Award-Successful Director and Choreographer Tony Charmoli Dies at Age 99

Tony Charmoli died peacefully on the night of August seventh at his dwelling within the Hollywood Hills. He was 99. Tony had a many years lengthy, award-winning profession as a director, a producer, and as a choreographer for tv, movie, and theater.

He gained three Emmy Awards: in 1956 for Finest Choreography for Your Hit Parade, in 1974 for Finest Path for Mitzi Gaynor‘s Tribute To An American Housewife, and in 1976 for Finest Path for Shirley MacLaine‘s Gypsy In My Soul. He was additionally nominated over the course of his lengthy profession for ten different Primetime Emmy Awards. Moreover, he gained Director’s Guild Awards for Mitzi Zings Into Spring in 1978, and John Denver & THE MUPPETS in 1980.

He was born in Mount Iron, Minnesota in 1921 to Italian immigrant mother and father, because the final of 9 kids. They taught Tony a tough work ethic and he utilized it to his early love of Dance. He put collectively exhibits in his youth, and simply after his sixteenth birthday Tony traveled by himself from Minnesota by bus to intern as a dancer for a summer time at Jacob’s Pillow in Massachusetts. On the next Valentine’s Day, he met Wilford Saunders, the person he’d spend the remainder of his life with.

WW2 broke out whereas Tony was on the School of Saint Thomas engaged on his English diploma. He and Will joined up. Tony served as Operations Officer for the 43rd Fighter Squadron Air Drive throughout WW2, and volunteered to arrange exhibits within the jungles of Panama to maintain the troops entertained. Will served as a secretary to Basic Eisenhower in Europe.

After the warfare Tony completed his diploma earlier than he and Will moved to New York to pursue Tony’s dream of engaged on Broadway. Together with his time within the service, Tony was in a position to examine dance totally free with all the best dance lecturers in New York. Whereas auditioning for Broadway, Tony organized dance packages on the YMHA on Sunday nights which helped to develop his fame as a choreographer. Consequently, Tony was requested to see if dance may work on a brand new factor referred to as tv. They had been merely trying to ship the image from one aspect of Manhattan to the opposite aspect of Manhattan. none of them suspected how large this new factor referred to as tv was going to be.

As Tony started engaged on Broadway exhibits, he additionally started choreographing for the brand new TV present, Cease The Music. His good critiques led to him being poached by Your Hit Parade the place he obtained his first Emmy Award. Throughout this time he met a faucet dancer named Bob Fosse who wished to be a choreographer sometime. Tony gave his Broadway position in Make Mine Manhattan to Bob when the present went on its Nationwide Tour. When Bob returned from the tour, Tony discovered him work as an occasional dancer on the TV exhibits he was doing. As a result of Bob Fosse was insecure about his thinning hair, Tony prompt a derby hat and employed an professional with hat methods to prep Bob for a solo quantity that Tony created for him. Will Saunders lastly grew to become Tony’s full time supervisor and continued in that position for his or her lengthy years collectively.

Tony’s Broadway performing credit additionally consists of Expensive Judas, Love Life and as choreographer for Girl Of The Yr starring Lauren Bacall, Ankles Aweigh, Eddie Fisher on the Winter Backyard and directed Shirley MacLaine‘s 1976 present at The Palace.

Tony Charmoli quickly was working each coasts and moved to Los Angeles when he was supplied a place on the brand new Dinah Shore Present. He labored continuous for many years after that. He labored with almost all the good stars – Danny Kaye, Shirley MacLaine, Gwen Verdon, Cher, Bette Midler, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Doris Day, Juliet Prowse, Debbie Reynolds, Julie Andrews, Carol Lawrence, Betty White, Lily Tomlin, Lisa Kirk, Rudolf Nureyev… the checklist is sort of countless. He additionally labored with each THE MUPPETS and Sid and Marty Krofft. In his later years he directed Star Search and labored with a complete new crop of expertise – younger Justin Timberlake, Leanne Rhymes and Beyonce amongst others. He additionally directed The MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT for a few years (amongst different pageants) which took him all around the world to satisfy the heads of state.

Tony fashioned a particular relationship with Mitzi Gaynor for whom he directed a number of TV specials and with whom he gained one in every of his three Emmys.

Tony was recognized for being enjoyable to work with. He was a inventive drawback solver. He was a tough employee who did not look forward to a chance to return to him. He was extra involved in discovering actions that labored for the performer and the context reasonably than forcing a hard and fast fashion on each challenge he did. He additionally believed that the digital camera wanted to be choreographed simply as a lot because the dancers, and from the very starting of his profession at all times blocked the digital camera actions earlier than each shoot.

On the age of 90, Tony purchased a pc and along with his good friend, Paul Manchester created a e book of his life’s adventures: Stars In My Eyes.

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