Juliet Anne Prowse was a talented Indian-born South African-American dancer and actress who made a significant impact in both the film and television industry. With a career spanning over four decades, she captivated audiences with her performances on stage and screen. Born in Bombay, Prowse’s passion for dance began at a young age, and she quickly gained recognition for her talent. After finding success in Europe, Hollywood came calling, and she starred alongside legendary figures such as Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. Although her cinematic career eventually slowed down, Prowse remained active on television, starring in the sitcom ‘Mona McCluskey’. Throughout her life, she experienced love and heartbreak, being engaged to Sinatra and later dating Presley. Despite her personal struggles, Prowse continued to perform on stage and in nightclubs, leaving a lasting legacy in the entertainment industry. Sadly, she passed away at the age of 59, leaving behind a remarkable body of work.
Quick Facts
- Also Known As: Juliet Anne Prowse
- Died At Age: 59
- Family: Spouse/Ex-: Eddie Frazier (m. 1969 – div. 1970), John McCook (m. 1972 – div. 1979)
- Born Country: India
- Dancers
- Actresses
- Height: 5’11” (180 cm), 5’11” Females
- Died on: September 14, 1996
- Place of death: Los Angeles, California, United States
- Ancestry: South African American
- Cause of Death: Pancreatic Cancer
- City: Mumbai, India
Career
Juliet Prowse’s first cinematic appearance was as an uncredited dancer in the 1955 film ‘Gentlemen Marry Brunettes’, in which she got the chance to work with choreographer Jack Cole. She was a club dancer in Paris when a talent agent discovered and subsequently cast her in the role of Claudine in the Walter Lang film ‘Can-Can’ (1960). In the production stage of the film, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev came to the set and watched her now-famous can-can number. He dubbed her dancing as “lascivious, disgusting and immoral”. This ended up garnering the film much media attention, and while it received negative reviews after its release, Prowse was hailed as the best thing in it. She worked with Sinatra again on the 1959 ‘Frank Sinatra Show’.
Prowse shared screen space with Presley in the 1960 musical comedy ‘G.I. Blues’. She played a club dancer named Lili, with whom Presley’s character, U.S. Army Specialist 5 (SP5) Tulsa McLean, becomes enamoured. That year, she also made her TV debut in an episode of ‘Adventures in Paradise’. In 1961, she starred opposite Stuart Whitman in the adventure film ‘The Fiercest Heart’. She also appeared in two other films that year, ‘The Right Approach’ and ‘The Second Time Around’. By the mid-1960s, she was rarely getting film offers. She appeared in the Italian comedy ‘Una moglie americana’ (1965), the South African action-drama ‘Dingaka (1964), and the American comedy-mystery ‘Who Killed Teddy Bear’ (1965).
After making a series of guest appearances in various TV shows, Prowse landed the role of the titular lead protagonist in NBC’s sitcom ‘Mona McCluskey’. It premiered in September 1965 and was cancelled after airing 26 episodes. Her final screen role was in a season four episode of CBS’ mystery-drama series ‘Murder, She Wrote’.
Personal Life
Born on September 25, 1936, in Bombay, British India, Juliet Prowse was the daughter of an English travelling salesman born in South Africa. Prowse’s father passed away when she was three years old. She and her mother then moved to South Africa. According to her mother, she demonstrated a natural ability for dancing even before she could walk. As a result, her mother enrolled her in a ballet class. By the time she turned 14, she was performing with the Johannesburg’s Festival Ballet in ‘Swan Lake’, ‘Coppelia’ and ‘Les Sylphides’. Prowse dropped out of college to immerse herself completely into dancing. She studied under Johannesburg-based ballet teacher Marjorie Sturmm before going to London, England, to continue honing her craft. However, after encountering some professional disappointments, she switched to show dancing.
Prowse was in a relationship with fellow dancer and one-time mentor, Sergio Fadini. They were part of a dancing trio called the Prowse Dancers. After moving to US, she entered into a relationship with Frank Sinatra. They even got engaged in 1962, only to part ways a short while later. During the filming of ‘G.I Blues’, she had a brief but passionate affair with her co-star Elvis Presley.
Prowse was married to her first husband, Eddie James, for over a year, from June 1, 1969, to November 12, 1970. She exchanged wedding vows with TV actor John McCook on September 9, 1972. The couple divorced on September 5, 1979. Their son, Seth McCook, was born on August 2, 1972.
She passed away on September 14, 1996, after losing a long battle to pancreatic cancer.