Marianna Michalska, a voluptuous and mischievous-eyed blonde dancer, was born in Krakow, Poland. Her parents tragically died, and she was adopted from an orphanage and taken to the United States in 1909. She began her career singing in her foster-father's Chicago saloon before working as a cabaret dancer in New York City.
Marianna discovered the "shimmy" by shaking her chemise out of nervousness during a performance, and her talent caught the attention of pianist Frank Westphal, who introduced her to his wife, vaudeville singer Sophie Tucker. Tucker suggested the stage name "Gilda," which Marianna adopted.
Gilda's signature dance, the "shimmy," became a sensation, and she performed it on stage in "The Gaieties of 1919" and "The Ziegfeld Follies of 1922." She graduated to the big leagues, appearing in the Orpheum Circuit and eventually becoming a movie actress.
Gilda was signed by producer Jesse L. Lasky in 1923 and starred in several films, including "Aloma of the South Seas" and "The Devil Dancer." Her most successful film was "Piccadilly," a stylish silent melodrama in which she starred as half of a dancing duo in a London nightclub.
However, Gilda's film career was marked by financial struggles and personal setbacks. She lost most of her savings in the 1929 stock market crash, suffered a heart attack in 1931, and filed for bankruptcy in 1941.
Gilda launched a lawsuit against Columbia Pictures in 1946, claiming that the film "Gilda" was based on her life, but the suit was dropped in 1954. She made a brief return to the headlines in 1953 when her philanthropic efforts to bring Polish youngsters into the United States were highlighted on NBC's "This Is Your Life."
Gilda died in December 1959 at the age of 58, leaving behind a legacy as a talented dancer and actress. She has a star on the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard.
