As Lili, she was the cold-as-ice dancer that Elvis
had to thaw out to win a bet! (again, Elvis with a thankless job!) Along the
way she does some serious dancing, and Elvis does some not-so-serious
singing! ("Didja Ever"?... c'mon, now!... Das ist ooze??)
Although born in Bombay, India, Juliet was raised
in South Africa. While dancing with the Johannesburg ballet, she was
discovered by choreographer Hermes Pan, who picked her out for Can-Can.
After the intial burst of success, however, Juliet's film career wasn't too
notable. There is one film called
Who Killed Teddy Bear (1965, with Sal Mineo), that, from what I've
read, sounds just wierd enough to be wonderful, but I haven't seen it.
Juliet also made a TV series in the mid-60s called Mona McCluskey,
about a struggling actress, but it was short-lived. In the seventies and
eighties, Juliet stuck mainly to TV appearances, especially her annual stint
as host of the Championship Ballroom
Dancing event. After battling pancreatic cancer for two years, Juliet
died in her home in September of 1996. The next broadcast of the
Championship was a fitting tribute to Juliet. The new host, Barbara Eden,
said, "I've always admired dancers and my dear friend Juliet Prowse was
truly one of the greatest and best dancers of all time."
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