Jump to content

Robert Thompson (dancer)

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Thompson
Born
Robert Lee Thompson

( 1933 -10-09)October 9, 1933
Louisiana, United States
DiedJune 13, 1984(1984-06-13) (aged 50)
California, United States
Known forDance and choreography
MovementBallet/Modern/contemporary dance

Robert Lee Thompson (sometimes credited as Bob Thompson; October 9, 1933 – June 13, 1984) was an American dancer and choreographer known for his work in both stage and film productions, particularly in ballet. A member of Jerome Robbins troupe, "Ballets USA", he is known for his association with West Side Story, in which he performed in the 1961 film adaptation and stage revivals, as well as his later contributions as choreographer to projects such as the film Xanadu.

Early life

[edit]

Thompson was born on October 9, 1933,[1] in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana[2] the oldest of three sons of Robert Lee Thompson, Sr.[2] and Thelma Marie née Devillier.[3] His mother was from a long-established French Louisiana family. His father had worked in the Research and Development department for Exxon.[4]

Thompson's family moved to Baytown, Texas, when he was a teenager. At age sixteen, he enrolled in dance classes.[5] While still at high school, he was employed at the Fred Astaire Dance Studios and was featured in a floor show at the Shamrock Hotel. He soon began to take advanced ballet and tap classes in Houston, Texas, and after graduating from Robert E. Lee High School, he received a scholarship from the Houston Youth Ballet Foundation[6] and danced several shows in Houston, his first being in The Golden Apple at Theatre Inc. in Houston.[5]

Career

[edit]

In the mid-1950s, Thompson moved to California and appeared in Rhonda Fleming's act,[7] dancing with her on the nightclub circuit in Las Vegas, Nevada.[5] He then did freelance dancing with Cyd Charisse and in engagements in Las Vegas and Miami, Florida, with Ann-Margret.[7] He appeared in a Los Angeles production of Annie Get Your Gun with Mary Martin and made his first appeared on television when the show was filmed as a TV as a special in 1957.[5]

In 1960 Thompson performed in the film Can Can. In the 1961 film West Side Story, he played Luis, one of the Sharks.[5] He then joined Jerome Robbins’ Ballets U.S.A., with whom he performed in The Concert, New York Export: Opus Jazz, and Moves, and starred in Interplay.[8] From 1963, he toured Europe for two years with Robbins' group, performing in Anonymous Figure with Music by Teiji Ito in the Festival dei Due Mondi at the Teatrino delle Sette in Spoleto, Italy.[9]

Thompson next appeared in dance roles in movies such as Thoroughly Modern Millie and Doctor Dolittle in 1967,[6] a series of films starring Barbara Streisand: Funny Girl in 1968, Hello, Dolly! (1969) and Up the Sandbox (1972).[6][7][5] Meanwhile, he appeared in more shows with Danny Kaye and Dean Martin,[which?] and began to work as a choreographer, starting as assistant choreographer, including a show with Mama Cass in Las Vegas, and two years at the Hollywood Palace from 1969 to 1970.[7]

By 1974, he had moved to San Francisco where he was a partner in a Victorian Home Decoration and landscaping business. However, he also continued to occasionally choreograph into the early 1980s, including for the film Xanadu and TV shows such as Happy Days and Hart to Hart.[citation needed]

Personal life

[edit]

Thompson married Joan Patricia Daugherty in July 1953.[3] In November of that year, their daughter Kristy Lin was born,[10] and in February 1955 they had a son, Chadley Blake[10] (known as Chad).[5] In 1969, Thompson became interested in photography, creating a record of the lavish and colorful costumes on the set of Hello Dolly.[5]

Thompson died on June 13, 1984, in Los Angeles.[1]

Productions

[edit]

Theatre

[edit]

Dance

[edit]
  • "Ballets USA", 1958, Thompson was part of the ensemble as a dancer. The show featured a collection of ballet pieces choreographed by Jerome Robbins including:

Film

[edit]

Television

[edit]

Choreography

[edit]

Usually credited as Bob Thompson

Film

[edit]

Television

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b California, U.S., Death Index, 1940-1997, Los Angeles; 13 June 1984; Social Security: 456469098
  2. ^ a b 1940 United States Federal Census. Harris, Texas
  3. ^ a b Robert Thompson, Miss Daugherty wed in Texas, Daily World, Opelousas, Louisiana, p. 26, July 26, 1953
  4. ^ Robert L Thompson Obituary, Daily World, January 18, 1991, p. 16, Opelousas, Louisiana
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Wanda Orton, Baytonian Is Choreographer, Dancer for Movies, Television, The Baytown, January 9, 1970, p. 9
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Show Business Dancer from Opelousas Visits, Daily World Opelousas, Louisiana, p10, September 24, 1968
  7. ^ a b c d e f Native Dancer Recounts Years as a Professional, Daily World, Opelousas, Louisiana. p8, January 01, 1974
  8. ^ Siegel, M. B. (1985), The Shapes of Change: Images of American Dance, United Kingdom: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520042032, 0520042034)
  9. ^ Jowitt, D. (2004). Jerome Robbins: His Life, His Theater, His Dance, p351, United Kingdom: Simon & Schuster, ISBN 9780684869858, 0684869853
  10. ^ a b Texas, U.S., Birth Index, 1903-1997
Retrieved from "https://wiki.riteme.site/w/index.php?title=Robert_Thompson_(dancer)&oldid=1267128107"