George Chakiris (center) in West Side Story
September 16, 1934- I first took note of George Chakiris as a 7 year old watching the film version of West Side Story (1961). I found the film to be absolutely enthralling. I think my parents must have found it odd that his character, Bernardo, was the one I was fixated on.
Chakiris won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor his work in West Side Story. He was only 27 years old, winning over such heavyweights as Montgomery Clift & George C. Scott. Chakiris beautifully combined the sexual seriousness of Marlon Brando with his breathtaking, powerful, athletic dancing talent, especially in the famed opening sequence on the streets of NYC & in America, one of the greatest dance sequences on film, well matched with Rita Moreno, who also won an Oscar playing Bernardo’s girlfriend, Anita.
Groundbreaking, legendary, gay director/choreographer Jerome Robbins gave Chakiris his first big break in show biz when he cast him as Riff, the leader of the Jets, in the original London production of West Side Story. Before that breakout part, he had appeared in many small roles as a dancer in films including: one of Marilyn Monroe’s escorts in her Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend number from Gentleman Prefer Blonds (1953), & alongside Rosemary Clooney doing Irving Berlin’s Love, You Didn’t Do Right By Me in White Christmas (1954). If you look close he can be spotted in the demented Chop Suey production number in the film version of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song (1961).
Often playing various, sometimes mystery ethnic characters, Chakiris is actually the son of Greek immigrants. He was born in Ohio but grew-up in Long Beach, California where he sang in the boys choir at the local Episcopal Church. He is a great vocalist & had a recording contract with Capitol Records in the 1960s, releasing 4 albums.
In 1971, I saw him in San Francisco doing the first national tour of Stephen Sondheim’s Company along with the rest of the original cast. He was the third actor to play the lead role of Bobby after Dean Jones & Larry Kurt. My little 17 year old musical theatre fanatic self was over the moon with his acting performance, his singing, & his good-looks, complete with an award winning “package”. I waited at the stage door to meet him. Chakiris was warm & welcoming as he signed autographs.
He made several films after the Oscar winning West Side Story. My favorite is opposite Catherine Deneuve & Gene Kelly in Jacques Demy‘s charming French musical Les Demoiselles De Rochefort (1967)
Chakiris has also appeared in many stage roles in the USA & London, & as a guest star on several TV series including Murder She Wrote, which I was also in (who wasn’t?), one of the few things we have in common, aside from being openly gay. My research never finds him matched up with anyone or, for that matter, involved in any scandals.
Chakiris, still trim & handsome, lives quietly in LA with his dog & concentrates his artistic expression on jewelry design, showing his modern inspired silver pieces in galleries on both coasts.
About his most famous film:
“I’d been playing Riff in the London stage show for over a year when the movie was announced. They were floating names like Elvis Presley, Elizabeth Taylor, Warren Beatty & Robert Redford. So none of us thought in our wildest dreams we’d be cast. Then 5 of us were invited to do a test scene, so we stole our stage costumes for the day. Weeks went by & then I got a call from Robbins, who asked me out to LA. They wanted me to be Bernardo. I concluded that the Sharks parts had more meat: we sang America & had more scenes with Natalie Wood, who plays Bernardo’s sister Maria. None of us put on very heavy Puerto Rican accents. The danger in going too strong is that it will show up the cracks. Rita Moreno, who played Anita, is Puerto Rican, so we all turned to her if we had trouble pronouncing our lines.”
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