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His luminous performance as Bernardo in the classic
film adaptation of the Broadway hit musical, West Side
Story, starring Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ
Tamblyn, and Rita Moreno, earned Mr. Chakiris an Oscar
and a Golden Globe Award.
A singing and dancing natural, George Chakiris
appeared in films with Cyd Charisse, Debbie Reynolds, and
Bing Crosby, to name a few, and in the film classics, There’s
No Business Like Show Business and White Christmas,
and screen adaptations of the musicals Brigadoon
and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes starring Marilyn Monroe.
He shared his experience of being one of the dancers in
Ms. Monroe’s song “Diamonds are a Girl’s
Best Friend” from this iconic movie: “Such a
fantastic number. Jack Cole, the choreographer who created
that number, was one of the greats of all time. I remember,
there was Marilyn Monroe, we were all behind her, and she
was fantastic. It’s a red background. She’s
in a pink dress. Visually, it’s so incredible, and
all of us who were dancers at that time, we were very lucky
to be part of movie musical history.”
In
classic films, (from top) |
| The
multi-talented George Chakiris danced, sang,
and acted in West Side Story. |
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
with Marilyn Monroe;
White Christmas with
Rosemary Clooney. |
Mr. Chakiris was chosen for the London, UK cast
of the Broadway musical West Side Story playing the
role of Riff, the leader of the Jets. West Side
Story’s renowned creator Jerome Robbins, who co-directed
and choreographed the film version as well, then cast George
Chakiris as Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks, which led
to his memorable, Oscar-winning performance.
Meanwhile, the gifted performer’s popularity
in Europe continued. He starred in Bebo’s Girl
and The Theft of the Mona Lisa in Italy and the
French film The Young Girls of Rochefort with Catherine
Deneuve and Gene Kelly. Mr. Chakiris recounted, “When
people were that professional and that good and that
kind and everything, it just makes everything you do
easier. And it’s a beautiful movie.”
He has also starred alongside Charlton Heston,
Cliff Robertson, Lana Turner, Yul Brynner, Dirk Bogarde,
and others.
Mr. Chakiris has been honored with the status
of “Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters”
by the French Minister of Culture.
For Loving the Silent Tears, Mr. Chakiris
was the esteemed guest speaker giving an introduction to
honor Supreme Master Ching Hai. He spoke about the significance
of the premiere of the musical as the celebration of the
19th Anniversary of Supreme Master Ching Hai Day, proclaimed
in 1993 by Honolulu Mayor Frank F. Fasi.
On stage, Mr. Chakiris said:
“I’m
pleased today to tell you about someone who has a great
appreciation for the arts. She is herself an accomplished
poet and artist. But she is known throughout the world as
a spiritual teacher and humanitarian. She also loves the
arts, because the arts bring us together. And Supreme Master
Ching Hai’s message is that all beings are the same,
human or animal, and have the right to live in peace and
dignity on this beautiful planet; and that each person can
do his or her part to save lives, better our planet, and
be heroes. And my personal way to be a hero and save these
important lives is to be a vegetarian.”
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In The Young Girls
of Rochefort
with Catherine Deneuve |
King of the Sun
with
Yul Brynner |
The Big Cube
with Lana
Turner |
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| As guest speaker
at the world premiere of Loving the Silent Tears,
George Chakiris spoke about the meaning of Supreme Master
Ching Hai Day. |
Mr. Chakiris has also spoken about the universal
theme of Loving the Silent Tears, “May each
one find his peace,” as expressed in the
musical’s lyrics based on Supreme Master Ching Hai’s
poetry collection, Silent Tears. He shared in an
interview, “It’d be a wonderful thing if everyone
on the planet could be aware of striving for inner peace.
It’s important. We always want peace in the world,
don’t we? And we don’t get enough of it, do
we? It has to start from each of us individually. I think
people who search in this direction and achieve something
in this direction, it extends beyond them. You’ll
see it in what they do and how they work, and how they deal
with other people and different kinds of situations. So
again, it’s an incredibly beautiful and important
thing to strive for.”
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| George
Chakiris with one of his dog companions.
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With the musical promoting both peace and vegan
values, Mr. Chakiris commented on Supreme Master Ching Hai’s
slogan, “Be Vegan, Make Peace,” as follows:
“‘Be vegan’ and ‘make peace’
are fantastic four words to think about in daily life and
in everything we do. Being vegan means to me that we not
only eat healthy foods, but we have respect for all life
on the planet. And that’s important. And ‘make
peace,’ that’s important as well. Peace really
has to start with us, individually. And then hopefully it
will spread, and we emit that, so to speak, in our behavior
in general and the things we do, whether it is private or
work.”
Mr. Chakiris is also a successful jewelry designer
and maker who credits the inspiration for his beautiful
jewelry collection to his first dog, Sammy the Italian Greyhound.
He explained, “I loved this little dog so much. Whenever
I was away working in the theater, I was gone for eight,
nine months at a time. So the last time I was there working,
when I got home I looked at my little dog Sammy, and I thought,
‘Nine months is a long time out of his life. So, I’m
not going to do that to him again. I’m going to stay
here. I’m going to be with Sammy.’ And then
I even started taking classes in silversmithing. And little
by little, I started making things. And I ended up without
realizing that I had a collection. I now have a Japanese
distributor, so I’m selling at a really beautiful
department store in Tokyo called Mitsukoshi, and a couple
of places here in Los Angeles. But I started because of
Sammy, my little dog.”
With his inimitable brilliance and exemplary
dedication, George Chakiris has indeed made a deep impression
in the history of entertainment, bringing joy to many generations.
And his compassionate, gentle, and humble nature is surely
an integral part of his profound and lasting legacy. 
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