Tony Mordente

Biography

Tony Mordente was a talented American dancer, choreographer, actor, and television director, born on December 3, 1935, in Brooklyn. He won a scholarship to the American Ballet Theater School at 13 and was discovered by Michael Kidd, who cast him as Lonesome Polecat in the 1956 Broadway musical adaptation of Li'l Abner. Mordente also appeared in West Side Story, both on stage and screen, meeting his future wife Chita Rivera along the way.