Person
Biography
Miriam Nelson appeared in seven Broadway shows between 1938 and 1943, billed as either Miriam Franklin or Miriam Franklyn (her birth name was Frankel), but it was after taking the name of her first husband, stage and screen star Gene Nelson, that she won lasting fame as a film choreographer. She specialized in non-musical films, creating memorable moments for Ingrid Bergman in Cactus Flower, for Kim Novak and William Holden in Picnic, a party scene in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and countless other movies and TV shows. She had been a close friend to Pillow stalwart Marge Champion since the 1950s, and would often spend time at Jacob’s Pillow while on one of her annual visits to Champion’s Stockbridge home. She attended more than a dozen Pillow Galas, beginning in 1992 when Blake’s Barn was dedicated in memory of Champion’s son Blake. She wrote a book about her career and stayed busy with various projects, saying that she would never retire “as long as the phone keeps ringing.” She was still dancing until the week before her death in August 2018 at the age of 98.
Source of Biography
Written by Norton Owen for Jacob's Pillow Remembers.