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Juliet Prowse: Born to Dance: The Extraordinary Life Story of My Aunt
Juliet Prowse was a young South African dancer and entertainer who burst into the international spotlight in her first Hollywood movie, Can-Can. Considered talented and exotic, she caught the media’s attention and her engagement to Frank Sinatra fuelled their fascination further. But was it true love and what did Sinatra make of Juliet’s relationship with Elvis during G.I. Blues? Unhappy with 20th Century Fox, Juliet broke out of her contract, created her own company and became one of the highest paid dancers of her era on a Desert Inn $1 million contract by the mid-1970s.
While Juliet won awards for the Sweet Charity musical in Las Vegas and London, opening on Broadway seemed elusive. Juliet continued to build her world-class modern dance company, winning Female Entertainer of the Year in Las Vegas three times with competition from Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand and Shirley MacLaine. As a triple threat (can sing, dance, and act), Juliet featured on the international stage for four decades.
Juliet Born to Dance is a personal story. Told by Juliet’s niece, it includes Juliet’s words from letters written to her mother (the author’s grandmother), family anecdotes and amusing insights from those who danced and worked with Juliet. With her endless legs and playful charm, Juliet had many romances and married actor John McCook of The Bold and the Beautiful. But in her search for love and professional fulfilment, could she accomplish it all?
While Juliet won awards for the Sweet Charity musical in Las Vegas and London, opening on Broadway seemed elusive. Juliet continued to build her world-class modern dance company, winning Female Entertainer of the Year in Las Vegas three times with competition from Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand and Shirley MacLaine. As a triple threat (can sing, dance, and act), Juliet featured on the international stage for four decades.
Juliet Born to Dance is a personal story. Told by Juliet’s niece, it includes Juliet’s words from letters written to her mother (the author’s grandmother), family anecdotes and amusing insights from those who danced and worked with Juliet. With her endless legs and playful charm, Juliet had many romances and married actor John McCook of The Bold and the Beautiful. But in her search for love and professional fulfilment, could she accomplish it all?
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 6, 2025
Growing up in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa, those of us who were school friends of (little) Juliet heard all about her glamorous and famous aunt, the international star Juliet Prowse.
As it was the days before mobile phones and the internet, information was intermittent, and all we really knew was that she was living this fabulous, exciting life, from her breakthrough role in the Hollywood movie Can-Can to her relationships with Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. I remember my mum watching her on TV and commenting on how talented she was.
Juliet has taken all the letters that her aunt sent to her mother during her wonderful career and, along with family stories and insights from those who worked with her, turned them into a richly detailed and heartfelt book that brings everything to life.
It's a personal story that offers a unique glimpse into the woman behind the fame.
A truly wonderful read from a glamorous era.
Well done, Juliet, a real labour of love, and I am enjoying it thoroughly.
As it was the days before mobile phones and the internet, information was intermittent, and all we really knew was that she was living this fabulous, exciting life, from her breakthrough role in the Hollywood movie Can-Can to her relationships with Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. I remember my mum watching her on TV and commenting on how talented she was.
Juliet has taken all the letters that her aunt sent to her mother during her wonderful career and, along with family stories and insights from those who worked with her, turned them into a richly detailed and heartfelt book that brings everything to life.
It's a personal story that offers a unique glimpse into the woman behind the fame.
A truly wonderful read from a glamorous era.
Well done, Juliet, a real labour of love, and I am enjoying it thoroughly.
July 22, 2025
Great read and well-written!
This compelling biography of Juliet Prowse, penned by her niece, offers an intimate and heartfelt portrait of one of the most charismatic dancers to grace the 20th-century stage. Blending family insight with historical context, the book captures the elegance, ambition, and complexity of a woman who danced her way into international stardom and the hearts of millions.
A loving, well-researched tribute that brings Juliet Prowse’s dazzling legacy to life. Poignant, entertaining, and deeply personal.
This compelling biography of Juliet Prowse, penned by her niece, offers an intimate and heartfelt portrait of one of the most charismatic dancers to grace the 20th-century stage. Blending family insight with historical context, the book captures the elegance, ambition, and complexity of a woman who danced her way into international stardom and the hearts of millions.
A loving, well-researched tribute that brings Juliet Prowse’s dazzling legacy to life. Poignant, entertaining, and deeply personal.
