Emile Ardolino
Emile Ardolino (May 9, 1943 – November 20, 1993) was an American television and film director and producer, best known for his work on the films Dirty Dancing (1987) and Sister Act (1992). He won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' (1983).
Emile Ardolino
- Born
- 1943. · Maspeth.
- Died
- 1993. · Bel Air.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Occupation
- film producer, film editor, actor, choreographer and director.
- Education
- Queens College.
- Honours
- Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film.
- Languages
- English.
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wikidata · Q490198 · wikipedia · Emile Ardolino
In this article
Early life and career
Early life and career
Emile Ardolino was born in Maspeth, a neighborhood of Queens, the son of Italian immigrants Ester (nee Pesiri) and Emilio Ardolino. He began his career as an actor in Off-Broadway productions, and then moved to the production side of the business. In 1967, he founded Compton-Ardolino Films with Gardner Compton. In the 1970s and 1980s, Ardolino worked for PBS. He profiled dancers and choreographers for their Dance in America and Live from Lincoln Center series. Ardolino won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for the 1983 film He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' at the 56th Academy Awards. He found commercial success with the Academy Award-winning 1987 hit Dirty Dancing.
Death
Death
Ardolino died in California on November 20, 1993, of complications from AIDS. His last films, The Nutcracker (based on George Balanchine's New York City Ballet adaptation) and the television production of Gypsy starring Bette Midler, were released and shown posthumously. Ardolino is buried beside his parents at St. John Cemetery in New York.
Personal life
Personal life
Ardolino was openly gay.
Partial filmography
Partial filmography
He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' (1983) Dirty Dancing (1987) Chances Are (1989) Three Men and a Little Lady (1990) Sister Act (1992) The Nutcracker (1993) Gypsy (1993, TV movie)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1993
Emile Ardolino died at Bel Air.
Places
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Places
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Maspeth.
Birth place
Bel Air.
Death place
Awards
1969 Obie Award for the Broadway production of Oh! Calcutta! 19 Emmy Award nominations, winning three 1983 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin'.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Emile Ardolino, revision 1338293815 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.FamilySearch.
- 2.Emile Ardolino, Director, Is Dead; Specialist in Dance Films Was 50. The New York Times. B12. November 22, 1993.
- 3.Documentary Winners: 1984 Oscars
- 4.1984|Oscars.org
- 5.During this week in history, "Dirty Dancing" was released in U.S. theaters. FOX 13 News Utah (KSTU). 2022-08-19.
- 6.The New York Times biography of Emile Ardolino.
- 7.Emile Ardolino - Emmy Awards, Nominations and Wins
- 8.He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' (23 minute version) by National Dance Institute on YouTube
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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