Emile Ardolino
| Emile Ardolino | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 9, 1943 Maspeth, New York, U.S. |
| Died |
November 20, 1993 (aged 50) Bel Air, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Complications from AIDS |
| Resting place |
St. John Cemetery Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Film director, choreographer |
| Notable work |
Dirty Dancing Sister Act |
Emile Ardolino (May 9, 1943 – November 20, 1993) was an American film director, choreographer, and producer, best known for his films Dirty Dancing (1987) and Sister Act (1992).
Ardolino was born in Maspeth, a neighborhood of Queens, the son of Italian immigrants Ester (Pesiri) and Emilio Ardolino. He began his career as an actor in off-Broadway productions, but soon moved to the production side of the business. In 1967, he founded Compton-Ardolino Films with Gardner Compton. In the 1970s and 1980s Ardolino worked for PBS; his profiles of dancers and choreographers for their Dance in America and Live from Lincoln Center series won him a total of 17 Emmy Award nominations. He actually won the Emmy three times.
Ardolino won an Academy Award for Best Documentary for the 1983 movie He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin'. He found commercial success with the 1987 sleeper hit Dirty Dancing, and went on to make several other mainstream films.
Ardolino, who was openly gay, died in California on November 20, 1993 of complications from AIDS. His last films, The Nutcracker (based on George Balanchine's New York City Ballet version), and the television production of Gypsy starring Bette Midler in the role created on Broadway by Ethel Merman, were released and shown posthumously. Ardolino is buried beside his parents at St. John Cemetery in New York.
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