CineScope
Esther Williams picture

Esther Williams

Acting
Known For

91 Years Old

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.

Born

Inglewood, California, USA on 8th August 1921

Died

6th June 2013

All Credits

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Image
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Sarah Harmon
No Image
Pebble Mill
Self
The Rosie O'Donnell Show Image
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Self
The Steve Allen Show Image
The Steve Allen Show
Self - Swimmer
Parkinson Image
Parkinson
Self
The Donna Reed Show Image
The Donna Reed Show
No Image
Lux Video Theatre
Vicki
Omnibus Image
Omnibus
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show Image
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
Self
No Image
The Jimmy Durante Show
Self
The Oscars Image
The Oscars
Self
The Ed Sullivan Show Image
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
MGM: When the Lion Roars Image
MGM: When the Lion Roars
What's My Line? Image
What's My Line?
Self - Panelist
What's My Line? Image
What's My Line?
Self - Mystery Guest
Private Screenings Image
Private Screenings
Self
MGM Parade Image
MGM Parade
Self - Water Ballerina in 'Ziegfeld Follies' (archive footage)
Reflets de Cannes Image
Reflets de Cannes
Self
No Image
The Big Party
Self
Ziegfeld Follies Image
Ziegfeld Follies
Esther Williams (segment "A Water Ballet")
Till the Clouds Roll By Image
Till the Clouds Roll By
Esther Williams - Signing Autographs (uncredited)
Bathing Beauty Image
Bathing Beauty
Caroline Marie Brooks
No Image
Burt Reynolds' Conversations with...
Self
That's Dancing! Image
That's Dancing!
From 'Bathing Beauty' (archive footage)
That's Entertainment! III Image
That's Entertainment! III
Self - Co-Host / Narrator
That's Entertainment! Image
That's Entertainment!
(archive footage)
Night of 100 Stars II Image
Night of 100 Stars II
Self
That's Entertainment, Part II Image
That's Entertainment, Part II
(archive footage)
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood Image
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
Self
Duchess of Idaho Image
Duchess of Idaho
Christine Riverton Duncan
Neptune's Daughter Image
Neptune's Daughter
Eve Barrett
Take Me Out to the Ball Game Image
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
K.C. Higgins
The Unguarded Moment Image
The Unguarded Moment
Lois Conway
Easy to Wed Image
Easy to Wed
Connie Allenbury
A Guy Named Joe Image
A Guy Named Joe
Ellen Bright
Million Dollar Mermaid Image
Million Dollar Mermaid
Annette Kellerman
The Hoodlum Saint Image
The Hoodlum Saint
Kay Lorrison
Twenty Years After Image
Twenty Years After
(archive footage)
Dangerous When Wet Image
Dangerous When Wet
Katy Higgins
Callaway Went Thataway Image
Callaway Went Thataway
Esther Williams (uncredited)
Andy Hardy's Double Life Image
Andy Hardy's Double Life
Sheila Brooks
Hollywood: The Dream Factory Image
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Self (archive footage)
Thrill of a Romance Image
Thrill of a Romance
Cynthia Glenn
Skirts Ahoy! Image
Skirts Ahoy!
Whitney Young
Easy to Love Image
Easy to Love
Julie Hallerton
Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer Image
Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer
Self (archive footage)
On an Island with You Image
On an Island with You
Rosalind Rennolds
Pagan Love Song Image
Pagan Love Song
Mimi Bennett
Fiesta Image
Fiesta
Maria Morales
Jupiter's Darling Image
Jupiter's Darling
Amytis
Hollywood Musicals of the 40's Image
Hollywood Musicals of the 40's
Self (archive footage)
Tom & Jerry's 50th Birthday Bash Image
Tom & Jerry's 50th Birthday Bash
Self
Andy Hardy Comes Home Image
Andy Hardy Comes Home
Sheila Brooks (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Costume Designer Image
The Costume Designer
Self (archive footage)
Texas Carnival Image
Texas Carnival
Debbie Telford
No Image
Hollywood Legenden
Self
Magic Fountain Image
Magic Fountain
Hyacinth Tower
Raw Wind in Eden Image
Raw Wind in Eden
Laura
No Image
Personalities
Sheila Brooks (screen test footage) (uncredited)
The Big Show Image
The Big Show
Hillary Allen
Glorious Technicolor Image
Glorious Technicolor
Self
Inflation Image
Inflation
Mrs. Smith
No Image
Screen Actors
Self (uncredited)
This Time for Keeps Image
This Time for Keeps
Nora Cambaretti
Parade of Aquatic Champions Image
Parade of Aquatic Champions
Herself
Busby Berkeley: Going Through the Roof Image
Busby Berkeley: Going Through the Roof
Self
Esther Williams: Hollywood's Mermaid Image
Esther Williams: Hollywood's Mermaid
Self (archive footage)
Dance Crazy in Hollywood Image
Dance Crazy in Hollywood
Self - Actress (archive footage)
The Original Mermaid Image
The Original Mermaid
Herself (archive footage)
No Image
Stars and Stripes: Hollywood and World War II
Self