Tamara Zheverzheieva Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018
Tamara Geva was born on March 17, 1907 in St. Petersburg, Russia as Tamara Zheverzheieva. She is known for her work on Manhattan Merry-Go-Round (1937), Orchestra Wives (1942) and The Girl Habit (1931). She was married to George Balanchine. She died on December 9, 1997 in New York City, New York, USA.
She married Karp (also known as "Kapa" or "Kappa") Davidoff (né Garabed Tavitian; 1897-1982) after her divorce from Balanchine. Davidoff, an actor and fashion executive, had previously been married to a flier, Lucia Davidova; Geva and Davidova became friends, and were often publicly escorted together by Davidoff.
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Geva described her mother -Tamara Urtahl (who was Swedish)- as a beautiful but selfish woman, frequently unfaithful to her husband. Geva's parents were unable to marry until their daughter was six years old.
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Her family owned a miniature theater and a theater museum at their mansion. The museum is preserved and is currently known as The State Museum of Theater and Music.
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As a child Tamara Geva took ballet lessons for several years. At the Maryinsky ballet school she met the choreographer and dancer George Balanchine and she married him at the age of only 14 in 1921.
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Her father, although raised Muslim, became a freethinker.
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She published her autobiography in 1972 called "Split Seconds".
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Her last performance was onscreen in Frevel (1984), credited simply as "Tamara".
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In her later years, she had several exhibitions of her paintings.
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Tamara Geva was also married with the actor John Emery.
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Geva died on 9 December 1997, aged 90, at her home in Manhattan from natural causes.
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Daughter of a wealthy St. Petersburg manufacturer of Muslim heritage who was a great patron of the arts and free thinker, Geva grew up in a vast 18th century mansion which included a private museum. Studying ballet was the passion of her childhood, though there were many obstacles before she eventually was able to devote herself to it. Geva met Balanchine at the Maryinsky Ballet School and married him in 1923 when she was 16. The couple joined Diaghilev's Ballet Russes, where Balanchine began to establish a name for himself in Europe. Geva ultimately was dissatisfied with the limited opportunities in the company and joined Balieff's touring 'Chauve-Souris' troupe, which performed in New York in 1927. She and Balanchine divorced but remained friends. Later, Geva had several huge successes on Broadway, most notably dancing in Richard Rodgers' Slaughter on 10th Avenue ballet from 'On Your Toes' (1936) with Balanchine providing the legendary choreography.
$1 Million