August 10, 2025
Absolutely wonderful. I remember her well from my childhood. She was beautiful and always classy. Her niece has written such a wonderful book here. It makes me want to watch her movies all over again. And the Muppet show she was on. As a personal plus, it was fun to she and I share birthdays. Highly recommend.
July 14, 2025
Juliet Prowse has written a thoroughly entertaining and hard-to-put-down biography about her famous aunt, singer and dancer extraordinaire Juliet Prowse. I remember Juliet mostly from her myriad appearances on all the top 1960s and 1970s TV variety shows. But she was a talented actress as well, who made films with Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Sal Mineo.
With her own personal memories of her aunt; access to letters Juliet wrote to her mother residing in South Africa during her lifetime; and interviews with people who worked with Juliet, the author has crafted a fascinating look at Juliet’s career and personal life mostly in her aunt’s own words. You learn about all the hard work and dedication it took Juliet to put together her popular live stage shows and her business savvy in forming her own production company. As you read, you ache along with Juliet who so desired a Broadway show. The author does not shy away from mistakes, both personal and professional, that Juliet Prowse made along the way. Juliet has done her namesake, who died much too young, proud with this well-written, well-researched, easy to read tribute to her gorgeous aunt. I give this book 5 high kicks up!
With her own personal memories of her aunt; access to letters Juliet wrote to her mother residing in South Africa during her lifetime; and interviews with people who worked with Juliet, the author has crafted a fascinating look at Juliet’s career and personal life mostly in her aunt’s own words. You learn about all the hard work and dedication it took Juliet to put together her popular live stage shows and her business savvy in forming her own production company. As you read, you ache along with Juliet who so desired a Broadway show. The author does not shy away from mistakes, both personal and professional, that Juliet Prowse made along the way. Juliet has done her namesake, who died much too young, proud with this well-written, well-researched, easy to read tribute to her gorgeous aunt. I give this book 5 high kicks up!
July 11, 2025
I grew up watching Juliet Prowse on television so was really excited to learn more about her. This book is written by her niece who was able to share personal memories as well as interviewed people who knew and worked with her throughout her career. Originally from South Africa, she became famous not only on Broadway, television and Las Vegas, she also was in a relationship with Frank Sinatra. She was an incredible dancer who was generous in spirit and while having great success professionally, had heartbreak in her romances. A wonderful close-up view of an incredible performer.
Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.
Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.
July 10, 2025
A well-paced and beautifully written biography about one of the world's best known dancers. The author, Juliet Prowse junior, had access to over 600 letters that Juliet senior wrote to her mother over the course of three decades and give a personal insight into the life and career of this charismatic entertainer. It charts the course of her romantic life as well and covers her engagement to Frank Sinatra, her dalliances with Elvis and Warren Beatty and her marriage to John McCook. An entertaining and heartfelt book, it shows the resilience and artistry of this acclaimed dancer.
July 14, 2025
I loved reading this delightful book and couldn’t believe how the author managed to depict in so much detail what felt like a life lived at a constantly frenetic pace, over a long period and in different countries. What was planned as a slow read was devoured in 4 days.
October 3, 2025
I did not know anything about her life other than that she danced. This book really showed a strong woman and someone who really loved to dance and made it her life and had a career out of it. She is the world. Like many. Later injuries would slow her down. A really good book.
Want to Read
August 4, 2025I enjoyed this book. Juliet has managed to weave an interesting story around her aunt's life using reviews and media information from many sources.
January 3, 2026
A beautiful tribute to an incredible performer. I have always loved her and to read this book was a true joy! Recommended in the most spectacular sense as befitting to her!
August 10, 2025
Absolutely wonderful. I remember her well from my childhood. She was beautiful and always classy. Her niece has written such a wonderful book here. It makes me want to watch her movies all over again. And the Muppet show she was on. As a personal plus, it was fun to she and I share birthdays. Highly recommend.
August 17, 2026
I did not know a great deal about the superb dancer Juliet Prowse, but was happy to hear that a biography was written about her by her niece Juliet E. Prowse.
Ms. Prowse was a very independent lady who was quite career-minded. I think it would be fair to state that she was for the most part a female bachelor. The lifespan of a dancer is usually a fairly limited one due to the aging process and injuries - Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly and arguably Martha Graham were exceptions to the rule. She loved her extended family and luckily lived in an era where travel could support what she needed to do, i.e. keep up with her family in South Africa.
The book was written with the cooperation of her son, Seth McCook. Seth's father actor John McCook subsequently remarried and - at least on one interview which can be found on You Tube - does not discuss his marriage to Ms. Prowse.
