Ann Reinking
{{Short description|American actress, dancer, and choreographer (1949–2020)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ann Reinking
| image = Ann Reinking by Jack Mitchell.jpg
| caption = Reinking photographed by Jack Mitchell in 1981
| imagesize =
| birthname =
| birth_date = {{birth date|mf=y|1949|11|10}}
| birth_place = Seattle, Washington, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|12|12|1949|11|10|mf=y}}
| death_place = Seattle, Washington, U.S.
| resting_place = Paradise Memorial Gardens
| occupation ={{hlist|Actress|singer|dancer|choreographer}}
| spouse = {{plainlist|
- {{marriage|Larry Small
|1970|end=div}} - {{marriage|Herbert Allen Jr.
|1982|1989|end=div}} - {{marriage|James Stuart
|1989|1991|end=div}} - {{marriage|Peter Talbert
|1994}}
}}
| partner = Bob Fosse (1972–1978)
| children = 1
| yearsactive = 1962–2017
}}
Ann Reinking (November 10, 1949{{spnd}}December 12, 2020) was an American dancer, actress, choreographer, and singer. She worked predominantly in musical theater, starring in Broadway productions such as Coco (1969), Over Here! (1974), Goodtime Charley (1975), Chicago (1977), Dancin' (1978), and Sweet Charity (1986).
Reinking won the Tony Award for Best Choreography for her work in the 1996 revival of Chicago, which she choreographed while reprising the role of Roxie Hart. For the 2000 West End production of Fosse, she won the Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer. She also appeared in the films All That Jazz (1979), Annie (1982), and Micki & Maude (1984).
Early life
Ann Reinking was born on November 10, 1949, in Seattle, the daughter of Frances (née Harrison), a homemaker, and Walter Floyd Reinking, a hydraulic engineer.{{Cite web|url=https://www.shspoon.stirsite.com/mrs-frances-reinking.html|title = MRS. Frances Reinking, 1917-1996}} She grew up in Bellevue. As a child, Reinking began ballet lessons, studying with former Ballets Russes dancers Marian and Illaria Ladre in Seattle.{{cite news|last=Berson|first=Mish|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/thearts/2010369452_reinking29.html|title=Dancer Ann Reinking returns to her hometown for kids-theater benefit|work=The Seattle Times|date=November 29, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622061135/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/thearts/2010369452_reinking29.html|archive-date=June 22, 2011}}
Reinking made her professional performing debut at the age of 12 in a production of Giselle with the The Royal Ballet in the United Kingdom.{{cite web |last1=Bahr |first1=Amee |title=When you are born to dance…. |url=https://icsew.wa.gov/2017/07/10/when-you-are-born-to-dance/ |website=Interagency Committee of State Employed Women |language=en |date=July 10, 2017 |access-date=December 15, 2020 |archive-date=October 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026021141/https://icsew.wa.gov/2017/07/10/when-you-are-born-to-dance/ |url-status=live }} While attending middle school and high school, she studied at the San Francisco Ballet during the summers as a part of a scholarship. After graduating from Bellevue High School, she took summer classes offered by the Joffrey Ballet at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.{{cite web|last1=Beers|first1=Carole|date=May 12, 1991|title=Mom's Creation – Frances Reinking – Her Daughter Gets A Kick Out Of Theater, Dance|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19910512&slug=1282708|access-date=December 15, 2020|website=The Seattle Times}}
Career
Reinking moved to New York City at age 18,{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/01/arts/dance-her-career-after-a-career-showing-the-way.html|title=Dance; Her Career-After-a-Career: Showing the Way|work=The New York Times|date=December 1, 2002|first=Kathryn|last=Shattuck|access-date=September 10, 2017|quote=Within months she had landed on Broadway, moving swiftly from the ensemble of Cabaret to Coco and then Pippin...|archive-date=October 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004024216/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/01/arts/dance-her-career-after-a-career-showing-the-way.html|url-status=live}} Note: The Broadway League's Internet Broadway Database (see) does not list her in any role in the 1996–1969 production of Cabaret, including replacement roles. and danced as a member of the corps de ballet at the Radio City Music Hall,{{cite news |last1=Lovece |first1=Frank |title=Fast chat with Broadway legend Ann Reinking |url=https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/theater/ann-reinking-chats-about-fosse-chicago-and-her-move-to-arizona-1.14294335 |work=Newsday |date=September 29, 2017 |language=en |access-date=December 15, 2020 |archive-date=October 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006005741/http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/theater/ann-reinking-chats-about-fosse-chicago-and-her-move-to-arizona-1.14294335 |url-status=live }} performed in the ensemble of the second national tour of Fiddler on the Roof, and at the age of 19 made her Broadway debut in the musical Cabaret. She was a chorus dancer in Coco (1969), Wild and Wonderful (1971), and Pippin (1972).