She Was Named After A Gershwin Song
Liza Minnelli may be the daughter of one of the entertainment world’s most famous stars, but she’s also an icon in her own right. Since starring in the 1972 movie Cabaret, Minnelli has won Academy and Tony Awards, topped the music charts, and collaborated with some of the most talented people in Hollywood.
Her unique vocal style and theatrical stage presence has earned her millions of fans over her decades-long career, but she’s been onstage longer than you may think – since she was three years old, in fact. Here are a few interesting facts you may not know about Liza Minnelli…
Minnelli was named after “Liza (All the Clouds’ll Roll Away),” a song by George and Ira Gershwin, that was written for the 1929 Ziegfeld production, Show Girl. A bit coincidental, given that Minnelli turned out to have a major flair for theater, and all things dramatic. The song was covered by her mother on The Judy Garland Show, as well as played during the duo’s mother-daughter performance at the London Palladium in the 1960s.
Minnelli Is The Only Oscar Winner In History To Be The Child Of Two Academy Award Winners
Minnelli shared her mother’s love for the theater, starting at a very young age, and had won a Tony Award by the time she was 19 years old. But her Oscar win for Cabaret made her the first and only winner, to this day, whose parents have also won Academy Awards. Talent definitely ran in the family.
She Auditioned For Her Own Cabaret Role On Broadway, And Didn’t Get It
Despite losing out on the stage role of Sally Bowles to Jill Haworth, Minnelli wasn’t that worried. She told HuffPost, “I remember saying to myself, ‘That’s all right, I’ll do the film.’” That confidence paid off, as she earned the role that won her an Academy Award and made her a household name.
Minnelli Was Married To The Tin Man’s Son
Yes, you read that correctly. Minnelli wasn’t even born when her mother had her big break in The Wizard of Oz, but she still went on to marry Jack Haley, Jr., whose father had starred alongside Garland as the Tin Man in the iconic film. Haley Jr. was Minnelli’s second husband, and she was with him for five years, until they divorced in 1979.
She Sang With My Chemical Romance
Minnelli has worked with hundreds of high-level actors, producers, and directors over her career, but people were a little surprised when she made a cameo on the rock band My Chemical Romance’s 2006 album The Black Parade. You can hear her distinctive tone in the anthem “Mama,” in which she sings a short but sweet verse. Lead singer Gerard Way said of the partnership, “Black Parade was very theatrical, and we had this song ‘Mama,’ and I said, ‘You know, it would be really great in this one part to get Liza.’” She sang her part from New York, while Way recorded in Los Angeles.