Cyd Charisse, born Tula Ellice Finklea (Amarillo, March 8, 1922 – Los Angeles, June 17, 2008), was an American dancer and actress, celebrated for her elegance and talent in the musicals of Hollywood's Golden Age. With a solid training in classical ballet, she became one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's leading stars in the 1950s, dancing alongside legends such as Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Her career is inextricably linked to iconic films such as *Singin' in the Rain* (1952), in which she appears in a memorable dance sequence, *The Band Wagon* (1953), *Brigadoon* (1954), and *Silk Stockings* (1957). For the latter performance, she earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. Although she never won an Academy Award, her impact on dance in cinema has been widely recognized. In 2006, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts, the highest artistic honor given by the United States government, for her extraordinary contribution to the art of dance.