Esther Williams
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- August 8, 1921
- Died
- June 6, 2013
- Birthplace
- Inglewood, California, USA
Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics because of the outbreak of World War II, she joined Billy Rose's Aquacade, where she took on the role vacated by Eleanor Holm after the show's move from New York City to San Francisco. While in the city, she spent five months swimming alongside Olympic gold-medal winner and Tarzan star Johnny Weissmuller. Williams caught the attention of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer scouts at the Aquacade. After appearing in several small roles, and alongside Mickey Rooney in an Andy Hardy film and future five-time co-star Van Johnson in A Guy Named Joe, Williams made a series of films in the 1940s and early 1950s known as "aquamusicals", which featured elaborate performances with synchronised swimming and diving. Every year from 1945 to 1949, Williams had at least one film among the 20 highest-grossing films of the year. In 1952, Williams appeared in her only biographical role, as Australian swimming star Annette Kellerman in Million Dollar Mermaid, which went on to become her nickname while she was at MGM. Williams left MGM in 1956 and appeared in a handful of unsuccessful feature films, followed by several extremely popular water-themed network television specials, including one from Cypress Gardens, Florida. Williams was also a successful businesswoman. Before retiring from acting, she invested in a "service station, a metal products plant, a manufacturer of bathing suits, various properties and a successful restaurant chain known as Trails." She lent her name to a line of swimming pools, retro swimwear, and instructional swimming videos for children, and served as a commentator for synchronized swimming at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Description above from the Wikipedia article Esther Williams, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
Esther Williams: Hollywood's Mermaid 2024
as Self (archive footage)
The Fabulous Allan Carr 2017
as Self (archive footage)
Listen to Me Marlon 2015
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Hollywood Legenden
Hollywood Legenden 2004
as Self
Busby Berkeley: Going Through the Roof 2003
as Self
Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer 2002
as Self (archive footage)
The Original Mermaid 2002
as Herself (archive footage)
Hollywood Musicals of the 40's 2000
as Self (archive footage)
Glorious Technicolor 1998
as Self
That's Entertainment! III 1994
as Self - Host
- Stars and Stripes: Hollywood and World War II
Stars and Stripes: Hollywood and World War II 1991
as Self
Tom & Jerry's 50th Birthday Bash 1990
as Self
Dance Crazy in Hollywood 1990
as Self - Actress (archive footage)
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood 1987
as Self
Night of 100 Stars II 1985
as Self
That's Dancing! 1985
as From 'Bathing Beauty' (archive footage)
That's Entertainment, Part II 1976
as (archive footage)
That's Entertainment! 1974
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hollywood: The Dream Factory 1972
as Self (archive footage)
Magic Fountain 1963
as Hyacinth Tower
The Big Show 1961
as Hillary Allen
Andy Hardy Comes Home 1958
as Sheila Brooks (archive footage) (uncredited)
Raw Wind in Eden 1958
as Laura
The Unguarded Moment 1956
as Lois Conway
Jupiter's Darling 1955
as Amytis
Easy to Love 1953
as Julie Hallerton
Dangerous When Wet 1953
as Katy Higgins
Million Dollar Mermaid 1952
as Annette Kellerman
Skirts Ahoy! 1952
as Whitney Young
Callaway Went Thataway 1951
as Esther Williams (uncredited)
Texas Carnival 1951
as Debbie Telford
Pagan Love Song 1950
as Mimi Bennett
Duchess of Idaho 1950
as Christine Riverton Duncan
The Costume Designer 1950
as Self (archive footage)
- Screen Actors
Screen Actors 1950
as Self (uncredited)
Neptune's Daughter 1949
as Eve Barrett
Take Me Out to the Ball Game 1949
as K.C. Higgins
On an Island with You 1948
as Rosalind Rennolds
This Time for Keeps 1947
as Nora Cambaretti
Fiesta 1947
as Maria Morales
Till the Clouds Roll By 1946
as Esther Williams - Signing Autographs (uncredited)
Easy to Wed 1946
as Connie Allenbury
The Hoodlum Saint 1946
as Kay Lorrison
Ziegfeld Follies 1945
as Esther Williams (segment "A Water Ballet")
Parade of Aquatic Champions 1945
as Herself
Thrill of a Romance 1945
as Cynthia Glenn
Bathing Beauty 1944
as Caroline Brooks
A Guy Named Joe 1944
as Ellen Bright
Twenty Years After 1944
as (archive footage)
Andy Hardy's Double Life 1942
as Sheila Brooks
- Personalities
Personalities 1942
as Sheila Brooks (screen test footage) (uncredited)
Inflation 1942
as Mrs. Smith
Credits from TMDB.