{{cite web |url=http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=15964 |title=Ann Reinking: Performer, Director, Choreographer, Conception |publisher=Internet Broadway Database (The Broadway League) |access-date=September 10, 2017 |archive-date=October 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007041303/http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=15964 |url-status=live }} During Pippin, she came to the attention of the show's director and choreographer Bob Fosse. Reinking became Fosse's protégée and romantic partner, even as Fosse was still legally married to (though separated from) Gwen Verdon at the time.{{cite magazine |last1=Schulman |first1=Michael |title=Ann Reinking on Her Life as Bob Fosse's Muse, Lover, and Friend |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/ann-reinking-on-her-life-as-bob-fosses-muse-lover-and-friend |access-date=December 15, 2020 |magazine=The New Yorker |date=May 28, 2019 |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108012249/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/ann-reinking-on-her-life-as-bob-fosses-muse-lover-and-friend |url-status=live }}
In 1974, Reinking came to critical notice in the role of Maggie in Over Here!, winning a Theatre World Award. She starred as Joan of Arc in Goodtime Charley in 1975, receiving Tony Award and Drama Desk nominations for Best Actress in a Musical. In 1976, she replaced Donna McKechnie as Cassie in A Chorus Line; in 1977, she replaced Verdon in the starring role of Roxie Hart in Chicago, a show directed and choreographed by Fosse. In 1978, she appeared in Fosse's revue Dancin', and received another Tony nomination.[https://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/reinking_a.html "Stars Over Broadway – Ann Reinking"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120124145225/http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/reinking_a.html |date=January 24, 2012 }} pbs.org, retrieved August 28, 2010. In that year, Reinking and Fosse ended their romance and separated when Fosse began dating Julie Hagerty.McMurran, Kristin.[http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20071348,00.html "When Ann Reinking Is Dancin' She Gives 'em Fever – but What a Lovely Way to Burn"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430174646/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20071348,00.html |date=April 30, 2010 }}, people.com, July 24, 1978.{{Cite web |last=Mary |first=Mark |date=November 1979 |title=Fosse has no use for material things |url=https://www.maryellenmark.com/bibliography/magazines/article/life/fosse-has-no-use-for-material-things/L |access-date=August 25, 2024 |website=Mary Ellen Mark}} However, they continued to have a professional, creative collaboration. Fosse's influence on Reinking's work as a choreographer could be seen in her retention of his "dark, jazzlike, fluid body movements."{{cite news |title=Ann Reinking {{!}} The Stars |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/ann-reinking/ |access-date=December 14, 2020 |work=Broadway: The American Musical |publisher=PBS |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001220249/https://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/ann-reinking/ |url-status=live }} In 1979, Reinking appeared in Fosse's semi-autobiographical film All That Jazz as Katie Jagger, a role loosely based on her own life and relationship with Fosse.Kenrick, John.[http://www.musicals101.com/who14.htm "Who's Who: Reinking, Ann"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927164455/http://musicals101.com/who14.htm |date=September 27, 2010 }} musicals101.com; retrieved August 29, 2010. Reinking appeared in two more feature films, as Grace Farrell in Annie (1982) and as Micki Salinger in Micki & Maude (1984).{{cite news|last1=Kilkenny|first1=Katie|date=December 14, 2020|title=Ann Reinking, Tony-Winning 'Chicago' and 'All That Jazz' Star, Dies at 71|work=The Hollywood Reporter|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ann-reinking-tony-winning-chicago-and-all-that-jazz-star-dies-at-71|url-status=live|access-date=December 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215040432/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ann-reinking-tony-winning-chicago-and-all-that-jazz-star-dies-at-71|archive-date=December 15, 2020}} In a 2019 mini-series aired on FX, Fosse/Verdon, Margaret Qualley portrayed Reinking and her relationship with Fosse.{{Cite web|last=Erbland|first=Kate|date=August 28, 2019|title='Fosse/Verdon': Margaret Qualley's Weekly Chats with Ann Reinking Built Her Star Turn|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/08/fosse-verdon-margaret-qualley-ann-reinking-1202168945/|access-date=December 15, 2020|website=IndieWire|language=en}}
