It must be a sign of great acting that we, the audience, so often attribute the qualities of the role to the actor personally. Yes, Bernardo of West Side Story is such a specific personality that you have to wonder how identical to George Chakiris this personality is. Well, the spoiler answer is not identical. But there is an echo of similarity here and there. How Mr. Chakiris felt this connection to Bernardo one day walking onto the stage may not even surprise you.
But starting further back than this milestone role, we have some other surprises; like how old he was when he took his first dance class. Who else was in this dance class? How he supported himself when he arrived from Ohio to Los Angeles. Oh, and what prompted him to make the geographical shift? He was a young boy who never knew about dance lessons but loved dancing so did it daily with his older sister in the family living room. Our good luck is that his film career took of with him as a dancer and quickly branched.
One of his earliest professional roles was in the dance chorus of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; Marilyn Monroe’s Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend. Such fun! His recollection of Marilyn Monroe is a lovely insight.
With all of this stunning success he has earned as a remarkable entertainer, George Chakiris goes deeper than that. He is a man of kindness, grace and humility who never puts himself in the center of the universe, who values friendship above all else, who gives credit to others and who pays attention to what others have to say. Love letters, yes. Whenever he was away from home he wrote to his parents so they would know he was thinking of them with love and to let them know he was safe.
Now, because there is so much more to learn about this remarkable man there is, available to us all, his book My West Side Story: A Memoir. Another detail on his life at this stage is that he is now a jewelry designer.
To listen to George Chakiris talk about his life is a treat. Watching him on our Love Letters Live Youtube magnifies the joy because seeing someone talk about life gives extra dimension. As for me right now, I am off to watch West Side Story with an eye on Bernardo to see if I can sense the similarity between actor and role. And for the joy of seeing him in action again.