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Vincente Minnelli ( February 28 , 1903 – July 25 , 1986 ) was a famous Hollywood Director and accomplished Stage Director , often considered by critics to be the father of the Modern Musical . BIOGRAPHY Born Lester Anthony Minnelli in Delaware, Ohio , United States , Minnelli was the youngest surviving child of Mina Mary LaLouette Le Beau and Vincent Charles Minnelli. His father was musical conductor of ''Minnelli Brothers' Tent Theater''. Minnelli's Chicago born mother was of French Canadian descent, while his grandparents were of Sicilian and Scottish descent. With his background in Theatre , Minnelli was known as an Auteur that always brought his stage experience to his films. The first movie that he directed, '' Cabin In The Sky '' ( 1943 ), was visibly influenced by the theater. Shortly after, he directed '' Meet Me In St. Louis '' ( 1944 ), during which he befriended the film's star Judy Garland , although it is probable the two had met casually in 1938 when Minnelli did uncredited set designing for The Wizard Of Oz , most notably the opulent Emerald City. The two then began a courtship that eventually led to their marriage the following year. Their one child together, Liza Minnelli , grew up to become an Academy Award -winning singer and actress. Though widely known for directing Musicals , including '' An American In Paris '' ( 1951 ), '' Brigadoon '' ( 1954 ), '' Kismet '' ( 1955 ), and '' Gigi '' ( 1958 ) he also helmed comedies and melodramas, including '' Madame Bovary '' ( 1949 ), '' Father Of The Bride '' ( 1950 ), '' Designing Woman '' ( 1957 ) and '' The Courtship Of Eddie's Father '' ( 1963 ). His last film was '' A Matter Of Time '' ( 1976 ). He received an Oscar nomination as Best Director for '' An American In Paris '' ( 1951 ) and later won the Best Director Oscar for '' Gigi '' ( 1958 ). He was awarded France's highest civilian honor, the Commander Nationale of Legion of Honor, only weeks before his death in 1986. Minnelli's critical reputation has known a certain amount of fluctuation, being admired (or dismissed) in America as a ''"pure stylist"'' who, in Andrew Sarris ' words, ''"believes more in beauty than in art"''. His work reached a height of Critical attention during the late 50s and early 60s in France with extensive studies in the '' Cahiers Du Cinéma '' magazine, especially 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. However, Minnelli's films are today considered some of the finest of the 20th century, being a part of the great era of the M-G-M musical. A celebration of his work and that of many other talents appeared in '' That's Entertainment! '', which showed clips from many of his films. He died at the age of 83 from Alzheimer's Disease , and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California . He is survived by his British -born wife Lee Anderson Minnelli (born c. 1907 ). His widow sued Minnelli's daughter Liza over a controversy relating to Liza declining to pay the bills on her Beverly Hills home which Liza (allegedly under the influence of her then husband David Gest ) wished to sell, in order to move her stepmother into alternate--cheaper--accommodations. Lee eventually dropped the lawsuit. RELATIONSHIPS His marriages ran as follows:
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