George Chakiris

George Chakiris born September 16 1932 is an American dancer singer and actor He is best known for his role as Bernardo in the 1961 film version of West Side Story which earned him an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor Prior to West Side Story Chakiris appeared uncredited in many musicals such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 1953 White Christmas 1954 and Brigadoon 1954 as a dancer or chorus member After West Side Story he had starring roles in several lesserknown critical and commercial failures such as Diamond Head 1962 Kings of the Sun 1963 and The High Bright Sun 1965 On stage his most notable role was as Bobby in the first national tour of Stephen Sondheims Company He had guest roles in many television series throughout the 1970s and 1980s including appearances on Dallas Superboy and the series finale of The Patridge Family Chakiris emerged from retirement to act in the film Not to Forget 2021 which aims to raise awareness of Alzheimers disease