther Williams: Hollywood's Mermaid
as Self (archive footage)
Esther Williams: Hollywood's Mermaid
as Self (archive footage)
The Fabulous Allan Carr
as Self (archive)
The Fabulous Allan Carr
as Self (archive)
Hollywood Legenden
as Self
Hollywood Legenden
as Self
Busby Berkeley: Going Through the Roof
as Self
Busby Berkeley: Going Through the Roof
as Self
Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer
as Self (archive footage)
Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer
as Self (archive footage)
The Original Mermaid
as Herself (archive footage)
The Original Mermaid
as Herself (archive footage)
Hollywood Musicals of the 40's
as Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Musicals of the 40's
as Self (archive footage)
Glorious Technicolor
as Self
Glorious Technicolor
as Self
That's Entertainment! III
as Self - Co-Host / Narrator
That's Entertainment! III
as Self - Co-Host / Narrator
Stars and Stripes: Hollywood and World War II
as Self
Stars and Stripes: Hollywood and World War II
as Self
Tom & Jerry's 50th Birthday Bash
as Self
Tom & Jerry's 50th Birthday Bash
as Self
Dance Crazy in Hollywood
as Self - Actress (archive footage)
Dance Crazy in Hollywood
as Self - Actress (archive footage)
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
as Self
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
as Self
Night of 100 Stars II
as Self
Night of 100 Stars II
as Self
That's Dancing!
as From 'Bathing Beauty' (archive footage)
That's Dancing!
as From 'Bathing Beauty' (archive footage)
That's Entertainment, Part II
as (archive footage)
That's Entertainment, Part II
as (archive footage)
That's Entertainment!
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
That's Entertainment!
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
as Self (archive footage)
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
as Self (archive footage)
Magic Fountain
as Hyacinth Tower
Magic Fountain
as Hyacinth Tower
The Big Show
as Hillary Allen
The Big Show
as Hillary Allen
Andy Hardy Comes Home
as Sheila Brooks (archive footage) (uncredited)
Andy Hardy Comes Home
as Sheila Brooks (archive footage) (uncredited)
Raw Wind in Eden
as Laura
Raw Wind in Eden
as Laura
The Unguarded Moment
as Lois Conway
The Unguarded Moment
as Lois Conway
Jupiter's Darling
as Amytis
Jupiter's Darling
as Amytis
Easy to Love
as Julie Hallerton
Easy to Love
as Julie Hallerton
Dangerous When Wet
as Katy Higgins
Dangerous When Wet
as Katy Higgins
Million Dollar Mermaid
as Annette Kellerman
Million Dollar Mermaid
as Annette Kellerman
Skirts Ahoy!
as Whitney Young
Skirts Ahoy!
as Whitney Young
Callaway Went Thataway
as Esther Williams (uncredited)
Callaway Went Thataway
as Esther Williams (uncredited)
Texas Carnival
as Debbie Telford
Texas Carnival
as Debbie Telford
Pagan Love Song
as Mimi Bennett
Pagan Love Song
as Mimi Bennett
Duchess of Idaho
as Christine Riverton Duncan
Duchess of Idaho
as Christine Riverton Duncan
The Costume Designer
as Self (archive footage)
The Costume Designer
as Self (archive footage)
Screen Actors
as Self (uncredited)
Screen Actors
as Self (uncredited)
Neptune's Daughter
as Eve Barrett
Neptune's Daughter
as Eve Barrett
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
as K.C. Higgins
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
as K.C. Higgins
On an Island with You
as Rosalind Rennolds
On an Island with You
as Rosalind Rennolds
This Time for Keeps
as Nora Cambaretti
This Time for Keeps
as Nora Cambaretti
Fiesta
as Maria Morales
Fiesta
as Maria Morales
Till the Clouds Roll By
as Esther Williams - Signing Autographs (uncredited)
Till the Clouds Roll By
as Esther Williams - Signing Autographs (uncredited)
Easy to Wed
as Connie Allenbury
Easy to Wed
as Connie Allenbury
The Hoodlum Saint
as Kay Lorrison
The Hoodlum Saint
as Kay Lorrison
Ziegfeld Follies
as Esther Williams (segment "A Water Ballet")
Ziegfeld Follies
as Esther Williams (segment "A Water Ballet")
Parade of Aquatic Champions
as Herself
Parade of Aquatic Champions
as Herself
Thrill of a Romance
as Cynthia Glenn
Thrill of a Romance
as Cynthia Glenn
Bathing Beauty
as Caroline Brooks
Bathing Beauty
as Caroline Brooks
A Guy Named Joe
as Ellen Bright
A Guy Named Joe
as Ellen Bright
Twenty Years After
as (archive footage)
Twenty Years After
as (archive footage)
Andy Hardy's Double Life
as Sheila Brooks
Andy Hardy's Double Life
as Sheila Brooks
Inflation
as Mrs. Smith
Inflation
as Mrs. Smith
Personalities
as Sheila Brooks (screen test footage) (uncredited)
Personalities
as Sheila Brooks (screen test footage) (uncredited)