Vera Zorina, a renowned ballet dancer and actress, was born in Berlin, Germany to a German father, Fritz, and a Norwegian mother, Billie Hartwig. From a tender age, she was enchanted by ballet, taking her first steps at two and performing by four. Her early education was at the Lyceum for Girls in Berlin, while her dance training was under the tutelage of Olga Preobrajenska and Nicholas Legat, who had previously taught Anna Pavlova and Nijinsky.
At twelve, Vera was presented to Max Reinhardt, who cast her in his productions of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1929) and "Tales of Hoffman" (1931). Her performance at London's Gaiety Theatre led to her joining the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1933. She adopted the stage name Vera Zorina, which she felt was authentic and simple, and also learned Russian to better connect with her dancing colleagues.
Vera's career with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo spanned three years, during which she performed at esteemed venues such as Covent Garden in London and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Her timing proved propitious when she won a lead role in the London company of "On Your Toes" in 1937, which caught the attention of movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn, who signed her to a film contract.
Vera made her official debut in the musical "The Goldwyn Follies" (1938) and subsequently recreated her role in the movie version of "On Your Toes" (1939). She then appeared in the comedy crime caper "I Was an Adventuress" (1940) and impressed on Broadway with "I Married an Angel" and "Louisiana Purchase" before returning to Hollywood to star in the movie version of "Louisiana Purchase" (1941) alongside Bob Hope.
Vera's dramatic career received a boost when she was cast as Maria in the Oscar-winning film "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (1943),but she was abruptly replaced after two weeks of shooting by Ingrid Bergman, a move that had a detrimental impact on her film career. Following the decline of film offers, she bid Hollywood adieu.
After her divorce from George Balanchine in 1946, Vera married Goddard Lieberson, the president of Columbia Records, and the couple had two sons, Peter and Jonathan. In later years, her lilting accent was used for narrations on several records and with various classical symphony orchestras and opera houses. She also directed a production of "Herod" for Norwegian TV and was active with the Lincoln Center as an adviser and director, as well as directing operas at the Santa Fe Opera Company in New Mexico.
Tragically, Vera passed away in Santa Fe in 2003 due to a cerebral hemorrhage, predeceased by her second husband and son Jonathan.
