Tatiana Thumbtzen
 |
Tatiana Yvonne Thumbtzen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Yvonne (Tatiana) Thumbtzen April 22, 1960 |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, model, classically trained dancer, artist |
| Height | 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) |
Stephanie "Tatiana" Yvonne Thumbtzen (born April 22, 1960) is an American actress, model and dancer. She is best known for her role as the love interest of pop star Michael Jackson in the music video for his song "The Way You Make Me Feel" from his seventh studio album, Bad.[1][2]
Early life and family
Born in Clearwater, Florida, Thumbtzen is of black-Cherokee Indian, Anglo-Cuban heritage. The Irish heritage comes from her adopted father Thumbtzen.[3] Tatiana's family name is of German origin. She began to train in ballet at the age of eight, and moved to New York when she was thirteen on a ballet scholarship, where she studied at Juilliard in the school of American Ballet, a training camp for choreographer George Balanchine of the New York City Ballet Company.
Career
She stated in an interview that through dance, she acquired a contract for modeling, and by age nineteen, she spent five years in Japan to start her career as a model.[3] Once returning to New York, Thumbtzen began working on a Harry Belafonte Production film, Beat Street, before moving to Los Angeles at the end of 1986 to begin working on commercials and print-work. One of her first print work jobs was a campaign for Billy Dean Williams for LA Eyewear.
Thumbtzen was chosen to perform in a Michael Jackson music video entitled "The Way You Make Me Feel" after being picked by him during an audition. Filming began around the end of 1987 to the start of 1988 and was said to be the beginning of Thumbtzen's career. She also appears in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1990.
Thumbtzen later joined Jackson for his Bad Tour, and kissed Jackson on stage in his first kiss in public.[2][4] She claims she was fired soon after through the encouragement of his "entourage" for taking advantage of the star by kissing him,[5] and was replaced with Sheryl Crow. She describes the story in her 2004 autobiography The Way He Made Me Feel co-authored by Thumbtzen and Tonia Ryan. She maintained a cute friendship with Jackson. She was called for the outtakes to spend time with Jackson in one of his short films "Leave Me Alone". Jackson used to call her with a nickname "Tati". Thumbtzen had a relationship with his family, and Jackson's mother Katherine Jackson invited her to attend his funeral at Staples Center.
Thumbtzen also appeared in the opening credits of the television series "A Different World".
Tatiana attended Michael Jackson's final funeral service on September 3, 2009. Shortly after Jackson's death, she met his manager Frank DiLeo and they settled their differences before Dileo's passing in 2011.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | The Perfect Model | Crystal Jennings | |
| 1989 | Identity Crisis | Annette's Friend | |
| 1990 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Sexy Girl | Season 1, Episode: "Clubba Hubba" |
Music videos
| Year | Song | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "The Way You Make Me Feel" | Michael Jackson | Leading Female |
References
- ^ "Michael Jackson Case Latest: Tatiana Thumbtzen Denies Affair With Star". Female First. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
- ^ a b Walls, Jeannette (17 August 2004). "Former Jackson dancer tells all in new book". msnbc.com. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
- ^ a b 2013 Interview with Tatiana Jeff Pearlman
- ^ "Tatiana Thumbtzen". Makli. 27 June 2009. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "NBCNews.com Video Player". Retrieved 11 July 2016.