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Vera-Ellen

Vera-Ellen

Actor · Died August 30, 1981, aged 60 · Norwood, Ohio, USA

Vera-Ellen (February 16, 1921 - August 30, 1981) was an American dancer and actress. She began dancing at the age of 10, and a few years later became one of the youngest Rockettes. She appeared in several Broadway musicals until she was spotted by film producer Samuel Goldwyn in 1945. She was only 24 years old when Goldwyn cast her opposite Danny Kaye in Wonder Man (1945). She danced with Fred Astaire in Three Little Words (1950) and with Gene Kelly in On the Town (1949). Blonde, slim of build, and a dancing sensation, she appeared in a string of light-hearted but successful films. Vera-Ellen retired from acting in the late 1950s. Vera's career died down in the late 1950s once filmed musicals lost their fashion. It was later discovered that, due to the dancer's compulsive dieting obsession, she had silently battled anorexia throughout much of the 50s before anyone was even aware or doctors had even coined the term or devised treatments. Moreover, she had developed severe arthritis which forced an early retirement. In order to combat it, she reverted back to taking dance lessons again. The worst blows suffered, however, was in her personal life. On top of of two two failed marriages, she lost her only child, Victoria Ellen Rothschild, to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in 1963. With one unhappy and tragic event compounded by another, she became a virtual recluse. Little was heard for decades until it was discovered that she had died on August 30, 1981, at age 60 following a long bout with cancer at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. She was buried at Glen Haven Memorial Park in Sylmar, California. Perhaps less remembered today compared to several of the big stars that shared the stage with her, Vera-Ellen was a lithe and lovely presence who deserved a better personal life than she got. Nevertheless, she has provided true film lovers with a lasting legacy and can easily be considered one of Hollywood's finest dancing legends.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 16, 1921
Died
August 30, 1981 (aged 60)
From
Norwood, Ohio, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
14 on MovieCove · 18 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Up 21% in 30 days

What are Vera-Ellen's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
43%
Self
25%
Morality
20%
Society
9%
Power
3%
Romantic love7 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 11 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 2

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 9 · Charged 2 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 10 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 10 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

6 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 3 of 6 analyzed roles.

Ally
3 of 6
Hero
2 of 6
Shapeshifter
1 of 6

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
9
Romantic
8
Warm
4
Absurd
2
Hopeful
1
Other
2

How their films linger

Feel-good11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Vera-Ellen's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Vera-Ellen's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

18 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page; 7 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • 'White Christmas': A Look Back with Rosemary Clooney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Judy Haynes (archive footage) (uncredited)

  • Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Judy Haynes (archive footage)

  • That's Entertainment! III(1994)

    as (archive footage) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • That's Dancing!(1985)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Let's Be Happy(1957)

    as Jeannie MacLean

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • White Christmas(1954)

    as Judy Haynes

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Big Leaguer(1953)

    as Christy

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Call Me Madam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Princess Maria

  • The Belle of New York(1952)

    as Angela Bonfils

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Happy Go Lovely(1951)

    as Janet Jones

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Three Little Words(1950)

    as Jessie Brown Kalmar

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • On the Town(1949)

    as Ivy Smith

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Love Happy(1949)

    as Maggie Phillips

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Words and Music(1948)

    as Vera-Ellen

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Carnival in Costa Rica (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Luisa Molina

  • Three Little Girls in Blue(1946)

    as Myra Charters

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Kid from Brooklyn(1946)

    as Susie Sullivan

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Wonder Man(1945)

    as Midge Mallon

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 85th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 18 titles from 1945 to 2000.

Biggest box office

White Christmas (1954)

$3M worldwide

Highest rated

White Christmas (1954)

Midcredits 92nd

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting18 of 18: 18 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score63rd

By decade

1940s7 · acting1950s7 · acting1980s1 · acting1990s2 · acting2000s1 · acting

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 0% of 5 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Vera-Ellen's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 63rd percentile, the median of all 14; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 14 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th4

Shape of the crowd

None of their 14 titles divides audiences: 8 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed1

Most loved · actor

White Christmas (1954)

Midcredits 92nd · 82% liked

Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Vera-Ellen work with?

People who share at least 2 of Vera-Ellen's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; H. Bruce Humberstone shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers