Gower Champion

Gower Champion (June 22 1919 – August 25 1980) was a Tony Award-winning American theatre director, choreographer, and dancer. Born Gower Carlyle Champion in Geneva, Illinois, he was raised in Los Angeles, California, where he graduated from Fairfax High School . He studied dance from an early age and at the age of fifteen toured nightclub with friend Jeanne Tyler billed as "Gower and Jeanne, America's Youngest Dance Team." During the late 1930s and early 40s, Champion worked on Broadway as a solo dancer and choreographer. After serving in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II, Champion met Marjorie Belcher, who became his new partner, and the two were married in 1947. Throughout the 1950s, they performed on a number of television variety shows, and in 1957 they starred in their own short-lived CBS sitcom, The Marge and Gower Champion Show, which was based on their actual career experiences. During this period, they also made several film musicals, including the 1951 remake of... full article at wikipedia