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California, on March 12, 1946 to superstar singer/actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli. Minnelli made her film debut as a toddler in the musical comedy In the Good Old Summertime (1949), which starred her mother and Van Johnson, but she didn't actively pursue a career in the entertainment industry until she lit out for New York in her teens to try to make it as an actress. She landed a role in the off-Broadway revival of the musical Best Foot Forward in 1963, which brought her strong reviews and had her first leading role in a musical in 1965's Flora, The Red Menace, which brought her a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Minnelli also cultivated her film career and in received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her work in the 1969 film The Sterile Cuckoo. Two years later, Minnelli landed her greatest film role, playing floundering nightclub singer Sally Bowles in the musical Cabaret, which was set in Germany in the 1930s. The film, directed by Bob Fosse, showcased her singing talents as well as her range as an actress. For her efforts, Minnelli won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Minnelli's hot streak continued with the television special, Liza with a Z, which was produced by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. The show won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Program—Variety and Popular Music in 1973, firmly establishing Minnelli as a superstar.



After several forgettable roles, Minnelli returned to Broadway in The Act in 1977. She played a washed-up singer trying to revive her musical career. Giving an outstanding performance, Minnelli garnered her second Tony Award for Best Actress in a musical. A few years later, she had another success on the big screen with the romantic comedy Arthur (1981), in which she co-starred with Dudley Moore. Minnelli spent much of the 80s battling her own personal demons in the form of drug and alcohol addiction, but in 1986 she teamed up Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. for a world tour called The Ultimate Event. From then on, Minnelli would become primarily a live entertainer, performing sold-out concerts to adoring fans the world over.