Johnnie Lucille Ann "Ann Miller" Collier

1923 - 2004  (80 years)

• Name	Johnnie Lucille Ann "Ann Miller" Collier  [1, 2, 3]
  Nickname	Ann Miller
  Birth	12 Apr 1923	Chireno, Nacogdoches County, Texas   [1, 2, 3]
  Gender	Female
  Death	22 Jan 2004	Los Angeles County, California   [2, 3]
  Burial	Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, Los Angeles County, California   [3]
  Notes	American musical star Miller dies US musical actress Ann Miller, famed for her impressive tap dancing, has died of lung cancer at the age of 81. Miller starred in more than 40 Hollywood films during her long career, notably Kiss Me Kate and Easter Parade, with Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. Working for MGM studios during the heyday of the Hollywood musical of the 40s and 50s, she continued dancing into her 60s alongside Mickey Rooney. She died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Thursday. Miller began her showbusiness career at the age of 11, having taken up dancing to help straighten her legs after suffering rickets as a child. She eventually claimed the record of 500 taps a minute. At just 13 she was given a seven-year contract with RKO studios, although she had said she was 18. Big break Her movie debut was in New Faces of 1937, going on to appear in a number of low-budget musicals and comedies. After eventually being signed to MGM, Miller replaced Cyd Charisse in Easter Parade after the actress broke her leg before filming. But by the mid-1950s the popularity of the big screen musical waned and she moved into television and theatre. One of her most successful projects was the touring show Sugar Babies with Mickey Rooney, a tribute to the burlesque era. 'Brassy showgirl' "At MGM, I always played the second feminine lead; I was never the star in films," Miller once said. "I was the brassy, good-hearted showgirl. I never really had my big moment on the screen. "Sugar Babies gave me the stardom that my soul kind of yearned for." Speaking after her death, Rooney called Miller "a great talent". "She told me the last time I spoke to her she wasn't feeling too well, and I said, 'Keep your head up, kid.' I'm just very sad," he added. Miller married three times but all ended in divorce. Her last film role was in David Lynch's Oscar-nominated film Mulholland Drive in 2001. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/3422589.stm
  Person ID	I35655	Strong Family Tree
  Last Modified	21 Jan 2019

  
  

  Father	John Alfred Collier,   b. 18 Mar 1888, Moultrie, Colquitt County, Georgia d. 15 Apr 1960, Houston, Harris County, Texas (Age 72 years)
  Mother	Clara Emma Birdwell, Miller,   b. 4 Apr 1892, Texas d. 11 Jul 1981, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles County, California (Age 89 years)
  Family ID	F11140	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 12 Apr 1923 - Chireno, Nacogdoches County, Texas Death - 22 Jan 2004 - Los Angeles County, California  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos

  Collier, Johnnie Lucille Anne (Actress "Ann Miller") American singer, dancer and actress known professionally as Ann Miller, she was the daughter of John A. Collier and Clara Emma Birdwell. Johnnie took up dancing at a young age to exercise her legs to help overcome rickets. Born in Chireno, Texas, she lived with her parents in Houston until her parents divorced in the early 1930's when she was 10. After this, she and her mother moved to California. Ann began dancing professionaly in the 1930's, at the age 13, to help support herself and her mother.

  
  

• Sources

  [S564] 1930 United States Federal Census [Ancestry.com. database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2002., (Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls. Containing records for approximately 123 million Americans, the 1930 United States Federal Census is the largest census released to date and is the most recent census available for public access. The census gives us a glimpse into the lives of Americans in 1930, and contains information about a household?s family members and occupants including: birthplaces, occupations, immigration, citizenship, and military service. The names of those listed in the census are linked to actual images of the 1930 Census.), Texas, Harris County, JP 1, Houston City, Block 900 Enumerated 21 April 1930 ED 101-71 SD 26 Sheet 2A Stamped 67 Main Street 86 (Reliability: 3). [S819] Wikipedia Article, Ann Miller (Reliability: 3). [S873] Find A Grave [database online]; http://www.findagrave.com/, (Thousands of contributors submit new listings, updates, corrections, photographs and virtual flowers every hour to the FIND A GRAVE website. When it comes to administrating, building and maintaining the site, Find A Grave is largely operated by its founder, Jim Tipton.), # 5832474 (Reliability: 3).