| George Chakiris | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 16, 1934 Norwood, Ohio, United States |
| Other names | George Kerris |
| Occupation | actor, dancer |
| Years active | 1947-1996 |
George Chakiris (born September 16, 1934) is an American-Greek dancer, singer and actor.
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Chakiris was born in Norwood, Ohio, to Steven and Zoe (née Anastasiadou) Chakiris,[1] immigrants from Greece. Chakiris studied at the American School of Dance.[2]
Chakiris made his film debut in 1947, in the chorus of Song of Love. For several years he appeared in small roles, usually as a dancer or a member of the chorus in various musical films. He was one of the dancers in Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" number in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and appeared as a dancer alongside Vera-Ellen and Rosemary Clooney in White Christmas (in the "Mandy" and "Love, You Didn't Do Right by Me" numbers). He can also be seen in the "Chop Suey" number in the musical film Flower Drum Song and the funeral dance in the MGM musical film Brigadoon.
His biggest success came with the film West Side Story (1961), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Bernardo, leader of the "Sharks". Prior to the film, he'd appeared as "Riff," leader of the "Jets," in the West End (London) production of the same musical. He starred as a doctor in the film Diamond Head (1963) opposite Charlton Heston and Yvette Mimieux, and appeared alongside Gene Kelly in Jacques Demy's French musical Les Demoiselles de Rochefort (1967).
In addition to film, Chakiris performed on stage in London and around the U.S. and for television. In the early 1960s, he embarked on a career as a pop singer, resulting in a couple of minor hit songs. In 1960, he recorded one single with noted producer Joe Meek.
Chakiris worked more in television in the 1970s and 1980s, appearing on such shows as Wonder Woman; Medical Center; Hawaii Five-O; Dallas; Murder, She Wrote; and the TV daytime drama Santa Barbara. He appeared in the final episode of The Partridge Family as an old flame/suitor to Shirley Partridge (Shirley Jones, also a musical theater veteran). Their kiss goodbye was the final scene in the program's run.
Chakiris had a recurring role on the TV show Superboy as Professor Peterson during the series' first two seasons from 1988-1990. Chakiris's last role to date was in a 1996 episode of the sitcom Last of the Summer Wine. He has given occasional television interviews since then but is mostly retired. His hobby of making sterling silver jewelry has turned into a new occupation.[3]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Song of Love | Choir boy | as George Kerris |
| 1951 | The Great Caruso | Dancer | uncredited |
| 1952 | Stars and Stripes Forever | Ballroom dancer | uncredited |
| 1953 | Give a Girl a Break | Dancer | uncredited |
| Second Chance | Background Observer in Dance Sequence | uncredited | |
| Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | dancer | ||
| The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T | Dancer | as George Kerris | |
| 1954 | There's No Business Like Show Business | ||
| The Country Girl | Dancer with pick | uncredited | |
| White Christmas | Dancer in 'Mandy' and 'Love' numbers | uncredited | |
| Brigadoon | Specialty dancer | uncredited | |
| 1955 | The Girl Rush | Chorus boy, 'Hillbilly Heart' number | uncredited |
| 1956 | Meet Me in Las Vegas | Young groom | as George Kerris |
| 1957 | Under Fire | Pvt. Steiner | uncredited |
| 1961 | West Side Story | Bernardo | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture |
| 1962 | Two and Two Make Six | Larry Curado | |
| 1963 | Diamond Head | Dr. Dean Kahanna | |
| La ragazza di Bube | Bebo | ||
| Kings of the Sun | Balam | ||
| 1964 | The High Bright Sun | Haghios | |
| 633 Squadron | Lt. Erik Bergman | ||
| Flight from Ashiya | 2nd Lt. John Gregg | ||
| 1966 | Is Paris Burning? | GI in tank | |
| Il Ladro della Gioconda | Vincent | ||
| 1967 | Les Demoiselles de Rochefort | Étienne | |
| 1968 | Sharon vestida de rojo | ||
| Le Rouble à deux faces | Eric Ericson | ||
| 1969 | The Big Cube | Johnny Allen | |
| 1979 | Why Not Stay for Breakfast? | George Clark | |
| 1982 | Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again | Himself | |
| 1990 | Pale Blood | Michael Fury |
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Ford Star Jubilee | episode - "You're the Top" | |
| 1969 | The Jackie Gleason Show | episode - "Mousey the Dip" | |
| 1970–1975 | Medical Center | Alex Solkin | 3 episodes |
| 1972 | Hawaii Five-O | Chris Lahani | 1 episode |
| 1974 | The Partridge Family | Capt. Chuck 'Cuddles' Corwin | episode - "Anchors Aweigh" |
| Thriller | Robert Stone | episode - "Kiss Me and Die" | |
| Notorious Woman | Frédéric Chopin | TV mini-series | |
| 1978 | Wonder Woman | Carlo Indrezzano | episode - "Death in Disguise" |
| Return to Fantasy Island | Pierre | ||
| 1982 | Fantasy Island | Captain Claude Dumont | episode - "The Magic Camera/Mata Hari/Valerie" |
| 1983 | CHiPs | Bernard DeJardine Fox Trap | TV episode |
| Matt Houston | Brett Cole | episode - The Showgirl Murders | |
| 1984 | Matt Houston | Clark Sawyer | episode - "Waltz of Death" |
| One Life to Live | unknown episodes | ||
| Poor Little Rich Girls | Prince Rudolph | episode - "The Gentleman Caller" | |
| Nihon no omokage | Lafcadio Hearn | mini-series | |
| Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Angelo Spinelli | episode - "Lost and Found" | |
| 1985 | Hell Town | Ric Montenez | episode - "Let My Jennie Go" |
| 1986 | Dallas | Nicholas | 14 episodes. |
| 1988 | Santa Barbara | Daniel Espinoza | |
| 1989 | Murder, She Wrote | Eric Bowman | episode - "Weave a Tangled Web" |
| 1989–1990 | Superboy | Professor Peterson | 9 episodes |
| 1992 | Human Target | Robillard | episode - "Chances Are" |
| 1995 | Les Filles du Lido | Saskia | mini-series |
| 1996 | Last of the Summer Wine | Max Bernard | episode - "Extra! Extra!" |
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