Dee Dee Wood (born Audrey Donella on June 7, 1927 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

. She is best known for her work on musical films of the 1960s and 1970s.

Biography

Most of her well-known work was in collaboration with

Marc Breaux Marc Breaux (November 3, 1924 – November 19, 2013) was an American choreographer and occasional film director best known for his work on musical films of the 1960s and 1970s. Most of his well-known work was in collaboration with Dee Dee Wood to ...

, both in films and for television. Wood and Breaux were married in 1955 and were later divorced.Barnes, Mike
"'Mary Poppins' Choreographer Marc Breaux Dies at 89"
''Hollywood Reporter'', November 22, 2013 In 1964-1970, Wood and Breaux were the choreographers for the weekly musical revue "The Hollywood Palace." She also worked in collaboration with the songwriting duo the

Sherman Brothers The Sherman Brothers were an American songwriting duo that specialized in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) and Richard M. Sherman (born June 12, 1928). Together they received various accolades in ...

. She serves as one of the judges for the

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s (choreography). Wood appeared on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in '' Can-Can'' in 1953 as a performer, and worked as an Assistant to

Michael Kidd Michael Kidd (August 12, 1915 – December 23, 2007) was an American film and stage choreographer, dancer and actor, whose career spanned five decades, and staged some of the leading Broadway and film musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. Kidd, stron ...

on ''

L'il Abner ''Li'l Abner'' is a satirical American comic strip that appeared in many newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbilly, hillbillies in the impoverished mountain village of Dogpatch, USA. Written a ...

'' (1956) and ''

Destry Rides Again ''Destry Rides Again'' is a 1939 American Western comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. The supporting cast includes Mischa Auer, Charles Winninger, Brian Donlevy, Allen Jenkins, Irene Hervey ...

'' (1959) and was the choreographer (with Breaux) for '' Do Re Mi'' (1960). She currently lives in

Cave Creek, Arizona Cave Creek is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 4,892. History Cave Creek was settled in 1870 by soldiers on horseback from Fo ...

Filmography

Sources: ''Hollywood Reporter''; ''The Guardian'';Baskin, Gregory
" 'Mary Poppins' at 50 and Choreographer Dee Dee Wood"
''The Guardian'', October 28, 2014 Hollywood.com; TCM "Dee Dee Wood Filmography"
tcm.com, retrieved November 3, 2017 *''

The Andy Williams Show ''The Andy Williams Show'' was an American television variety show that ran from 1962 to 1971 (alternating during the summer of 1970 with ''Andy Williams Presents Ray Stevens'')Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time N ...

'' (1962) TV Series (choreographer) (1962–1963) *'' Judy and Her Guests'',

Phil Silvers Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly sixty years. Silvers achieved major popu ...

and

Robert Goulet Robert Gérard Goulet (November 26, 1933 October 30, 2007) was an American and Canadian singer and actor of French-Canadian ancestry. Goulet was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts until age 13, and then spent his formative years in Cana ...

(1963) (TV) (choreographer) *''

Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...

'' (1964) (choreographer) *''

The King Family Show ''The King Family Show'' is an American Variety show, musical variety series that featured The King Sisters and their extended musical family. The series first aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 1965 to January 1966. The se ...

'' (1965) TV Series (choreographer) *''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...

'' (1965) (choreographer) *''

The Happiest Millionaire ''The Happiest Millionaire'' is a 1967 American musical film starring Fred MacMurray, based upon the true story of Philadelphia millionaire Anthony Drexel Biddle. The film, featuring music by the Sherman Brothers, was nominated for an Academy A ...

'' (1967) (stager: musical numbers) *''

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' is a 1968 musical-fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes with a screenplay co-written by Roald Dahl and Hughes, loosely based on Ian Fleming's novel '' Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car'' (1964). The film stars ...

'' (1968) (choreographer) *''

Of Thee I Sing ''Of Thee I Sing'' is a musical with a score by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and a book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. The musical lampoons American politics; the story concerns John P. Wintergreen, who runs for President o ...

'' (1972) (TV) (choreographer) *''

The Cher Show ''Cher'' was an American variety show that premiered on CBS in 1975, hosted by singer-actress Cher. The show had many famous musical guests. It followed a TV special featuring Elton John, Bette Midler, and Flip Wilson as guests. ''Cher'' pre ...

(1975) TV Series (choreographer) *'' John Denver and Friend'' (1976) (TV) (choreographer) *''

Benji's Very Own Christmas Story ''Benji's Very Own Christmas Story'' is a 1978 American Christmas television special featuring Benji the dog and is one of two such ''Benji'' specials to have been nominated for an Emmy Award. Patsy Garrett and Cynthia Smith reprise their respect ...

'' (1978) (TV) (choreographer) *''

In God We Tru$t ''In God We Tru$t'' is a 1980 American comedy film starring Marty Feldman, Andy Kaufman, Louise Lasser and Peter Boyle. Intended as a biting religious satire, it was also produced, directed and co-written by Feldman. Plot A naive monk, Brother ...

'' (1980) (choreographer) *'' Los Angeles 1984: Games of the XXIII Olympiad'': (1984) (mini) TV Series (assistant choreographer) *''

Liberty Weekend Liberty Weekend was a four-day celebration held to celebrate the 1984 restoration and the centenary of the Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World'') in New York City. It began on July 3, 1986 and ended on July 6. July 3, 1986: openi ...

'' (1986) (TV) (choreographer) *''

Beaches A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shells ...

'' (1988) (choreographer) *'' Prop Culture'' (2020) (TV) (herself)

References

External links

* *
Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame Wood Biography at azmusichalloffame.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Dee Dee 1927 births Living people American choreographers Primetime Emmy Award winners People from Cave Creek, Arizona