Liza Minnelli

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Birthday:

12 March 1946, Los Angeles, California, USA

Birth Name:

Liza May Minnelli

Height:

163 cm

Liza Minnelli was born on March 12, 1946, the daughter of Judy Garland and movie director Vincente Minnelli. She was practically raised at MGM studios while her parents worked long hours there and she made her film debut at fourteen months of age in the movie In the Good Old Summertime (1949). Her parents divorced in 1951 and, in 1952, her mother married Sidney Luft, with sister Lorna Luft and brother Joey Luft subsequently being born. Her father, Vincente Minnelli, later married Georgette Magnani, mother of her half-sister Christiane Nina "Tina Nina" Minnelli.At sixteen, Liza was on her own in New York City, struggling to begin her career in show business. Her first recognition came for the play "Best Foot Forward" which ran for seven months in 1963. A year later, Judy invited Liza to appear with her for a show at the London Paladium. This show sold out immediately and a second night was added to it. Liza's performance in London was a huge turning point in both her career and her relationship with her mother. The audience absolutely loved Liza and Judy realized that Liza was now an adult with her own career. It was at the Paladium that Liza met her first husband, Peter Allen, a friend of Judy's.Liza won a Tony award at age nineteen and was nominated for her first Academy Award at age twenty-three for the role of Pookie Adams in The Sterile Cuckoo (1969). Other dramatic roles followed and, in 1972, she won an Oscar for her performance as Sally Bowles in the movie Cabaret (1972). The seventies were a busy time for Liza. She worked steadily in film, stage and music. She and good friend Halston were regulars at Studio 54, the trendiest disco club in the world. Marriages to filmmaker Jack Haley Jr. and Mark Gero, a sculptor who earned his living in the theater followed. Each marriage ended in divorce.Over the past years, her career has leaned more towards stage performances and she has a long list of musical albums which she continues to add to. She teamed with Frank Sinatra in his "Duets" CD and Sammy Davis Jr. joined them for a series of concerts and TV shows which were extremely well-received.She has had to deal with tabloid stories of drug abuse and ill-health and has had a number of high profile stays at drug-rehabilitation clinics. Her hectic schedule may have slowed down in recent years, but she still has a large following of immensely loyal fans who continue to cheer her on. Show less «

[12/99] I've got a good life, and I don't think anything can rock that anymore.

[in the film That's Entertainment! (1974)] Thank God for film, it can capture a moment and hold it there forever. If anyone ever asks you, "...Show more »

[in the film That's Entertainment! (1974)] Thank God for film, it can capture a moment and hold it there forever. If anyone ever asks you, "Who were they?" or "What made them so good?" I think a reel of film answers that question. Show less «

Reality is something you rise above.

My mother gave me my drive but my father gave me my dreams.

[2004] I feel like I haven't done my best work yet. I feel like there's a world of possibilities out there.

I remember playing in the Beverly Hills park with Mia Farrow and Candy [Candice Bergen] and Tisha Sterling and, while we sat in the sandbox,...Show more »

I remember playing in the Beverly Hills park with Mia Farrow and Candy [Candice Bergen] and Tisha Sterling and, while we sat in the sandbox, we could hear our English nannies talking about picture deals and costume direction and whose employer was going to win the Academy Award. Show less «

It's a waste of time to think about what I should have done and what I didn't. I really believe in that. That's how I react to the if-onlys ...Show more »

It's a waste of time to think about what I should have done and what I didn't. I really believe in that. That's how I react to the if-onlys of life. To moan and groan about something I shouldn't have done, could have done, might have done . . . who knows? It is what it is. You got what you got. I live my life one day at a time. Show less «

My family's been in show business since the 1700s. I traced them. I'm bred to this. Like a racehorse. A thoroughbred. Look at my parents, my...Show more »

My family's been in show business since the 1700s. I traced them. I'm bred to this. Like a racehorse. A thoroughbred. Look at my parents, my God. But it was my curiosity that made me do this. Because you could also say, "Look at Frank Sinatra Jr.." It's not like a natural thing that happens. You gotta work. Show less «

I'm always looking at the next thing. I'm too curious to look back . . . it's very hard to be unhappy when you're curious and grateful. You'...Show more »

I'm always looking at the next thing. I'm too curious to look back . . . it's very hard to be unhappy when you're curious and grateful. You're busy. You don't have time to be unhappy. My biggest talent is I know who is more talented than I am. I find them and I go to them, and I learn. Show less «

[on Judy Garland] She was a friend of mine, a trying friend, but a friend. That is what I tell myself: She did everything she ever wanted to...Show more »

[on Judy Garland] She was a friend of mine, a trying friend, but a friend. That is what I tell myself: She did everything she ever wanted to do. She never really denied herself anything for me. See, I say, she had a wonderful life; she did what she wanted to do. And I have no right to change her fulfillment into my misery. I'm on my own broom now. Show less «

[on working with Robert De Niro in New York, New York (1977)] Sure, a class-A bastard. After the sneak preview in San Francisco, Bobby said ...Show more »

[on working with Robert De Niro in New York, New York (1977)] Sure, a class-A bastard. After the sneak preview in San Francisco, Bobby said to me in the car, "I don't mind being a bastard, as long as I'm an interesting bastard." Show less «

It was no great tragedy being Judy Garland's daughter. I had tremendously interesting childhood years - except they had little to do with be...Show more »

It was no great tragedy being Judy Garland's daughter. I had tremendously interesting childhood years - except they had little to do with being a child. Show less «

[on the death of Michael Jackson] He was a kind, genuine, and wonderful man. He was also one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived. I...Show more »

[on the death of Michael Jackson] He was a kind, genuine, and wonderful man. He was also one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived. I loved him very much and I will miss him every remaining day of my life. Show less «

[on why she doesn't perform her mother's songs] They've been sung.

[on filming Cabaret (1972)] We're trying to show the dirt and decadence and the perverse atmosphere of Berlin when the Nazis came to power. ...Show more »

[on filming Cabaret (1972)] We're trying to show the dirt and decadence and the perverse atmosphere of Berlin when the Nazis came to power. All the numbers take place inside the cabaret with real drag queens and cheap, tacky sets. Show less «

I don't mean to sound blase, but everybody in the house I grew up in was famous, and nobody cared. [Ira Gershwin's] advice to me was, 'Think...Show more »

I don't mean to sound blase, but everybody in the house I grew up in was famous, and nobody cared. [Ira Gershwin's] advice to me was, 'Think about what you're saying'. Later on, when I heard Aznavour singing, I wanted to do what he did so I begged him to be my mentor. He taught me a lot about keeping the mystery alive. Show less «

I'm not a very good singer. I just know how to present a song, and honey, I think I've been through enough to do it right.