How a dancer who won an Oscar for West Side Story reinvented his life
In short: George Chakiris became an international star as Bernardo in the 1961 film West Side Story, winning an Academy Award for his performance. Yet, despite his early success, he later viewed his subsequent film choices as a mistake, eventually pivoting toward stage drama, television, and a surprising new career in jewelry design.
Born in 1932 to Greek immigrant parents, George Chakiris began his career as a chorus dancer in Hollywood musicals like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and White Christmas. His breakthrough came after a publicity photo of him with Rosemary Clooney led to a Paramount contract. However, feeling stalled, he moved to London in 1958 to play Riff in the West End production of West Side Story. His performance was so compelling that he was cast as the rival gang leader, Bernardo, in the 1961 film adaptation.
The film's massive success earned Chakiris an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, but he later admitted that his post-Oscar career suffered from poor role selection. He spent much of the 1960s in Europe, appearing in French and British productions like The Young Girls of Rochefort. While he valued the time to refine his craft, he later reflected that he should have prioritized musicals over the dramatic films he pursued. By the late 1960s, he sought to change his image, finding renewed confidence through stage work in Chicago and a national tour of the musical Company.
Chakiris remained a prolific television guest star throughout the 1970s and 1980s, appearing in shows ranging from Hawaii Five-O to Murder, She Wrote. In 1992, he returned to the stage for a production of M. Butterfly, which he considered his most fulfilling role since West Side Story. Now largely retired from acting, Chakiris has transitioned into a new creative pursuit: designing handmade sterling silver jewelry under his own brand, George Chakiris Collections. His journey from the dance chorus to Oscar winner and finally to artisan reflects a career defined by constant, if sometimes difficult, reinvention.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: George Chakiris
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