Vera-Ellen (February 16, 1921 - August 30, 1981) was an American actress and stage and film dancer, principally celebrated for her filmed dance partnerships with Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor.

She was born Vera Ellen Westmeier Rohe in Norwood, Ohio to Martin Rohe and Alma Catherine Westmeier, both descended from German immigrants. She began dancing at the age of 9 and quickly became very proficient. At 16, she was a winner on the Major Bowes Amateur Hour, and entered upon a professional career.

In 1939, Vera-Ellen made her Broadway theatre debut in the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein musical Very Warm For May at the age of 18. She became one of the youngest Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, although she was not tall. This led to roles on Broadway in Panama Hattie, By Jupiter, and A Connecticut Yankee, where she was spotted by Samuel Goldwyn, who cast her opposite Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo in the film Wonder Man (1945). She appeared in several films, including White Christmas (1954), On the Town (1949), the "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" dance in Words and Music (1948) -- the last two with Gene Kelly. Vera-Ellen was also one of the stars in the last Marx Brothers film, Love Happy (1949). She took top billing alongside Fred Astaire in Three Little Words (1950) and The Belle of New York (1952), with Donald O'Connor in Call Me Madam (1953), and in Let's Be Happy (1957). During the 1950s, she was reputed to have the "smallest waist in Hollywood". and is believed to have suffered from anorexia nervosa. She retired from the screen in 1957.

Vera-Ellen was married twice. Her first husband was fellow dancer Robert Hightower, whom she was married to from 1941 to 1946. Her second husband, from 1954 to 1966, was millionaire Victor Rothschild. Both marriages ended in divorce. While married to Rothschild, she gave birth to a daughter, Victoria Ellen Rothschild, who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in 1963. Following this traumatic event Vera-Ellen further withdrew from public life.

She died of cancer at her home in California at the age of 60 in 1981.

Vera-Ellen began dancing at the age of 10, and a few years later became one of the youngest Rockettes. She appeared in several Broadway musicals until she was spotted by film producer Samuel Goldwyn in 1945. She was only 24 years old when Goldwyn cast her opposite Danny Kaye in Wonder Man (1945). She danced with Fred Astaire in Three Little Words (1950) and with Gene Kelly (I) in On the Town (1949). Blonde, slim of build, and a dancing sensation, she appeared in a string of light-hearted but successful films. Vera-Ellen retired from acting in the late 1950s.

One of film's most vivacious and vibrant dancing talents who glided effortlessly through Hollywood's "Golden Age" of musicals in the 40s and 50s was Vera-Ellen Westmeyer Rohe, better known to all her fans simply by her hyphenated first name. Whether performing solo or dueting with the best male partners of her generation, which included Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly (I), Vera-Ellen gave life to some of the most extraordinary dance routines ever caught on film. Sadly, out-and-out stardom eluded her, and she never did earn the recognition or accolades that were bestowed upon many of her musical peers. Born of German descent in Cincinnati, Ohio on February 16, 1921 (some sources incorrectly indicate 1926), the only child of a piano tuner, she was painfully shy and frail as a youngster and had developed severe health issues by age 9. Using dance as both physical and emotional therapy, what was once recreational became a soulful and burning passion, and her talent became obvious nearly from the onset. As a teen she appeared in nightclub acts and became one of the Rockettes' youngest members, quickly graduating to a dancer on the "Great White Way." Vera-Ellen made her Broadway debut with "Very Warm for May" at age 18 in 1939, which also featured another young hopeful, June Allyson. She then segued into "Higher and Higher" (1940), which also had Allyson in the cast, "Panama Hattie" (1940) which starred Ethel Merman, "By Jupiter (1942) with Ray Bolger, and a revival of "A Connecticut Yankee" (1943). Blessed with a sweet, apple blossom appeal and touching, elfin charm, her movie career began taking shape in 1945. Supposedly her mother thought that since Vera-Ellen looked much younger than she was, it might be wise to shave five years off of her age in order to build her up as a dancing teen sensation. Her first two films were musical vehicles for the up-and-coming Danny Kaye in Wonder Man (1945) and Kid from Brooklyn, The (1946). They and the movies were both hits and people soon fell in love with her fresh-faced innocence. A hard-working, uncomplicated talent, she paired famously with Gene Kelly (I) in MGM's Words and Music (1948) in which their "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" number was a critical highlight, and On the Town (1949) as "Miss Turnstiles," the apple of Kelly's eye. She also appeared twice with Fred Astaire in her heyday, though in the lesser known Three Little Words (1950) and Belle of New York, The (1952). Musicals went out of vogue by the late 50s and, as Vera-Ellen was practically synonymous with musicals, her career fell apart as well. But that was only one reason. A light acting talent, she might have continued in films in dramatic roles, as she had in the movie Big Leaguer (1953) with Edward G. Robinson, but dark, outside influences steered her away altogether. Personal unhappiness and ill health would quickly take their toll on her. It was discovered that Vera-Ellen silently battled anorexia throughout much of the 50s before doctors had even coined the term or devised treatments. Moreover, she developed severe arthritis following her retirement and was forced to revert to dance lessons again in order to combat it. If that wasn't enough, she had to endure two failed marriages while losing her only daughter, Victoria Ellen Rothschild, to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in 1963. These tragic events turned her into a virtual recluse. Little was heard for decades until it was learned that she had died of cancer in Los Angeles, California, on August 30, 1981. Largely forgotten today compared to many of her co-stars, Vera-Ellen was a lithe and lovely presence who deserved so much more. Nevertheless, she has provided film lovers a lasting legacy and deserves to be called one of Hollywood's true dancing legends.