Gwen Verdon: Gwen Verdon. Actress: Cocoon. Gwen Verdon was born to the theater. Her mother, Gertrude, was a vaudevillian and dancer. Her father, Joseph, was an MGM studio electrician. She had to wear corrective boots as a child to straighten out her legs, which were misshapen by childhood illness. Nonetheless, she first appeared as a tapper on stage at age 6. She got her break in Bob Fosse's "Damn Yankees" in 1955....
Known For: Cocoon (Bess McCarthy), Marvin's Room (Ruth), Damn Yankees (Lola), Magnum, P.I. (Katherine Peterson)