Rall was born in Kansas City, Missouri to Edward and Margaret Rall,[1] but raised in Seattle, Washington. An only child, he had a crossed eye which made it hard for him to read books, so his mother enrolled him in dancing classes. In his early years he performed a dance and acrobatic vaudeville act in Seattle theaters and attempted small acting roles.[2]
His family moved to Los Angeles in the 1940s, and Rall began to appear in small movie roles. His first film appearance was a short MGM film called Vendetta. He began taking tap dancing lessons and became a member of the jitterbugging Jivin' Jacks and Jills at Universal Studios.[3][2]
Rall took ballet lessons and danced in classical and Broadway shows, including Milk and Honey, Call Me Madam, and Cry for Us All. Jerry Herman said of Rall in Milk and Honey: "[Donald] [Saddler] did extraordinary choreography for Tommy Rall, who was suddenly so admired by the audience that [the producer] put his name on the marquee under the three stars. It was very, very earned by him. He was a terrific singer and dancer."[7]
He took the title role in a production of Massenet's Le jongleur de Notre-Dame by the New England Opera Theatre in Boston in 1961 in a role which required both singing and juggling and dancing.[15]
Rall was highly respected by his contemporaries—including dance greats Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor—with the latter describing Rall as one of the “greatest dancers living...above Astaire and Kelly.”[16]
Personal life
Rall was briefly married to his Juno co-star Monte Amundsen.[14] He later married former ballerina Karel Shimoff.[2]
In 2007, a Texas dance instructor by the name of Fredric Brame was found to have been posing as Tommy Rall since the late 1960s. When Rall found out about the masquerade decades later, through a friend of the family, Rall contacted the Montgomery County, Texas Sheriff's office. No legal action was taken against Brame. Rall wanted Brame to stop taking credit for his work and warned that if he continued or did it again a lawsuit would be filed.[17]
Death
In September 2020, Rall had heart surgery and recovered at the Fireside Health Center (Santa Monica, California). Subsequently, in October, he had additional heart surgery at Providence Saint John's Health Center (Santa Monica, California). He died of congestive heart failure on October 6, aged 90. He was survived by his wife, Karel, and their son, Aaron, a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army. Another son, David, predeceased his parents.
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