Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Sono Osato

Role / Field:

American dancer and actress known for her performances with Ballets Russes.

Born:

1919-08-29

Died:

2018-12-26

Century / Era:

1919s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Sono Osato (大里 ソノ, Osato Sono; August 29, 1919 – December 26, 2018) was an American dancer and actress. Sono Osato was born in Omaha, Nebraska. She was the oldest of three children of a Japanese father (Shoji Osato, 1885–1955) and a Canadian mother of French-Irish origin (Frances Fitzpatrick, 1897–1954). Her family moved to Chicago in 1925 in order to be closer to Frances' family, and Shoji opened a photography studio there.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

In 1927, when she was eight, Osato's mother took her and her sister to Europe for two years; while in Monte Carlo, they attended a performance of Cléopâtre by Sergei Diaghilev's famous Ballets Russes company, which inspired Osato to start ballet classes when she returned to Chicago in late 1929. She studied with prominent dancers Berenice Holmes and Adolph Bolm. She performed with ballet companies Ballets Russe de Monte-Carlo and the American Ballet Theatre. As an actress, she starred alongside Frank Sinatra in the film The Kissing Bandit. Osato began her career at the age of fourteen with Wassily de Basil's Ballets Russe de Monte-Carlo, which at the time was the world's most well known ballet company; she was the youngest member of...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Akashi Motojiro — Contemporary (Died in 1919) (1919): General in the Imperial Japanese Army and Governor-General of Taiwan.
• Alan Young — Contemporary (Born in 1919) (1919): Esteemed British actor, celebrated for voicing Scrooge McDuck and starring in variety shows.
• Alfred Werner — Contemporary (Died in 1919) (1919): Pioneering Swiss chemist who established modern coordination chemistry.
• Aaron Klug — Contemporary (Died in 2018) (2018): Pioneering biophysicist known for crystallographic electron microscopy and nucleic acid structure.
• Alan Bean — Contemporary (Died in 2018) (2018): American astronaut, naval officer, and lunar explorer who walked on the Moon.
• Alexander Zakharchenko — Contemporary (Died in 2018) (2018): Pro-Russian separatist leader and head of the Donetsk People's Republic.
• Aimé Bonpland — Shared historical date (08-29 · Born) (1773): French explorer and botanist, renowned for his scientific travels with Alexander von Humboldt.
• Alfred Peet — Shared historical date (08-29 · Died) (2007): Dutch-American founder credited with starting the US specialty coffee revolution.
• Alejo Carpentier — Shared historical date (12-26 · Born) (1904): Influential Cuban novelist, essayist, and musicologist of the Latin American Boom.
• Arthur Percival — Shared historical date (12-26 · Born) (1887): British Army officer, known for commanding forces during the Malayan Campaign and the fall of Singapore.
• 1919 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1919
• August 29 (08-29) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on August 29
• 2018 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2018
• December 26 (12-26) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on December 26

Frequently Asked Questions about Sono Osato