Taina Elisabeth Elg, a Finnish-American actress and dancer, was born in 1930 in Helsinki, Finland. Her family, including her Russian immigrant mother Helena Doroumova, a pianist, and her father Åke Elg, a pianist, moved to and around Finland, including Turku. Taina trained in both ballet and acting from a young age.
As a teenager, Taina appeared in a few films and found roles in the Finnish National Ballet. Her international reputation grew when she joined the Sadler's Wells ballet dance company in London and the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas in Paris. However, a serious injury forced her to reconsider her dancing career.
Elg was discovered in London by American film producer Edwin H. Knopf and signed to a seven-year Hollywood contract with MGM. She made her American debut in the biblical costumer The Prodigal (1955) and went on to appear in Diane (1956) and Gaby (1956). Her performance earned her a Golden Globe award for female "foreign newcomer".
Elg's subsequent films included Les Girls (1957),Imitation General (1958),The 39 Steps (1959),Watusi (1959),and Mission of Danger (1960). However, her Hollywood film career declined, and she focused on TV projects, foreign films, and theatre roles.
Elg made her Broadway debut in the musical "Look to the Lilies" in 1970 and went on to appear in numerous stage productions, including "Redhead", "Silk Stockings", "Irma La Douce", "West Side Story", "The Sound of Music", and "There's a Girl in My Soup". She was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in "Where's Charley?".
Elg's love for the stage remained strong, and she continued to appear in musicals such as "A Little Night Music", "Nine", and "Cabaret". She also appeared in non-musical productions like "Uncle Vanya", "I Hate Hamlet", "O Pioneers!", and "Requiem for William" and "Memory of a Summer" (both 2003).
In 2004, Elg was knighted by the Order of the Lion of Finland for her contributions to the arts. She is a naturalized American citizen and has two children, including jazz guitarist Raoul Björkenheim, from her first marriage to Carl "Poku" Björkenheim. Elg's second marriage was to Rocco Caporale, an Italian educator and professor of sociology, in 1985, and they lived in New York City until his death in 2008.
