George Zoritch also spelled Zorrich (June 6, 1917 – November 1, 2009) was a dancer born in Moscow. He joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1935 and toured with them in the United States after WWII. He appeared in a number of films, including Night and Day (1946) and Samson and Delilah (1949).In 1994 George Zoritch was among the first American dancers, choreographers and writers honored by being awarded the Vaslav Nijinsky Medal, sponsored by the Polish Artists Agency in Warsaw, for work in honor of Nijinsky. Other awardees were Gerald Arpino, Ann Barzel, Oleg Briansky, Vladimir Dokoudovsky, Illaria Ladre, Peter Ostwald, Richard Philp, Jennie Schulman, Mr. Turnbaugh, and Anatole Vilzak.Zoritch appears in the documentary Ballets Russes. George Zoritch spent his last years in Tucson, Arizona, where he died at the age of 92.
After the Russian Revolution, his family moved to Lithuania. At 14, he moved to Paris, where he studied ballet with the Maryinsky ballerina Olga Preobrazhenskaya. His mentor was choreographer Léonide Massine.
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His career included tenures with several ballet companies, including the Russian Classical Ballet, Ballets Russes de Paris, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, and the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas.
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He taught at the University of Arizona from 1973 to 1987, and served on the jury at the Perm ballet competitions in Russia.
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Ballet dancer and teacher.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Bye Bye Birdie
1963
Prince (uncredited)
Helen of Troy
1956
Dancer
Samson and Delilah
1949
Sword-Dancer (uncredited)
Look for the Silver Lining
1949
Ballet Specialty
Bride of Vengeance
1949
Gianni (uncredited)
Escape Me Never
1947
The Dancer
The Unfinished Dance
1947
Dancing Partner (uncredited)
Night and Day
1946
Specialty Dancer in 'Begin the Beguine' Number
The Gay Parisian
1941
Short
Dancer (uncredited)
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Night and Day
1946
performer: "Begin the Beguine" 1935 - uncredited
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Ballets Russes
2005
Documentary
Himself
The Bell Telephone Hour
1959-1961
TV Series
Himself
Known for movies
Night and Day (1946) as Specialty Dancer in 'Begin the Beguine' Number
Look for the Silver Lining (1949) as Ballet Specialty
$20 Million
