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.
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0930565
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q232395
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Filmography (Movies)
Esther Williams: Hollywood's Mermaid
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:11/08/2024
Hollywood Legenden
Character:Self
Release Date:01/01/2004
Busby Berkeley: Going Through the Roof
Character:Self
Release Date:28/03/2003
Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:24/09/2002
The Original Mermaid
Character:Herself (archive footage)
Release Date:20/02/2002
Hollywood Musicals of the 40's
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:01/09/2000
Glorious Technicolor
Character:Self
Release Date:07/12/1998
That's Entertainment! III
Character:Self - Co-Host / Narrator
Release Date:01/07/1994
Stars and Stripes: Hollywood and World War II
Character:Self
Release Date:01/11/1991
Tom & Jerry's 50th Birthday Bash
Character:Self
Release Date:30/11/1990
Dance Crazy in Hollywood
Character:Self - Actress (archive footage)
Release Date:01/01/1990
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
Character:Self
Release Date:18/05/1987
Night of 100 Stars II
Character:Self
Release Date:10/03/1985
That's Dancing!
Character:From 'Bathing Beauty' (archive footage)
Release Date:18/01/1985
That's Entertainment, Part II
Character:(archive footage)
Release Date:16/05/1976
That's Entertainment!
Character:(archive footage)
Release Date:21/06/1974
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:10/01/1972
Magic Fountain
Character:Hyacinth Tower
Release Date:04/02/1963
The Big Show
Character:Hillary Allen
Release Date:10/05/1961
Andy Hardy Comes Home
Character:Sheila Brooks (archive footage) (uncredited)
Release Date:22/12/1958
Raw Wind in Eden
Character:Laura
Release Date:19/09/1958
The Unguarded Moment
Character:Lois Conway
Release Date:27/12/1956
Jupiter's Darling
Character:Amytis
Release Date:18/02/1955
Easy to Love
Character:Julie Hallerton
Release Date:26/11/1953
Dangerous When Wet
Character:Katy Higgins
Release Date:18/06/1953
Million Dollar Mermaid
Character:Annette Kellerman
Release Date:04/12/1952
Skirts Ahoy!
Character:Whitney Young
Release Date:28/05/1952
Callaway Went Thataway
Character:Esther Williams (uncredited)
Release Date:15/11/1951
Texas Carnival
Character:Debbie Telford
Release Date:05/10/1951
Pagan Love Song
Character:Mimi Bennett
Release Date:26/12/1950
Duchess of Idaho
Character:Christine Riverton Duncan
Release Date:14/07/1950
The Costume Designer
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:13/07/1950
Screen Actors
Character:Self (uncredited)
Release Date:13/05/1950
Neptune's Daughter
Character:Eve Barrett
Release Date:10/06/1949
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Character:K.C. Higgins
Release Date:09/03/1949
A Guy Named Joe
Character:Ellen Bright
Release Date:08/01/1949
On an Island with You
Character:Rosalind Rennolds
Release Date:03/05/1948
This Time for Keeps
Character:Nora Cambaretti
Release Date:17/10/1947
Fiesta
Character:Maria Morales
Release Date:12/06/1947
Till the Clouds Roll By
Character:Esther Williams - Signing Autographs (uncredited)
Release Date:05/12/1946
Easy to Wed
Character:Connie Allenbury
Release Date:25/07/1946
The Hoodlum Saint
Character:Kay Lorrison
Release Date:04/04/1946
Ziegfeld Follies
Character:Esther Williams (segment "A Water Ballet")
Release Date:26/08/1945
Parade of Aquatic Champions
Character:Herself
Release Date:22/07/1945
Thrill of a Romance
Character:Cynthia Glenn
Release Date:23/05/1945
Bathing Beauty
Character:Caroline Brooks
Release Date:27/06/1944
Twenty Years After
Character:(archive footage)
Release Date:01/01/1944
Andy Hardy's Double Life
Character:Sheila Brooks
Release Date:01/12/1942
Inflation
Character:Mrs. Smith
Release Date:01/01/1942
Personalities
Character:Sheila Brooks (screen test footage) (uncredited)
Release Date:01/01/1942
Television Appearances
Parkinson
Character:Self
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Character:Self
MGM: When the Lion Roars
Character:
Pebble Mill
Character:Self
Burt Reynolds' Conversations with...
Character:Self
The Big Party
Character:Self
The Donna Reed Show
Character:Molly Duncan
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
Character:Self
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Character:Sarah Harmon
The Steve Allen Show
Character:Self - Swimmer
MGM Parade
Character:Self - Water Ballerina in 'Ziegfeld Follies' (archive footage)
The Jimmy Durante Show
Character:Self
Reflets de Cannes
Character:Self
The Oscars
Character:Self
Omnibus
Character:
Lux Video Theatre
Character:Vicki
What's My Line?
Character:Self - Mystery Guest
What's My Line?
Character:Self
The Ed Sullivan Show
Character:Self
Images
