Cyd Charisse, the American actress and dancer, who was known to thousands of moviegoers for her performances with Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire , died on 17 June, 2008, aged 86.

Her long legs were such an asset to her employers MGM that they reputedly insured them for $1 million dollars each. She later revealed this had been a publicity stunt. Nevertheless, her famous pins earned her an entry in the 2001 Guinness Book of Records under ‘Most Valuable Legs’ as a $5 million insurance policy was reportedly accepted on her legs in 1952.

She was born on 8 March, 1922, as Tula Ellice Finklea in Amarillo, Texas, the daughter of Lela and Ernest Enos Finklea, Sr., who was a jeweller. Her nickname was Sid which was changed to Cyd by MGM to give her an air of mystery.

As a girl she was sickly and turned to dancing to build up her strength after a bout of polio. This led to her studying ballet and joining the Ballet Russe when she was still a teenager. In her early twenties she joined MGM as the resident ballet dancer.

She first appeared with Astaire in a brief routine in Ziegfeld Follies, released in 1946. She also performed with him in The Band Wagon (1953) and Silk Stockings (1957).

Gene Kelly chose her to partner him in the celebrated "Broadway Melody" ballet finale from Singin' in the Rain (1952). She also co-starred with Kelly in 1954's Scottish-themed musical film Brigadoon and the MGM musical It's Always Fair Weather (1956).

Astaire paid tribute to Charisse, writing: "That Cyd! When you've danced with her you stay danced with."

"Her beauty was breathtaking," Debbie Reynolds, who starred with Cyd Charisse in Singin' in the Rain, said in a statement. "The world will miss her dancing."

She retired from dancing after the decline of the great technicolour Hollywood musicals of the 1950s, but continued to appear in film and TV productions up until the 1990s. She made cameo appearances in Blue Mercedes's I Want To Be Your Property (1987) and Janet Jackson's Alright (1990) music videos.

When she was 70 she made her Broadway debut in the musical version of Grand Hotel as the ageing ballerina.

In 2006, President George W. Bush presented Cyd Charisse with the National Medal of the Arts and Humanities, the highest official U.S. honour available in the arts.

She was married twice, first to the French dancer Nico Charisse, with whom she had a son, Nicky, and then to the singer Tony Martin from 1948 till her death. It was one of the longest lasting marriages in Hollywood. She was also survived by her son, Tony Martin Jr. Her publicist Gene Schwam said she was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on 16 June, 2008 after suffering an apparent heart attack. She died the next day.