ESTHER WILLIAMS BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
 
Esther Williams was born on August 8th, 1921 in Los Angeles, California with the birth name Esther Jane Williams to parents, Louis Stanton Williams and Bula Myrtle.  She was the fifth and youngest child in her family.  All throughout her childhood she was very involved in swimming with the Los Angeles Athletic Swim Club.  She originally had goals of attending the Olympics but due to World War II, this dream did not happen.  It was not until a MGM scout spotted her in a Los Angeles Department store, that she had any thoughts of ever pursuing a career as an actress.
 
Her film debut did not take too long when MGM cast her in, “Andy Hardy's Double Life” (1942).  MGM really liked her look and style and therefore they created something which came to be known as, “Aqua Musicals” and starred in the film, “Bathing Beauty” (1944).  She also starred in the film, “Take Me Out to The Ballgame” (1949) alongside Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra and “Neptune’s Daughter” (1949).
 
Much to the disappointment of MGM, this idea did not really take off and so Williams began to pursue more dramatic roles in such films as, ”Million Dollar Mermaid” (1952), “Easy to Love" (1953), “The Unguarded Moment” (1956) and “The Big Show” (1961).
 
After doing fifteen years of films with MGM she left her contract after realizing that her career was not heading in the direction she hoped for.  In the mid 60’s she retired from acting.  She made one guest appearance in 2004 in, “That’s Entertainment”.
 
Williams now lends her name to a line of swimming pools and swimwear.  She has been married four times.  Her first husband was Leonard Kovner from 1940 through 1944.  She then married Ben Gage from 1945 through 1959 and had three children with him.  Her third husband was Fernando Lamas from 1969 till he passed away in 1982.  She was also married to her fourth husband Edward Bell whom she wed on October 24th, 1994 and they resided in Beverly Hills, California.

Esther Williams passed away at age 91 on June 6, 2013 as reported by her longtime publicist Harlan Ball with no cause of death listed but was most likely of natural causes.

Filmography 

1963 Magic Fountain
1961 The Big Show 
1960 Zane Grey Theater 
1960 The Donna Reed Show
1958 Raw Wind in Eden 
1957 Lux Video Theatre
1956 The Unguarded Moment  
1955 Jupiter's Darling 
1953 Easy to Love 
1953 Dangerous When Wet  
1952 Million Dollar Mermaid 
1952 Skirts Ahoy! 
1951 Texas Carnival 
1950 Pagan Love Song 
1950 Duchess of Idaho 
1949 Neptune's Daughter 
1949 Take Me Out to the Ball Game 
1948 On an Island with You 
1947 This Time for Keeps
1947 Fiesta
1946 Easy to Wed 
1946 The Hoodlum Saint
1945 Thrill of a Romance  
1944 Bathing Beauty 
1943 A Guy Named Joe 
1942 Andy Hardy's Double Life 
1942 Personalities
1942 Inflation