Esther Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013).
Esther Jane Williams was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She joined Billy Rose's Aquacade, swimming alongside Olympic gold medal winner and Tarzan star Johnny Weissmuller.
Williams caught the attention of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer scouts at the Aquacade. After appearing with Mickey Rooney in Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942), and future five-time co-star Van Johnson in A Guy Named Joe (1943), she made a series of films in the 1940s and early 1950s known as "aqua musicals," which featured elaborate performances with synchronized swimming and diving.
Williams and Donna Reed had been close friends since the early 1940s when they were rising MGM contract stars. She guest-stars on The Donna Reed Show in "The Career Woman" (Season 2, Episode 31).
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