Occupation Dancer, actress Years active 1946-1988 | Name Maria Karnilova Role Actress | |
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Full Name Maria Dovgolenko (or Dowholonok) Other names Maria KarniloffMaria KarnilovitchMaria Irving Died April 20, 2001, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States Children Alexander Irving, Katherine Irving Stark Similar People Zero Mostel, George S Irving, Bea Arthur, Bert Convy, Julia Migenes | ||
Maria karnilova as mae peterson in original broadway production of bring back birdie
Maria Karnilova (August 3, 1920 – April 20, 2001) was an American dancer and actress. She was initially known legally as Maria Karniloff.
Contents
- Maria karnilova as mae peterson in original broadway production of bring back birdie
- Maria karnilova interviewed by rian keating november 1984
- Family
- Filmography
- References
She was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the daughter of Filip and Stefanida Dovgolenko (or Dowholonok), emigrants from Tsarist Russia. The family later moved to Brooklyn, New York. She started her professional career in 1927 in the Children's Ballet of the Metropolitan Opera and joined the corps when Ballet Theater, now American Ballet Theater, was founded in 1939. She adopted the name Karniloff, and later, Karnilova as her professional name. Her professional surname was often ascribed as her own mother's maiden name, however, that is inaccurate as her mother's maiden name was "Shlonskaya".
Karnilova made her Broadway debut in 1946 in Call Me Mister. She won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for the original 1964 production of Fiddler on the Roof starring Zero Mostel and was nominated as Best Actress in a Musical for Zorba (1968).
Other Broadway credits include Miss Liberty (1949), Two's Company (1952), Jerome Robbins' Ballet: U.S.A. (1958), Gypsy (as the original "Tessie Tura"; 1959), Bravo Giovanni (1962), Gigi (1973), God's Favorite (1974), Bring Back Birdie (1981), and the 1981 revival of Fiddler. Her film credits include The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964) and Married to the Mob (1988).
Maria karnilova interviewed by rian keating november 1984
Family
She was married to actor George S. Irving from 1948 until her death from undisclosed causes in Manhattan at the age of 80 in 2001. She was survived by her husband, two children and three grandchildren. Irving died in 2016, aged 94.