Mitzi Gaynor, the effervescent dancer and actor who starred as Nellie Forbush in the 1958 film “South Pacific” and appeared in other musicals alongside legends such as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Gene Kelly, has passed away at the age of 93.
Gaynor, one of the final luminaries of Hollywood’s golden age of musicals, died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Thursday morning, according to a statement from her long-time managers, Rene Reyes and Shane Rosamonda.
“Your love, support and appreciation meant so very much to her and was a sustaining gift in her life,” Reyes and Rosamonda said in the statement, celebrating her legacy and expressing gratitude to her friends, fans, and the countless audiences she entertained throughout her eight-decade-long career.
Gaynor’s expansive career spanned film, television, and stage, including notable roles in “We’re Not Married!” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business.” However, she is best remembered for her portrayal of the love-sick nurse Nellie Forbush in “South Pacific.” The screen adaptation received three Academy Award nominations, winning for best sound, and earned Gaynor a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.
The role of Nellie Forbush, originally created on Broadway by Mary Martin, had been fiercely contested by Hollywood stars. Gaynor secured the role with some assistance from Frank Sinatra. During their time filming “The Joker Is Wild,” Sinatra adjusted the filming schedule to allow her a crucial one-day audition for lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. Hammerstein, along with director Josh Logan and composer Richard Rodgers, was impressed with Gaynor, casting her opposite Rossano Brazzi, about whom she famously sang “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy.”
Despite her memorable performance, “South Pacific” did not pivot her career as she had hoped, prompting her to shift focus to television. She appeared on Donald O’Connor’s variety show “Here Comes Donald” and CBS’ “The Jack Benny Hour,” among others. In 1959, she was the only woman to guest star alongside Sinatra, Crosby, Dean Martin, and Jimmy Durante on ABC’s “The Frank Sinatra Timex Show.”
Later, Gaynor reinvented herself as a performing entertainer, collaborating with her husband and manager, Jack Bean. She headlined her own musical revue, a major draw in theaters across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia. She became a Las Vegas staple, performing in long-running residencies at prominent venues like the Flamingo Hotel and the Riviera Hotel.
When the logistics and costs of touring with a full orchestra and corps of dancers became prohibitive, Gaynor scaled down the production to a one-woman show, continuing her tours until 2002 when Bean’s illness necessitated a pause.
“I love touring; I’ve been doing it much of my life,” Gaynor remarked in a 2003 interview. “We go back to the same places; it’s like visiting friends. After the show, people come backstage to the dressing room, and we renew friendships. We send out almost 3,000 Christmas cards every year.”
Reyes and Rosamonda’s statement also highlighted her vibrant personality offstage, describing her as a warm, gracious, and extraordinarily funny individual who was also an adept cook.
Gaynor’s television appearances included several variety specials such as “Mitzi…Zings Into Springs” and “Mitzi…Roarin’ in the 20’s,” many of which received Emmy nominations and wins for their choreography, lighting, art design, and costume design, the latter awarded to her long-time collaborator, Bob Mackie. These specials were featured in the 2008 documentary “Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! The Special Years.”
Born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber in Chicago on Sept. 4, 1931, Gaynor grew up in a musically inclined family and began singing and dancing at a young age. In a 2003 interview, she vividly recalled her stage debut at age 7, marked by an accidental puddle on stage that led to unexpected applause and an early lesson in the show must go on.
Gaynor and Bean married in 1954, purchasing a spacious home in Beverly Hills in 1960, where they lived until Bean’s death in 2006. The couple preferred private gatherings with close friends over Hollywood events and had no children.