John Brascia
| John Brascia | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 11, 1932 Fresno, California, U.S. |
| Died | February 19, 2013 (aged 80) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Years active | 1950-1980 |
| Spouse(s) | Tybee Arfa (1958-?) (1 child) Jordan Michaels (1986-?) Sondra Scott (1970-?) (1 child) |
| Children | Christina (with Scott) Giavonna (with Michaels) |
John F. Brascia (May 11, 1932 – February 19, 2013) was an American actor and dancer, best known for his dancing partnerships on film with Vera-Ellen in White Christmas (1954) and with Cyd Charisse and Liliane Montevecchi in Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956).
John Frank Brascia was born on May 11, 1932, in California, to Italian immigrants Gaetano (Galtano, Tommy) Brascia and Caterina "Katie" Napolitano. The Brascia clan including grandparents Mike and Consetta Brascia moved from Brooklyn, New York, before John Frank was born. John had older sister Cecilia and brother Vincent. The oldest of the Brascia children was their who graduated from Colton High School (Colton is a suburb of San Bernardino, California) in 1945. The Brascia family attended the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church of Colton where in the late spring of 1944 John received his first Holy Communion.
Johnny Brascia was a high-school basketball player beginning in his sophomore year at Colton High, acting as a co-captain. At 5’11” he took the position of guard in his junior year; he was a starter for the Colton Yellowjackets. He played for Colton on the football squad as the starting quarterback in his junior and senior years.
Brascia was a featured dancer with Vera-Ellen in White Christmas (1954) and with Cyd Charisse and Liliane Montevecchi in Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956). With dancer Tybee Arfa (1932–1982), the dance team known as Brascia and Tybee became - beginning in 1957 - a top specialty in major U.S. nightclubs, appearing as the opening act for artists like Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne, Tony Martin and George Burns, among others. Married in 1958, the duo appeared frequently on television's The Ed Sullivan Show (1958–1966) and on The Hollywood Palace (1967). Brascia began acting in non-dancing film roles beginning in 1967, culminating in 1980's The Baltimore Bullet for which he was Producer, and credited with the film's Story and Screenplay.
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