José Greco

Born Costanzo Greco on December 23, 1918, in Montorio nei Frentani, Italy, to Paolo Emilio and Maria Carmela Greco, the dancer who would become known as José Greco later changed his name legally. When he was ten years old, his family relocated to New York City, where he began dancing in Brooklyn alongside his sister Norina. He made his professional debut in 1937 at the Hippodrome Theatre in Manhattan and went on to become a flamenco dancer and choreographer credited with bringing Spanish dance to wide American audiences, primarily during the 1950s and 1960s.

Among Greco's most significant artistic partnerships were those with La Argentinita, the dancer Encarnación López Júlvez, and subsequently with her sister Pilar López. In 1949 he established the José Greco Dance Company, which he led on extensive tours. Two years later, in 1951, he made his first appearance in the United Kingdom at the Sadler's Wells Theatre in London. In 1954 and again in 1957, his troupe performed in open-air concerts at Lewisohn Stadium in New York City in collaboration with conductor Alfredo Antonini and members of the New York Philharmonic.

Greco's Broadway career included an appearance in the 1962 production A Gift of Time. His work extended to film as well, with screen credits that included Sombrero (1953), Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Holiday for Lovers (1959), Ship of Fools (1965), and The Proud and the Damned (1972).

Among the honors Greco received were a knighthood from the Spanish government in the form of the Cruz Laureada del Caballero del Mérito Civil and four honorary doctorates. In 1972 he founded the José Greco Foundation for Hispanic Dance, and in 1974 he retired from the stage for the first time. He published his autobiography, Gypsy in My Soul: The Autobiography of José Greco, in 1977.

Greco returned to performing in the late 1980s, forming a new company that featured his children. He had six children in total — three sons and three daughters. His sons José Luis and Paolo became composers, while his son José Greco II pursued dance, as did his daughters Alessandra, Carmela, and Lola. Greco made his final stage appearance in 1995 at the age of 77. For the remainder of his life he served as a visiting professor of dance at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

In the fall of 2000, Greco developed a staph infection affecting his heart and was hospitalized at Lancaster Regional Medical Center in November of that year. The infection spread and formed a mass on his spine, and he died of heart failure at his home in Lancaster on December 31, 2000, at the age of 82. Following his death, his son José Greco II traveled from Texas to take over his father's dance classes at Franklin and Marshall College.