| Nick Vanoff | |
| Birth Date: | October 25, 1929 |
| Birth Place: | Vevi, Greece |
| Death Place: | Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Dancer, producer, philanthropist |
| Spouse: | Felisa Vanoff |
| Children: | 2 |
Nick Vanoff (October 25, 1929 – March 20, 1991) was an American dancer, producer and philanthropist.
Vanoff was born in the village of Vevi, Greece[1] [2] but grew up in Buffalo, New York.[1] He served in the United States Marine Corps,[1] and, shortly after, studied directing with Theodore Komisarjevsky in New York City.[1]
Vanoff started his career as a dancer in Charles Weidman's Dance Theatre. Later, he was a lead dancer for the New York City Opera.[1] [2] [3] He was also a dance in the Kiss Me, Kate Broadway musical.[1] [2]
Vanoff was a cue card holder on The Perry Como Show and later became its associate producer.[1] [2] Together with William O. Harbach, he co-produced The Tonight Show, when Steve Allen was the host.[1] [2] Additionally, he created and produced the Kennedy Center Honors.[3] In the 1960s, he produced more than ten hours of television every week, including shows with Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Don Knotts, Milton Berle and Sonny and Cher.[1] [2] A few decades later, in 1985, he produced the film Eleni.[1] [2]
Vanoff won a Tony Award for Best Musical in 1990 for his production of the City of Angels musical on Broadway.[1] [2] Additionally, he won five Emmy Awards as a producer for: The Julie Andrews Hour in 1973, The Kennedy Center Honors in 1984, 1987 and 1989, and Julie Andrews's special, The Sound of Christmas, in 1988.[1] [2] In 1990, he was named Showman of the Year by the Publicists Guild of America (which later merged into the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees).[1] [2]
Vanoff was a founding director of the Foundation for the Joffrey Ballet.[1] [2] He also sat on the board of directors of the Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles.[2]
Vanoff was married to Felisa Vanoff (1925-2014).[2] [3] They had two sons, Nicholas and Flavio.[1] [2] [3] They resided in Beverly Hills, California.[3]
Vanoff died of cardiac arrest at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, aged 61.[1] [2] [4] His funeral was held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, California.[1]