George Chakiris profile
Actor profile

George Chakiris

16th September 1932 Norwood, Ohio, USA Acting

George Chakiris (born September 16, 1932) is an American dancer, singer and actor. He is best known for his role as Bernardo in the 1961 film version of West Side Story, which earned him an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Prior to West Side Story, Chakiris appeared uncredited in many musicals such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), White Christmas (1954), and Brigadoon (1954) as a dancer or chorus member. After West Side Story, he had starring roles in several lesser-known critical and commercial failures such as Diamond Head (1962), Kings of the Sun (1963), and The High Bright Sun (1965). On stage, his most notable role was as Bobby in the first national tour of Stephen Sondheim's Company. He had guest roles in many television series throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including appearances on Dallas, Superboy, and the series finale of The Patridge Family. Chakiris emerged from retirement to act in the film Not to Forget (2021), which aims to raise awareness of Alzheimer's disease.

46 Movies 26 TV Shows 74 Credits
Filmography

Movies & TV Shows

Kismet poster
Kismet 24th October 1967 as The Caliph
Brigadoon poster
Brigadoon 8th September 1954 as Dancer (uncredited)
Brigadoon poster
Brigadoon 8th September 1954 as Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
Call Me Madam poster
Call Me Madam 25th March 1953 as Dancer in The Ocarina Number (uncredited)
Superboy poster
Superboy 8th October 1988 as Professor Peterson
CHiPs poster
CHiPs 15th September 1977 as Bernard DeJardine