In March 1985, Reinking appeared at the 57th Academy Awards to give a mostly lip-synced vocal performance accompanied by a dance routine of the Academy Award-nominated Phil Collins single "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)". The routine was poorly received by critics from the Los Angeles Times and People,{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-03-31-ca-18761-story.html | title=Down The Academy | work=Los Angeles Times | location=Los Angeles | date=March 31, 1985 | access-date=August 9, 2015 | archive-date=October 3, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003182406/http://articles.latimes.com/1985-03-31/entertainment/ca-18761_1_oscar-academy-awards-phil-collins | url-status=live }}{{cite web | url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20091234,00.html | title=Short, Pudgy and Bald, All Phil Collins Produces Is Hits | work=People | first=Roger | last=Wolmuth | date=July 8, 1985 | access-date=August 9, 2015 | archive-date=September 24, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924081636/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20091234,00.html | url-status=live }} as well as by Collins himself in a Rolling Stone interview.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/phil-collins-beats-the-odds-247828/
| title=Phil Collins Beats The Odds | magazine=Rolling Stone | first=Rob | last=Hoerburger | date=May 23, 1985 | access-date=October 2, 2015 | archive-date=November 18, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118222636/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/phil-collins-beats-the-odds-19850523 | url-status=live }} In 1986, she returned to Broadway, replacing Debbie Allen in a successful revival of Fosse's production of Sweet Charity. In 1991, she appeared in her first theater production following the birth of her son, the Broadway National Tour of Bye Bye Birdie, costarring Tommy Tune. Also in 1991, she founded the Broadway Theatre Project, a Florida training program connecting students with seasoned theater professionals including Gwen Verdon, Julie Andrews, Gregory Hines, Ben Vereen, Jeff Goldblum, Terrence Mann, James Naughton, Patrick Wilson and Desmond Richardson.{{Cite web |title=Founder of Broadway project steps aside |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2005/08/13/founder-of-broadway-project-steps-aside/ |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=Tampa Bay Times |language=en}} In 1992, she contributed choreography to Tommy Tune Tonite!, a three-man revue featuring Tune. In 1994,[http://www.btdw.org/feature.html Biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100511054735/http://www.btdw.org/feature.html |date=May 11, 2010 }} Broadway Theater Dance Project, retrieved August 28, 2010. In 1995, she choreographed the ABC television movie version of Bye Bye Birdie.O'Connor, John J.[https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/01/arts/tv-weekend-50-s-revisited-in-new-bye-bye-birdie.html "Review: 50's Revisited in New 'Bye Bye Birdie'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911031054/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/01/arts/tv-weekend-50-s-revisited-in-new-bye-bye-birdie.html |date=September 11, 2017 }}The New York Times, December 1, 1995
Reinking had retired from performing by this time. In 1996, she was asked to create the choreography "in the style of Bob Fosse" for an all-star four-night-only concert staging of Chicago for City Center's annual Encores! Concert Series. When the producers could not obtain a suitable actress for the role of Roxie Hart, Reinking agreed to reprise the role after almost 20 years.[http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/participant.jsp?spid=159836 "Reinking biography"]{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} tcm.com, retrieved August 28, 2010 This concert staging of Chicago was a hit, and a few months later the production (in its concert staging presentation) was produced on Broadway, with the Encores! cast: Reinking, Bebe Neuwirth, Joel Grey, James Naughton, and Marcia Lewis.Brantley, Ben. [http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9A07E1D61F3BF936A25752C1A960958260 "Lively Legacy, A Come-Hither Air"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215030019/https://www.nytimes.com/section/theater?res=9A07E1D61F3BF936A25752C1A960958260 |date=December 15, 2020 }}The New York Times, November 15, 1996 In November 2016, the revival celebrated its 20th year, and as of March 2020, when theaters temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the longest-running American musical on Broadway. The revival of Chicago won numerous Tony Awards, and Reinking won the Tony Award for Best Choreography. She recreated her choreography for the 1997 London transfer of Chicago, which starred Ute Lemper and Ruthie Henshall.{{cite web |url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/lemper-henshall-london-chicago-opens-nov.-18-72162 |work=Playbill.com |title=Lemper and Henshall London Chicago |date=November 17, 1997 |access-date=May 16, 2015 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051618/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/lemper-henshall-london-chicago-opens-nov.-18-72162 |url-status=live }}
