Acclaimed choreographer and dancer Bobby Banas has died in California at the age of 90.
Known for his role as Joyboy in West Side Story as well as his work in iconic films like Bye Bye Birdie, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and Mary Poppins, Banas was a staple of the golden age of movie musicals.
He died on Monday of penumonia, according to his son director and photographer Eden Tyler Banas.
Banas earned the adoration of a new generation when a clip of him leading five dancers to The Nitty Gritty on a 1964 episode of CBS’ The Judy Garland Show went viral online.
At time of writing it has been viewed 18million times.
Banas seemed to have a knack for appearing in some of the most iconic moments ever committed to film.
As Jet member Joyboy in West Side Story (1959), he can be prominently seen in the film’s most memorable dance scenes.
The very next year, he was kissed by Marilyn Monroe in Let’s Make Love, creating one of the movie’s most recognisable sequences.
He also played a chimney sweep in Mary Poppins (1964), participating in the iconic rooftop dance scene alongside Dick Van Dyke.
In 1966, he appeared as one of the primary dancer in Made in Paris, dancing with Ann-Margaret in the nightclub scene.
A natural dancer, Banas (born in New York on Sept. 22, 1933) took ballroom dancing lessons from a young age, quickly becoming devoted to the craft.
He partnered with future West Side Story co-star Natalie Wood in the Michael Panaieff Children’s Ballet Company before attending the Hollywood Professional School and Hollywood High, setting himself up for stardom.
He worked as a stage actor, dancer, and choreographer before making his film debut in 1952 in Has Anybody Seen My Gal.
He followed this success by appearing in Carousel, The King and I, Bill Haley & His Comets’ Rock Around the Clock, and Don’t Knock the Rock in 1956, cementing his status as a go-to movie dancer.
After a brief stint on Broadway, he landed the role in the iconic movie adaptation of West Side Story, directed by Robbins and Robert Wise.
He’s also known for his roles in Damn Yankees (1958), The Girl Most Likely (1958), L’il Abner (1959), Babes in Toyland (1961), Ann-Margret’s Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Debbie Reynolds’ The Unsinkable Bobby Brown (1964), Elvis Presley’s Girl Happy (1965), and a 1966 episode of Get Smart.
He’s survived by his son, daughter-in-law, Roxanne, and his grandson, Dylan.