Herbert Ross

Herbert Ross: Before 'Footloose,' Herbert Ross already had a reputation as a director who specialized in Broadway adaptations (especially from Neil Simon plays), musicals and dance-oriented films. A former Broadway choreographer who had been creating dance sequences for movies since 1954's 'Carmen Jones,' Ross had directed such dance-driven pictures as 'Goodbye, Mr. Chips,' 'Funny Lady,' 'The Turning Point' (for which he earned his sole Best Director Oscar nomination), 'Nijinsky' and 'Pennies From Heaven.' He was in his mid-50s when he made 'Footloose,' but he had no trouble adapting to a youthful cast, a pop soundtrack and MTV music video-ready montage sequences. After 'Footloose's success, he made eight more movies, including the hits 'The Secret of My Success' and 'Steel Magnolias.' The last of the 25 movies he directed was 1995's 'Boys on the Side.' He was married for nearly 30 years to ballerina Nora Kaye, who died in 1987. The following year, he married Lee Radziwill (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' sister); they remained together until shortly before his death in 2001 at age 74.