Editing Gwen Verdon (section)

==Early life==
Verdon was born in [[Culver City, California]], the second child of Gertrude Lilian ({{née}} Standring) and Joseph William Verdon, who were both British immigrants to the United States by way of Canada.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Patrick|last=Pacheco|url=https://ew.com/article/2000/11/03/remembering-gwen-verdon/|title=Remembering Gwen Verdon|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|publisher=[[Meredith Corporation]]|location=New York City|date=November 3, 2000|access-date=June 24, 2015|archive-date=December 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215182022/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,278295,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Her brother was William Farrell Verdon, her father was an electrician at [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] Studios, and her mother was a former [[vaudeville|vaudevillian]] of the [[Denishawn]] dance troupe, as well as a [[dance teacher]].<ref>[http://www.californiabirthindex.org/birth/gwenyth_evelyn_verdon_born_1925_996516 Birthdata], californiabirthindex.org; accessed June 24, 2015.</ref>

As a toddler, she suffered from [[rickets]], which led to her being called "Gimpy" by other children and spent her early years in [[orthopedic]] boots and rigid [[leg braces]]. At age three, her mother enrolled her in dance classes. Further ballet training strengthened her legs and improved her carriage.{{Citation needed |date=April 2024}} 

By age six, she was dancing on stage. She went on to study multiple dance forms, ranging from tap, jazz, ballroom and flamenco to Balinese. She also studied juggling. At age 11, she appeared as a solo ballerina in the musical romance film ''[[The King Steps Out]]'' (1936), directed by [[Josef von Sternberg]] and starring [[Grace Moore]] and [[Franchot Tone]]. She attended [[Alexander Hamilton High School (Los Angeles)|Hamilton High School]] in Los Angeles and studied under ballet enthusiast Ernest Belcher. While in high school, she was cast in a [[Revival (play)|revival]] of ''[[Show Boat]]''.<ref>https://www.amazon.com/Jerome-Robeson-Verdon-Angeles-Program/dp/B00YST5FMW</ref>

In 1942, Verdon's parents asked her to marry family friend and tabloid reporter James Henaghan after he got her pregnant at 17 years old, and she quit her dancing career to raise their child.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Julie|last=Miller|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/04/fosse-verdon-bob-gwen-first-husband-baby#~o|title='Fosse/Verdon' Reveals the Sad Secret of Gwen Verdon's First Marriage|magazine=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|publisher=[[Condé Nast]]|location=New York City|date=April 24, 2019|access-date=May 23, 2019}}</ref> In 1945, she appeared as a dancer in the movie musical ''[[Blonde From Brooklyn]]''. After her divorce, she entrusted her son Jimmy to the care of her parents.{{Citation needed |date=April 2024}}