Marc Platt

Marc Platt

Deceased · Born: Dec 2, 1913 · Died: Mar 29, 2014

1955
1954
1949
1945

Personal Details

BornDec 2, 1913 Pasadena, California, USA
Spouse
  • Jean Goodall

    ( Dec 31, 1969 to Jan 30, 1993 )
  • Eleanor Marra

    ( Nov 17, 1942 to Dec 31, 1969 )

Biography

Marc Platt, a renowned dancer on film, was born Marcel Emile Gaston LePlat on December 2, 1913, in Pasadena, California, to a musical family. His father, a French-born concert violinist, and mother, a soprano singer, settled in Seattle, Washington, after years on the road.

Marc's early life was marked by tragedy, as his father passed away, and his mother found work at the Mary Ann Wells' dancing school. Young Marc earned his keep running errands at the school and eventually became a dance student under Wells' tutelage for eight years. Wells saw great potential in Marc and arranged an audition for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo when the touring company arrived in Seattle.

Marc's time with the Ballet Russe was marked by several highlights, including dancing as the Spirit of Creation in Léonide Massine's legendary piece "Seventh Symphony." He also choreographed during his time there, including a piece set to music by Richard Rodgers. Marc met and married dancer Eleanor Marra in 1942, and they had one son, Ted Le Plat, who became a musician and actor.

In 1942, Marc left the ballet company and moved to New York, where he changed his name to Marc Platt and pursued musical parts. He appeared in several short-run musicals, including "The Lady Comes Across" and "Beat the Band," before landing a landmark role in the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic "Oklahoma!" Marc stayed with the show for a year before leaving to pursue a film contract with Columbia Pictures.

Marc's film career was marked by several notable roles, including a featured role as Tommy in "Tonight and Every Night" (1945) and a leading man role in "When a Girl's Beautiful" (1947). However, his film career eventually dissipated, and he appeared on occasional TV variety shows and returned to Broadway in the musical "Maggie" (1953).

Marc's resurgence in the 1950s was marked by a superb performance as one of Howard Keel's woodsman brothers in MGM's "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" (1954). The film still stands as one of the most impressive dancing pieces of the "Golden Age" of musicals. He followed this with a minor dancing role in the film version of "Oklahoma!" (1955).

When the musical film lost favor in the late 1950s, Marc focused on straight dramatic roles on TV and eventually turned director of the ballet company at New York's Radio City Music Hall. He and his second wife, Jean Goodall, whom he married in 1951, ran a dance studio of their own and eventually moved to Fort Myers, Florida.

Marc's later life was marked by occasional appearances at the Marin Dance Theatre in San Rafael and a non-dancing role in "Sophie and the Enchanted Toyshop" at age 89. He was presented with the Nijinsky Award at the Ballets Russe's Reunion in 2000 and appeared in the 2005 documentary "Ballets Russes." Marc Platt passed away at the age of 100 at a hospice in San Rafael from complications of pneumonia, leaving behind his three children.

Career

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1955
Oklahoma!
Oklahoma! as Dancer
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1954
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers as Brother Daniel Pontipee
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1948
The Swordsman
The Swordsman as Murdoch Glowan
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1947
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1946
Tars and Spars
Tars and Spars as Junior Casady
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1945
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1942
The Gay Parisian
The Gay Parisian as Dancer (uncredited)
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2003