Tony nominee Taina Elg died May 15 in her homeland of Helsinki, Finland. News of her passing was confirmed by her family .
Ms. Elg was one of the few remaining stars of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's movie musical golden age. Born and raised in Finland, Ms. Elg was a trained classical dancer, performing throughout Europe before she was whisked away to Hollywood for a screen test during the height of musical cinema's power. She became a member of MGM's 'stable of stars' for seven years, appearing in a variety of films throughout the 1950s, including The Prodigal, Diane, Gaby, Les Girls, Imitation General, The 39 Steps, and Watusi. For her performances in Les Girls, she received the 1958 Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actress, tying with her co-star in the film, Kay Kendall. Ms. Elg remains the only Finnish actor to receive the honor.
In 1975, Ms. Elg was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Donna Lucia D'Alvadorez in Where's Charley?. Elsewhere on Broadway, she appeared in Look to the Lillies, Uncle Vanya, The Utter Glory of Morrissey Hall, Strider, and Nine, where she originated the role of Guido's Mother in the Best Musical winner.
On the road, she starred in national tours of Irma La Douce, Two by Two, Gigi, and Titanic. Her final Broadway appearance came in 1998 when she served as the standby for Mary Louise Wilson as Fraulein Schneider in the lauded Sam Mendes revival of Cabaret.
On the small screen, Ms. Elg played Dr. Ingrid Fischer on the soap opera Guiding Light, and Olympia Buchanan, the first wife of tycoon Asa Buchanan, on the soap opera One Life to Live. Her death sequence on the latter program is still considered one of the more shocking twists in soap opera history.
Ms. Elg is survived by her son, jazz guitarist Raoul Bj枚rkenheim.
