Miriam Lois Frankel was born on September 21, 1919, in the bustling city of Chicago, Illinois, to Daniel Frankel, a salesman who later transitioned into producing nightclub shows, and Miriam Elizabeth (Bly) Frankel, a skilled seamstress who went on to build a successful career in the wardrobe department of the show business. As a young woman, Miriam made her Broadway debut at the tender age of 19 in the musical revue "Sing Out the News" (1938),sharing the stage with the talented June Allyson, whose captivating performances included the iconic song "Sing Ho for Private Enterprise".
In 1941, just two weeks after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, Miriam tied the knot with Gene Nelson, a fellow dancer and actor, and the couple relocated to Los Angeles, where their fortunes began to take a dramatic turn. During a casual lunch at Paramount, Miriam bumped into an old friend from New York and, as fate would have it, left the meeting with a seven-year contract to work as an actress and dancer. This breakthrough opportunity led to a string of notable on-screen appearances, including a straight acting role as Edward G. Robinson's secretary in the classic film noir "Double Indemnity" (1944),as well as versatile dance work in the popular radio show-turned-film "Duffy's Tavern" (1945).
After her divorce from Gene Nelson in 1956, Miriam devoted herself to a full-time career in choreography, bringing her expertise to numerous television projects, including "The Red Skelton Hour", "Father Knows Best", "The Lucy Show", "The Love Boat", and "Murder, She Wrote". Miriam's first credited big-screen choreography was for the crime comedy "He Laughed Last" (1956),directed by the renowned Blake Edwards, and her final screen credit was for the romantic drama "Out of the Cold" (2001),starring the talented Keith Carradine, which was released on DVD in the year 2001.
