Dancer, Actress, and Singer Zizi Jeanmaire Dies at Age 96

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that ballet dancer, actress, and singer Zizi Jeanmaire has died at age 96.

Renée Marcelle Jeanmaire, known as Zizi Jeanmaire, became famous in the 1950s after playing the title role in the ballet Carmen, produced in London in 1949, and went on to appear in several Hollywood films and Paris revues.

Jeanmaire has appeared in multiple musical films such as Hans Christian Andersen in 1952, and Cole Porter's Anything Goes in 1956.

On Broadway, she was seen in The Girl in Pink Tights in 1954, as well as Can-Can in 1981.

Jeanmaire danced in 1944 in the Soirées de la danse at the Theater Sarah Bernhardt. She became a ballerina of the Nouveau Ballet de Monte Carlo in 1946, and danced during the last season of Colonel de Basil's Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo in London in 1947. From 1949, she became the star of the Ballets de Paris directed by Petit, where she was known for her energy and passion.

In 1972, celebrated French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg wrote a musical revue for Jeanmaire, entitled Zizi, je t'aime! The performance was created for the Casino de Paris with choreography by Petit and costumes designed by Yves Saint Laurent.

Watch a touching tribute to Jeanmaire below: