Geri McGee
| Geri McGee | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Geraldine McGee May 16, 1936 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | November 9, 1982 (aged 46) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Frank Rosenthal |
| Children | Robin Marmor Steven Rosenthal Stephanie Rosenthal |
Geraldine "Geri" McGee (May 16, 1936 – November 9, 1982) was an American model, socialite, and Las Vegas showgirl. Her involvement with criminal activity in Las Vegas, along with her husband Frank Rosenthal, was chronicled in the 1995 Martin Scorsese film Casino. The screenplay for Casino was written by Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese, based on Pileggi's biography about Geri and Frank Rosenthal titled Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas. Sharon Stone portrayed McGee in the film, with her name changed to 'Ginger McKenna', and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance.
Geraldine McGee was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of Leona "Alice" (née Pollock 1906-1977) and Roy McGee. Her parents married in 1931, and later divorced. She had a sister, Barbara (McGee) Stokich (1934-2000). She grew up in the Sherman Oaks area, and graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1954. Her aunt, Naomi (McGee) Ingram, inherited a large amount of money when her husband, O.W. Ingram, whose family owned land in Georgia, had died. Naomi offered to send Geri to Woodbury Business School, where she had sent her sister Barbara. Geri told her aunt she did not want to attend Woodbury, but would rather attend a different school, and her aunt refused to pay for any other school but Woodbury. Geri instead began working in office jobs during the day, and would look for contests and modeling jobs on the side.
In high school she had met a man named Lenny Marmor, and the two became inseparable. Lenny recognized McGee's talent, and he began entering her in swimsuit contests, and dance contests, where she would often take home prizes. After they graduated from high school, they had a daughter in 1958, Robin Marmor. Soon Lenny convinced Geri to move to Las Vegas for more opportunities. Lenny stayed in Los Angeles, and Geri and her daughter moved to Vegas. Her mother Alice, now separated from Geri's father, moved to Vegas to take care of Robin while Geri was working. Around 1960, McGee started working as a cocktail waitress and showgirl and continued through the 1960s, making enough money to buy a house for herself and her family. She worked her way up the Las Vegas social ladder, meeting various businessmen. One of the men she met was Frank Rosenthal. Her sister Barbara moved in with her after Barbara separated from her husband. Barbara had two small children and needed a place to stay.
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