Vera Zorina

Vera Zorina
publicity photo for Star Spangled Rhythm 1942
Born	Eva Brigitta Hartwig (1917-01-02)January 2, 1917 Berlin, Germany
Died	April 9, 2003(2003-04-09) (aged 86) Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.
Occupation	Ballerina musical theatre actress choreographer
Years active	1928-1982
Spouse(s)	George Balanchine (1938-1946; divorced) Goddard Lieberson (1946-1977; his death); 2 children Paul Wolfe (1991-2003; her death)
Children	Peter Lieberson Jonathan Lieberson (1949-1989)

Vera Zorina (January 2, 1917 – April 9, 2003) was a Norwegian ballerina, theatre and film actress, and choreographer. Today she is chiefly remembered for her films choreographed by her then husband, George Balanchine. They include The Goldwyn Follies, I Was an Adventuress with Erich Von Stroheim and Peter Lorre, Louisiana Purchase with Bob Hope and dancing to "That Old Black Magic" in Paramount Pictures`s film Star Spangled Rhythm.

Vera Zorina was born Eva Brigitta Hartwig in Berlin, Germany. Her father, Fritz Hartwig, was a German lapsed Roman Catholic, and her mother, Abigail Johanne Wimpelmann (known as Billie Hartwig), was Norwegian and Lutheran. Both were professional singers. Young Eva was brought up in a small coastal town between Trondheim and Bergen, called Kristiansund North, where she debuted as a dancer at the Festiviteten, the oldest opera house in Norway. She received her education at the Lyceum for Girls in Berlin and was trained in dance by Olga Preobrajenska and Nicholas Legat.

At age 12, she was presented to Max Reinhardt, who cast her in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1929) and Tales of Hoffman (1931). A performance at London's Gaiety Theatre won her an invitation to join the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1933, at which time she adopted the stage name of Vera Zorina. The company only wanted Russian names and she was given a list of 20 and chose the last name because she could pronounce it.... A few years later, she attained a lead role in the London production of On Your Toes (1937) and was seen by American film producer Samuel Goldwyn, who signed her to a seven-year film contract. She appeared in 7 Hollywood movies between 1938 and 1946.