Emile Ardolino
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
Emmy-winning TV producer-director and Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker (for his profile on ballet dancer-teacher Jacques d'Amboise, "He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin'" 1983). After a distinguished career in television as director and producer of PBS' "Dance in America" and "Live From Lincoln Center" cultural series and as director of Joseph Papp productions for TV, Ardolino scored a huge hit with his first fiction feature, the dance-driven teen romance, "Dirty Dancing" (1987). After this sweaty charmer, Ardolino helmed the lackadaisically fantastic "Chances Are" (1988) and the happy-face sequel "Three Men and A Little Lady" (1990). He did even better in the box-office stakes with the surprise hit "Sister Act" (1992) which starred Whoopi Goldberg as woman on the lam posing as a singing nun. This assured goofy comedy of transformation grossed $200 million. His last feature was a return to his preoccupation, dance on film: "George Balanchine's The Nutcracker" (1993) starring Macaulay Culkin. Ardolino's final TV assignment was directing "Gypsy" (CBS, 1993) starring Bette Midler in an adaptation of the Sondheim/Styne/Laurents musical. This special was broadcast after the director's death.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Director (Special)
Producer (Special)
Film Production - Main (Special)
Life Events
1967
Set up his own production company
1975
Worked as producer and director for Public Television's "Dance in America" and "Live from Lincoln Center" series
1983
Feature documentary directing debut, "He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin'"
1987
Fiction feature directing debut, "Dirty Dancing"
1993
Last feature film, "The Nutcracker"
1993
Last film directed for TV, a version of "Gypsy" starring Bette Midler
Family
Companions
