“South Pacific” star Mitzi Gaynor has died at the age of 93

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mitzi Gaynor, the sultry dancer and actress who played Nellie Forbush in the 1958 film “South Pacific” and appeared in other musicals with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, has died. She was 93.

Gaynor was one of the last survivors of the so-called golden age Hollywood musical, died of natural causes Thursday morning in Los Angeles, her longtime managers Rene Reyes and Shane Rosamonda confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press.

“As we celebrate her legacy, we thank her friends and fans and the countless viewers she entertained throughout her long life,” Reyes and Rosamonda said in a joint statement. “Their love, support and appreciation meant a lot to her and was a lasting gift in her life.”

Her entertainment career spanned eight decades in film, television and the stage, appearing in several notable films including We're Not Married! and There's No Business Like Show Business, but she is best known for her role in “South Pacific.”

The screen version of “South Pacific” received three Oscar nominations and won for best sound, while Gaynor was nominated for a Golden Globe for best actress.

The role of the lovesick nurse Nellie, created by Mary Martin on Broadway, was longed for by Hollywood stars. Sinatra helped Gaynor land.

She was co-starring with him in The Joker Is Wild when she had a one-day opportunity to audition for lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. It was the same day she was supposed to perform her biggest scene with Sinatra. When she explained her plight to him, he told her, “Don’t worry, I’ll change the schedule.”

Hammerstein was impressed by Gaynor, who had already won the approval of director Josh Logan and composer Richard Rodgers. She was cast alongside Rossano Brazzi, about whom she sang “I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy.”

“South Pacific” was not the turning point in her career as Gaynor had hoped, and she shifted her focus from film to television, making early appearances on Donald O'Connor's variety series “Here Comes Donald” and on CBS. “The Jack Benny Hour.” In October 1959, she was the only woman to appear as a guest star on the ABC special “The Frank Sinatra Timex Show,” alongside Sinatra, Crosby, Dean Martin and Jimmy Durante.

Later in her career, Gaynor reinvented herself as a performing entertainer. Together with her husband and manager Jack Bean, she starred in her own musical revue, which was a big draw in cinemas in the USA, Canada, Great Britain and Australia.

She became the highest-paid female entertainer in Las Vegas and was the first woman to be awarded the Las Vegas Governor's Trophy for Star Entertainer of the Year in 1970.

When Gaynor toured with a full orchestra and an ensemble of dancers and backstage staff became too unwieldy and expensive, she scaled back the production, eventually making it a one-woman show. They continued to tour every year until Bean's illness required a break in 2002.

“I love touring. I've spent most of my life doing that,” Gaynor said in a 2003 interview. “We return to the same places; It's like visiting friends. After the show, people come backstage to the dressing room and we renew friendships. We send out almost 3,000 Christmas cards every year.”

She was born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber (Mitzi is the diminutive of Marlene) in Chicago on September 4, 1931. She was part of a music-loving family and began singing and dancing at a young age.

In an AP interview in 2003, Gaynor said she had a clear memory of her stage debut. She had taken ballet and tap dancing lessons and at the age of seven she was scheduled to perform tap dancing at the dance school concert. She had neglected to use the toilet and when she turned to face the audience, a puddle formed on the stage.

“I ran off the stage kicking and screaming,” she remembers. “But I got a lot of applause. So I dried myself and put on some lipstick. After the next girl with batons was doing hula and slipped on the wet floor, I walked out and said, 'I'm fine now. Can I do it?' And I got cheers!”

Gaynor and Bean married in 1954 and purchased a spacious house in Beverly Hills in 1960, which was their home until his death in 2006. They rarely appeared at Hollywood events, preferring to entertain a few close friends. The couple had no children.