Taina Elg

Taina Elg (born 9 March 1930) is a Finnish-American actress and dancer. She has appeared on stage, film and television.

Biography

She was born in Helsinki, but later raised in Turku by her parents, Helena Dobroumova (of Russian descent) and Åke Elg, a pianist. In 1957 she won the Golden Globe for the Foreign Newcomer Award - Female. She won another Golden Globe in 1958 for Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy for her performance in Les Girls, tying with her co-star Kay Kendall.

In 1958 she was nominated for a Golden Laurel as Top New Female Personality. In 1975 she was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Donna Lucia D'Alvadorez in Where's Charley?. She appeared in the original Broadway production of Nine as Guido Contini's mother.

From 1980-81 she played Nicole Bonard/Olympia Buchanan, wife to Asa Buchanan, on ABC's soap opera One Life to Live.

Personal life

Her son by her first marriage to Carl Björkenheim, which ended in divorce in 1958, is Finnish-American jazz guitarist Raoul Björkenheim. In 1982 she remarried, to Rocco Caporale, an Italian-born educator and professor of sociology. They reside in New York City.

Selected filmography

• The Prodigal (1955)
• Diane (1956)
• Gaby (1956)
• Les Girls (1957)
• Imitation General (1958)
• The 39 Steps (1959)
• Watusi (1959)
• Liebestraum (1991)
• The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)

Stage appearances

• Look to the Lilies
• Nine
• Where's Charley?
• The Utter Glory of Morrissey Hall
• A Little Night Music (in Australia)

External links

• Taina Elg fan site
• Taina Elg at the Internet Movie Database
• Taina Elg at Yahoo! Movies
• Soap Central character brief