During a recent appearance on CBS' Sunday Morning, Liza Minnelli reminisced about her beginnings in show business. She also promoted her new album with Michael Feinstein — the latest in her seven-decade-long career. You can say the Oscar winner succeeded in carving her own path into Hollywood, away from the shadow of her iconic mother Judy Garland.
But her journey wasn't at all easy. She's had four public divorces and a long battle with different health issues that almost forced her to retire early. Here's the tragic story behind the Cabaret star's success.
How Old Is Liza Minnelli Today?
Liza Minnelli recently turned 76 this March 2022. She's been acting since she was three. Her first gig was in the film, In the Good Old Summertime (1949) — which also starred her mother. But it wasn't until 1961 that Minnelli really focused on her theater career. She started out as an apprentice at the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Massachusetts. She began her professional career two years later, at the age of 17. She appeared in an Off-Broadway revival of Best Foot Forward that year and earned a Theatre World Award.
Years later, she did some voice acting for Journey Back to Oz, the animated sequel of The Wizard of Oz. She was the voice behind Dorothy who was previously played by her mother. In 1967, Minnelli scored her first credited film role in Charlie Bubbles (1967). Two years later, she starred in The Sterile Cuckoo which earned her an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role. At 26, she won her second Oscar award under the same category. This time, for her best-known movie Cabaret (1972).
After several major flops in the late '70s, the actress re-emerged on TV in the '90s. Her 1992 show Liza Minnelli Live from Radio City Music Hall garnered six Emmy nominations and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics. At the age of 51, she made a Broadway comeback, replacing Julie Andrews for the title role in the musical Victor/Victoria (1997). The New York Times described her performance as "a victory of show-business stamina over psychic frailty."
The Truth About Liza Minnelli's Health Problems
In 2008, Minnelli opened up about having three miscarriages in her lifetime. "No, I have a hiatal hernia, which I got when I was pregnant," she told The Guardian. "And they put me upside down trying to hold the baby - and the baby passed away anyway - but I got a hernia, so if I eat and sing like that, and all that muscle, it hurts!" She also talked about her 18-month hiatus after a surgery that removed polyps from her vocal cord in 1997.
In 2000, she made headlines after being hospitalized over a stroke. Later, it was revealed that she was diagnosed with viral encephalitis. It's a viral infection in the brain that causes complications like paralysis and speech impairment. "I couldn't walk and I couldn't talk, and they told me I wouldn't… ever again," the Arthur star said at the time. Three years later, she had hip replacement surgery which was shortly followed by kneecap surgery. In 2007, she had jawbone reconstruction surgery following a bad fall.
Three years later, Minnelli had to cancel her tour due to pneumonia. Around 2013, she also broke her wrists and underwent back surgery for two crushed vertebral discs. Then she canceled another concert in Las Vegas in 2018 over a viral infection. Through it all, the actress has openly admitted to suffering from alcoholism. "My whole life, this disease has been rampant," she said of her addiction. "I inherited it, and it's been horrendous, but I have always asked for help."
Where Is Liza Minnelli Now?
To this day, Minnelli continues to work despite her numerous health issues. When doctors said she'd spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair back in 2000, she quickly recovered and did a solo concert called Liza's Back in New York and London. "She's a survivor," said her Cabaret co-star and longtime friend Marisa Berenson. "She's like a phoenix, always spreading her wings and being reborn. I think she's one of the strongest people I know. It's really glorious to watch. She does have this incredible strength and courage."
There's also a verified Twitter page dedicated to the many things Minnelli has outlived. "Liza Minnelli has outlived waiting to return to the Oscars, this time to present Best Picture with Lady Gaga," LizaMinnelliOutlives tweeted in light of the recent 94th Academy Awards. We're sure she'll outlive a lot more things in the future. The actress said it herself in 2018: "I've still got it… I've still got a lot of livin' to do!"