Enjoyed hearing the stories from her fellow dancers, notably from Lee Roy Reams, one of my favorites.
I obtained my copy from Barnes & Noble, and read it on my Nook E-Reader. The book includes two sections of photographs which are arranged into four per page, which make their readability on a Nook E-Reader a bit challenging. I am sure that a paper copy of the book corrects this.
Wish I had seen Ms. Prowse perform live - she did make one appearance in the Chicago metro area but I missed it because I was a teen and young non working adult during her career heyday. As the appearance was made with her spouse and father of her son, John McCook, perhaps it was a performance of "Mame."
Her relationship with Frank Sinatra is covered here. They were engaged, but it seems to be unlikely that they would have married due to their age difference.
She died from pancreatic cancer at age 59 which was a time when there were probably no medical solutions whether diagnosed early or late. I believe her father also died of cancer according to this book. She was raised by her mother and stepfather and left home young to pursue a dance career with the full support of her parents.
The majority of her later appearances took place in Las Vegas. I found it interesting to hear that the era in which Ms. Prowse performed in Las Vegas was not an entirely fruitful time due to the economic climate as well as the expenses necessary to produce theatrical shows at that time which included those of Ms. Prowse. Nevertheless she was very successful during her many bookings in Las Vegas.
Fortunately You Tube has many videos including a full copy of "Mame" so we can see what Ms. Prowse must have been like onstage.
Enjoyed the book. Those who like to read about dancers and cabaret celebrities will enjoy it too.
Ms. Prowse was a very independent lady who was quite career-minded. I think it would be fair to state that she was for the most part a female bachelor. The lifespan of a dancer is usually a fairly limited one due to the aging process and injuries - Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly and arguably Martha Graham were exceptions to the rule. She loved her extended family and luckily lived in an era where travel could support what she needed to do, i.e. keep up with her family in South Africa.
The book was written with the cooperation of her son, Seth McCook. Seth's father actor John McCook subsequently remarried and - at least on one interview which can be found on You Tube - does not discuss his marriage to Ms. Prowse.
Enjoyed hearing the stories from her fellow dancers, notably from Lee Roy Reams, one of my favorites.
I obtained my copy from Barnes & Noble, and read it on my Nook E-Reader. The book includes two sections of photographs which are arranged into four per page, which make their readability on a Nook E-Reader a bit challenging. I am sure that a paper copy of the book corrects this.
Wish I had seen Ms. Prowse perform live - she did make one appearance in the Chicago metro area but I missed it because I was a teen and young non working adult during her career heyday. As the appearance was made with her spouse and father of her son, John McCook, perhaps it was a performance of "Mame."
Her relationship with Frank Sinatra is covered here. They were engaged, but it seems to be unlikely that they would have married due to their age difference.
She died from pancreatic cancer at age 59 which was a time when there were probably no medical solutions whether diagnosed early or late. I believe her father also died of cancer according to this book. She was raised by her mother and stepfather and left home young to pursue a dance career with the full support of her parents.
The majority of her later appearances took place in Las Vegas. I found it interesting to hear that the era in which Ms. Prowse performed in Las Vegas was not an entirely fruitful time due to the economic climate as well as the expenses necessary to produce theatrical shows at that time which included those of Ms. Prowse. Nevertheless she was very successful during her many bookings in Las Vegas.
Fortunately You Tube has many videos including a full copy of "Mame" so we can see what Ms. Prowse must have been like onstage.
Enjoyed the book. Those who like to read about dancers and cabaret celebrities will enjoy it too.
July 10, 2025
A well-paced and beautifully written biography about one of the world's best known dancers. The author, Juliet Prowse junior, had access to over 600 letters that Juliet senior wrote to her mother over the course of three decades and give a personal insight into the life and career of this charismatic entertainer. It charts the course of her romantic life as well and covers her engagement to Frank Sinatra, her dalliances with Elvis and Warren Beatty and her marriage to John McCook. An entertaining and heartfelt book, it shows the resilience and artistry of this acclaimed dancer.
July 10, 2025
I really loved this heartfelt story and got to know how dynamic dancer Juliet Prowse was to achieve all that she did. It is a story of love and admiration as the author is Juliet Prowse's niece and she did a great job highlighting Juliet's professional and personal journeys including family anecdotes, while weaving in the glitz of Hollywood and changes in the entertainment industry over decades. It's a personal story and a lovely read
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews