Esther Jane Williams

 Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013)

Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics because of the outbreak of World War II, she joined Billy Rose's Aquacade, where she took on the role vacated by Eleanor Holm after the show's move from New York City to San Francisco. While in the city, she spent five months swimming alongside Olympic gold medal winner and Tarzan star, Johnny Weissmuller. It was here that she was discovered by MGM scouts, and began appearing in films. She starred alongside Mickey Rooney in an Andy Hardy film, and Van Johnson in A Guy Named Joe, Williams made a series of films in the 1940s and early 1950s known as "aqua musicals," which featured elaborate performances with synchronized swimming and diving.

From 1945 to 1949, Williams had at least one film listed among the 20 highest grossing films of the year. However, after some less than successful films in the 1950s, she left MGM in 1956 and retired. In 1960, she was the recipient of a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and in 1966, she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame for her contributions to the sport. Esther Williams died at age 91, and was cremated.