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Esther Williams was a famous synchronized swimmer and screen star in 20th century America. She won national recognition as a teenager and later moved to the big screen, starring in films that showcased her swimming skills. Williams suffered physical injuries during her career but preferred to do her own stunts. She retired from show business in the early 1960s but remained active and continues to promote swimming as a means of maintaining personal health. Williams endorses a line of swimwear and swimming pools sold under her name.
Known as both a screen star and one of the most celebrated synchronized swimmers of 20th century America, Esther Jane Williams captivated audiences from the 1920s to the 1930s with her swimming skills, hard-hitting wit, and his friendly personality. Here’s some background on Esther Williams’ life and career, including her most recent endeavours.
Born August 8, 1921, Williams earned her first national recognition as the AAU national champion in the one hundred meter freestyle synchronized swimming category in her teens. In 1939, Williams was performing Billy Rose’s Aquacade at the San Francisco World’s Fair. Plans to travel abroad in 1940 were postponed by the advent of World War II, but Esther Williams continued to move forward with her career. Spotted by a number of talent agents associated with MGM Studios, Williams soon made the leap to the big screen.
Many of Esther Williams’ films featured sequences that capitalized on her status as a top-notch synchronized swimmer. Elaborate sets and intricate routines were the staples in most of the productions Williams appeared in during the 1940s and 1950s. Unfortunately, the complexity of the routines was sometimes accompanied by a certain degree of physical risk. Throughout her career, Esther Williams has suffered a series of muscle strains and eardrum difficulties. Williams would only allow the use of a stunt double on rare occasions, preferring to do the job herself.
This approach to her work led to what is perhaps the most famous of all the incidents that occurred while making a picture of Esther Williams. While making Million Dollar Mermaid in late 1951, Williams suffered a broken neck following a dive from a fifty-foot (15 m) tower. Rushed to hospital, Esther Williams spent the next six months in a cast. She was well enough to receive good wishes upon the film’s release in 1952, and she continued to work in films for several more years.
During 1956, Esther Williams left MGM and signed with Universal Studios. While she continued to make pictures, her film career started to cool off. By the early 1960s, Williams had more or less retired from show business, although she occasionally appeared on television and also used her celebrity to support a variety of charitable causes. In 1999, Williams co-wrote her autobiography, The Million Dollar Mermaid, a work that gave many details about her professional and personal life, including details of past loves, accidents on film sets, and details of weddings of her.
Still active as of 2007, Esther Williams continues to swim regularly and promotes swimming as a means of maintaining personal health. Williams endorses a line of swimwear for women that bears her name. She is also the spokesperson for a line of swimming pools and accessories sold under the Esther Williams brand.
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