Liliane Dina Montevecchi (October 13, 1932 – June 29, 2018) was a French actress, dancer, and singer. She won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in the original Broadway production of Nine, and was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for Grand Hotel.
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Early life
Montevecchi was born on October 13, 1932 in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. Her father, Franco Montevecchi, was an Italian painter. Her mother, Janine Trinquet, was a hat designer. Her parents separated shortly after her birth, and she was raised mainly by her mother.
She began studying ballet at the age of 8 with primo ballerino Pierre Duprez. She finished her training at the Conservatoire de Paris, under Jeanne Schwarz and Mathilde Kschessinska, and performed at the Opéra Comique. She made her professional debut at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, in a ballet by David Lichine. In 1949, she performed at the coronation of Monaco's Prince Rainier III. She also danced her first steps at the Casino de Paris with Jean Guélis.
Career
Montevecchi began her international career as a prima ballerina in Roland Petit's dance company. She appeared in The Glass Slipper with Michael Wilding and Daddy Long Legs (with Fred Astaire), in both of which she was acting with leading lady Leslie Caron. In the mid-1950s, she was signed to a contract by MGM, which cast her in various roles in such films as Moonfleet with Stewart Granger and Meet Me in Las Vegas with Cyd Charisse and John Brascia. She then played in the Jerry Lewis vehicle The Sad Sack, King Creole with Elvis Presley, and The Young Lions with Montgomery Clift, Dean Martin and Marlon Brando. She knew Gene Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Clark Gable, and she took classes at the Actors Studio in New York.
Montevecchi replaced Colette Brosset in the 1958 Broadway revue La Plume de Ma Tante. After some television work in series such as Playhouse 90 and Adventures in Paradise at the end of the decade, Montevecchi opted to leave Hollywood for a star spot in the Folies Bergère in Las Vegas, toured with the company for nine years before appearing at the Folies Bergère in Paris from 1972 to 1978. In 1982, she drew the attention of critics and audiences for her performance in Nine, with Raúl Juliá, for which she won both the Tony and Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Seven years later, she starred in Grand Hotel, earning a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.
On TV, she guests–starred in more than 20 shows. Montevecchi also appeared in the films Wall Street and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days with Matthew McConaughey. She appeared in concert at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and toured internationally with her semi-autobiographical shows On the Boulevard and Back on the Boulevard. Her solo album On the Boulevard is available from Jay Records. She is featured in the recording of the 1985 concert version of Follies staged at Avery Fisher Hall, and she has starred in musicals such as Irma La Douce, Gigi and Hello Dolly!.
In 1998, she replaced Eartha Kitt as The Wicked Witch of the West in Radio City Entertainment's touring production of The Wizard of Oz, co-starring Mickey Rooney as The Wizard and Jessica Grové as Dorothy. She continued with the show until the spring of 1999 and was succeeded by Jo Anne Worley.
In 2001, Montevecchi appeared as Mistinguett at the Théâtre National de l’Opéra Comique in Paris.
Death
Montevecchi died on June 29, 2018, at age 85. A memorial service was held July 6, 2018, at Gotham Hall in New York City and she was buried in Gambais, France.
Awards and nominations
In 1982, Montevecchi won both the Tony and Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Liliane La Fleur in Nine.
She earned a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Elizaveta Grushinskaya in Grand Hotel in 1990.
She was honored by the French Minister of Culture as the "Officer of Arts and Culture" to France and the world at large in 2013.
In January 2017, Montevecchi was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Ziegfeld Society of New York City.
Stage work
La Croqueuse de Diamants (1952), Théâtre de l’Empire, Paris, France
La Plume de Ma Tante, original Broadway production (1958), Broadway
La Grosse Valse (1962-1963), Théâtre des Variétés, Paris, France as Nana
Folies Bergère, original Broadway production (1964), Broadway
Nine, original Broadway production (1982), Broadway as Liliane La Fleur
Gotta Getaway! (1984) Radio City Music Hall, New York
Irma La Douce (1986) with Robert Clary, Atlantic City
Star Dust, concert reading (1987), New York
On the Boulevard (1988), Kaufman Theatre, New York
Nymph Errant, London concert revival (1989), West End, London, UK
Grand Hotel, original Broadway production (1989), Broadway as Elizaveta Grushinskaya
Grand Hotel, national tour (1992), US Tour
Nine, London concert revival (1992), West End, London, UK as Liliane La Fleur
Grand Hotel, London production (1992), West End, London, UK as Elizaveta Grushinskaya
Hello, Dolly! (1995), Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Liège, Belgium
Other works
The Hollywood Palace as herself - Singer / ... (3 episodes, 1965–1966) - Episode #4.10 (1966) TV episode as herself - Singer - Episode #3.19 (1966) TV episode as herself - Singer/Dancer - Episode #2.29 (1965) TV episode as herself - Singer/Dancer
The 36th Annual Tony Awards (1982) (TV) as herself - Winner : Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
The 37th Annual Tony Awards (1983) (TV) as herself - Presenter
Follies in Concert (1986) (TV) as Solange Lafitte
The 44th Annual Tony Awards (1990) (TV) as herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Musical
NBC's "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson" with Jay Leno - Season 29 (1991) (TV) as herself - Guest
Tout le monde en parle as herself (1 episode, dated 28 April 2001)
Broadway The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (2003) as herself a.k.a. Broadway (USA: short title) a.k.a. Broadway: The Golden Age (USA: short title) a.k.a. Broadway: The Movie (USA: short title)
Albums
C'est beau l'amour à Paris/Grain de poivre, Versailles, 1981
Nine: Original Cast Album (cast recording), Sony, 1982
Follies in Concert (cast recording), RCA, 1985
Nymph Errant, EMI, 1990
Grand Hotel: The Musical - Broadway Cast Recording (cast recording), RCA, 1992
Nine (1992 London Concert, cast recording), RCA, 1992
There's No Business Like Show Business: Broadway Showstoppers, Sony, 1993
Divorce Me Darling! (cast recording), Jay Records, 1998
Follies - The Complete Recording (cast recording), Tee Vee Toons, 1998
On the Boulevard (original cast), Jay Records, 1998
La Tournée des Grands Ducs (various artists), Idol/Marianne Melodie, 2005
The Divas, One Reel/Teatro ZinZanni, 2006
BROADWAY: THE GREAT ORIGINAL CAST RECORDINGS, Masterworks Broadway, 2015
Les Funambules (chansons d'amour pour tous), Blossom, 2017
