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Donna McKechnie (born November 16 , 1940 ) is a Tony Award -winning American Musical Theater Dancer , Singer . Actress and choreographer. McKechnie was born in Pontiac, Michigan . She took beginner ballet classes at age five. Her earliest influence was the classic British Ballet film '' The Red Shoes '' (1948), which prompted her, at age six, to plan a career as a ballerina. Despite her parents' strong misgivings, she moved to New York City when she was 17. Rejected after an audition for the American Ballet Theatre , she found employment in the Corps De Ballet at Radio City Music Hall but walked off the job on the day of dress rehearsal to do summer stock at the Carousel Theatre in Framingham, Massachusetts . After doing a Welch's Grape Juice commercial and the first L'eggs stockings commercial, she was cast in a touring company of '' West Side Story ''. In 1961 , she made her Broadway debut in '' How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying '', where she met Choreographer Bob Fosse and his wife, Gwen Verdon , the show's dance captain. A stint in a Philadelphia production of '' A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum '' (as Philia) was followed by the NBC music series '' Hullabaloo '', where she was a featured dancer and met Michael Bennett , who became a guiding force in her life and career. BROADWAY FAME AND MICHAEL BENNETT
Bennett showcased McKechnie again in in New York. In 1974, she co-starred with Richard Kiley and Bob Fosse in the unsuccessful musical film version of the classic, '' The Little Prince ''. McKechnie was part of Bennett's group therapy-style workshops that evolved into the Broadway smash '' A Chorus Line '', in which she portrayed Cassie, a character based in great part on herself. She danced her third famous Bennett-McKechnie number, ''The Music and the Mirror'', in which the vocal sections were tailored to her unusually large range. Her performance earned her the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. The role of Maggie was also based on her life. She married Bennett in 1976, but after only a few months they separated and eventually divorced, remaining good friends until his death from AIDS in 1987. In 1980, McKechnie was diagnosed with Arthritis and told she never would dance again. She pursued various physical, psychological, and holistic healing remedies, and was well enough to return to the Broadway company of '' A Chorus Line '' in 1986. During the remainder of the 1980s she also toured in '' Sweet Charity '' and '' Annie Get Your Gun '', and she appeared in a London revival of '' Can-Can ''. TELEVISION AND LATER CAREER Her television work included a regular role on the Gothic soap opera, '' Dark Shadows '', guest appearances on ''The Scarecrow and Mrs. King'', ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh In'' and '' Cheers '', plus the role of Suzi Laird on several '' Fame '' episodes. In the early 1990s, McKechnie appeared Off-Broadway twice, first in a revue entitled ''Cut the Ribbons'', followed by '' Annie Warbucks '', a less successful sequel to the hit '' Annie ''. In 1993, she reunited with most of the original cast of ''Company'' for three concert performances. In 1996, she was awarded the Fred Astaire Award for Best Female Dancer for her performance in a Broadway adaptation of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II 's film '' State Fair ''. In February, 1997, she played Phyllis in a concert performance of ''Follies'' at London's Drury Lane Theatre , and the following year took on the role of Sally in a production of that same show at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey . In 2002, McKechnie starred in the pre-Broadway production of the , 2006 , only weeks before the Broadway revival of ''A Chorus Line'' opened on October 5. In January 2007, McKechnie was due to open in London's West End in a revival of the Sherman Brothers musical '' Over Here! ''. but the production never materialised. AWARDS 1996 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical --State Fair {Link without Title} 1976 Tony Award Best Actress in a Musical -- A Chorus Line {Link without Title} 1976 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Musical --A Chorus Line {Link without Title} 1976 Theatre World Special Award -- A Chorus Line {Link without Title} (Ensemble Performance) LISTEN TO WATCH
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