George Chakiris

Chakiris has also appeared on Broadway and television, and in the early 1960s embarked on a career as a pop singer which resulted in a couple of minor hit songs. He is married to Scottish actress, Kara Wilson. His biggest success came with the film West Side Story (1961), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Lawrence, Reuben, Reuben (nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor), American Dreamer, Shirley Valentine and Saving Grace. He was one of the dancers in Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" number in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and also appeared as a dancer alongside Rosemary Clooney in White Christmas. He has appeared in such films as Merry Christmas, Mr. Chakiris made his film debut in 1947 and for several years he appeared in small roles, usually as a dancer or a member of the chorus in various musical films. Besides taking the leading role in the 1978 TV version of Alan Ayckbourn's Norman Conquests, he played opposite Nigel Hawthorne in a long-running series of car advertisements.