Liza Minelli once said: “reality is something you must rise above.” For the daughter of the late Judy Garland and Vincent Minelli who was born in Los Angeles, California, on March 12, 1946, this phrase could not reflect more truth. Named after Ira Gershwin’s song, “Liza (All The Clouds’ll Roll Away)”, she was practically raised at the MGM studio where her parents worked, and she made her debut at the tender age of 14 months in the musical “In the Good Old Summertime” (1949). In 1951, her world came crashing down when her parents divorced and her mother quickly remarried Sid Luft. Two younger siblings were soon on the scene, (sister, Lorna and brother, Joey). At the age of sixteen, Liza moved to New York and was on her own, struggling to make a name for herself in show business. In 1963 she earned some recognition for her role in the play, “Best Foot Forward”, which had a seven-month run. In 1964, she appeared with her mother at the London Palladium. This show marked a turning point both in her career and with her relationship with her mother.
Liza won a Tony Award at the age of nineteen, and was nominated for her first Academy Award for her work in “The Sterile Cuckoo.” She worked continuously, earning an Oscar for her performance in the movie, “Cabaret” (1972). (She is the only child of two Oscar winners to win an Oscar herself.) She has worked steadily over the years on stage, in film and music, and she has teamed with best in the business for concerts and television shows (i.e. Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr.).
Liza has had to deal with more than her share of “tabloid madness” and her four failed marriages have added more than significant fuel for the fires that endlessly rage in tinsel town. She has also had a number of very high profile sojourns at drug rehabilitation clinics. Two hip replacement surgeries and three knee surgeries have slowed her down in recent years, but she still maintains a huge following of fans who support her every step of the way.
Way to go, Liza! We’re all rooting for you!