Born Tula Ellice Finklea on March 8, 1922, in Amarillo, Texas, the future Hollywood star didn’t begin life looking destined to become one of cinema’s most celebrated dancers.
Infectious Diseases
She was a thin, physically fragile child who suffered from serious health problems, including polio.
Her parents turned to ballet partly as a way of strengthening her body.
“I was skinny, and it looked like a good way to build me up,” she later recalled.
