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21h ago

Taina Elg, Star of ‘Les Girls’ and ‘The 39 Steps,’ Dies at 95

She passed away May 15 in Helsinki after a decades-long career that earned her a Golden Globe, multiple Tony nominations, Finland’s Order of the Lion.

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Overview

  • Her death on May 15 in an assisted care facility in Helsinki was confirmed by her family on May 27, prompting tributes to her versatile career.
  • Born in Helsinki in 1930, she trained with the Finnish National Ballet and the Royal Ballet before being discovered by MGM producer Edwin H. Knopf.
  • She won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for Les Girls (1957) and starred opposite Kenneth More in the 1959 remake of The 39 Steps.
  • Elg transitioned to Broadway, earning Tony nominations for Where’s Charley? (1974-75) and the original production of Nine (1982-84), and later appeared on the ABC soap One Life to Live.
  • After two marriages and more than three decades in New York, she returned to Finland following her second husband’s death and received the Order of the Lion for her cultural contributions.