Meet Vincente Minnelli
On February 28, 1903, Vincente Minnelli was born. He died on July 25, 1986. He was an American film and theatre director.
Iconic films like Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), The Band Wagon (1953-52), and Gigi (1954-53) were all directed by him (1958).
An American in Paris and Gigi, directed by Liza Minnelli, took home the Best Picture Oscar. It’s not just musicals that Minnelli directed: He also made a number of comedy and dramatic films.
He and Judy Garland had a daughter, Liza Minnelli, during their marriage, which lasted from 1945 to 1951.
Vincente Minnelli Career
Minnelli relocated to Chicago after graduating from high school, where he briefly resided with his maternal grandmother and an aunt.
His first work was as a window dresser at Marshall Field’s department store. Later, he worked as a photographer for Paul Stone, a Chicago theater photographer who specialized in capturing actors.
His passion for theater expanded, and he became increasingly interested in art, reading books on the subject. Minnelli’s first employment in the theater was as a costume and set designer at the Chicago Theatre.
The theater chain, which was owned by Balaban and Katz, subsequently amalgamated with a larger national network, Paramount-Publix, and Minnelli was occasionally assigned to put on performances in New York City.
He quickly relocated to Greenwich Village, where he rented a small apartment. He was hired as a set designer at Radio City Music Hall immediately after it opened in 1932 and worked his way up to stage director; he was also tasked with serving as a color consultant for the Rainbow Room’s original interior design.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s in France, his work was studied extensively in the Cahiers du Cinéma magazine, particularly in the articles by Jean Douchet and Jean Domarchi, who saw in him “a cinematic visionary obsessed with beauty and harmony” and “an artist who could give substance to the world of dreams.”
At the 1967 Cannes Film Festival, Liza Minnelli worked as a juror. That’s Entertainment!, an MGM film compilation, featured segments from many of his films
Vincente Minnelli Private Life
Vincente Minnelli was married five times. His daughter Liza Minnelli was from his marriage to Judy Garland
On July 25, 1986, at the age of 83, Minnelli died in his Beverly Hills home from emphysema and pneumonia, which had necessitated numerous hospitalizations in his final year.
He was also said to have been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, according to reports.