In 1998, she co-created, co-directed and co-choreographed the revue Fosse, receiving a Tony Award co-nomination for Best Direction of a Musical.[http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=5798 "'Fosse' listing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126020007/http://ibdb.com/production.php?id=5798 |date=November 26, 2010 }} ibdb.com, retrieved August 28, 2010.Brantley, Ben.[https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/15/movies/theater-review-an-album-of-fosse.html "Theater Review: An Album of Fosse"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918224749/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/15/movies/theater-review-an-album-of-fosse.html |date=September 18, 2017 }}, The New York Times, January 15, 1999. For her work on the West End production of Fosse, Reinking (along with the late Bob Fosse himself) won the 2001 Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer.{{cite web |title=Olivier Winners 2001 |url=https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-2001/ |website=Official London Theatre |access-date=December 15, 2020 |archive-date=March 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312043432/http://www.olivierawards.com/about/previous-winners/view/item98536/Olivier-Winners-2001/ |url-status=live }}
In 2001, she received an honorary doctorate from Florida State University for her contribution to the arts.{{cite web |url=http://americantheatrewing.org/advisors/ann-reinking/ |work=americantheatrewing.org |title=Ann Reinking |access-date=August 23, 2015 |archive-date=September 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912102432/http://americantheatrewing.org/advisors/ann-reinking/ |url-status=live }} Reinking served as a judge of annual New York City public school dance competitions for inner-city youth, and appeared in Mad Hot Ballroom, the 2005 documentary film about the competition. In 2011, Reinking collaborated with composer Bruce Wolosoff and Thodos Dance Chicago to create the ballet The Devil in the White City, based on the novel of the same name by Erik Larsen; the Chicago Sun-Times named it "Best Dance of 2011."{{Cite news|last=Weiss|first=Hedy|date=December 22, 2011|title="11 for '11: The year's best dance"|work=Chicago Sun-Times}}{{cite web | url=https://www.timeout.com/chicago/dance/thodos-dance-chicago-rebuilds-the-white-city | title=Thodos Dance Chicago rebuilds the White City | date=March 2011 }} Reinking again collaborated with Wolosoff in 2013 to create A Light in the Dark, a ballet inspired by the lives of Helen Keller and Ann Sullivan, which was nominated for a Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award in Outstanding Achievement for Arts/Entertainment Programming.{{Cite web|date=2014-10-01|title=Multiple Emmy nods go to non-TV station companies|url=https://reelchicago.com/article/multiple-emmy-nods-go-non-tv-station-companies141001/|access-date=2020-12-29|website={{!}} Reel Chicago - At the intersection of Chicago Advertising, Entertainment, Media and Production|language=en-US}} In 2012, she contributed choreography for the Broadway production of An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin. She served as a member of the advising committee for the American Theatre Wing.{{cite web |title=Advisor: Ann Reinking |url=https://americantheatrewing.org/advisors/ann-reinking/ |website=The American Theatre Wing |access-date=December 15, 2020 |archive-date=November 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127105742/https://americantheatrewing.org/advisors/ann-reinking/ |url-status=live }}
Personal life
Reinking married four times. She was first married on March 19, 1972, to Broadway actor Larry Small, whom she divorced the same year.{{Cite web|title=3 Apr 1972, 56 – Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com|url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/377257991/?terms=%22ann%20reinking%22%20%22larry%20small%22&match=1|access-date=December 15, 2020|website=Newspapers.com|language=en|archive-date=December 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215040408/https://www.newspapers.com/image/377257991/?terms=%22ann+reinking%22+%22larry+small%22&match=1|url-status=live}} Reinking was married to investment banker Herbert Allen Jr. from 1982 to 1989. In 1989, she married businessman James Stuart, with whom she had a son, Christopher, before their divorce in 1991. Reinking married sportswriter Peter Talbert in 1994.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/10/theater/two-decades-later-just-right-for-the-role.html|title=Two Decades Later, Just Right for the Role|first=Nancy|last=Hass|work=The New York Times|date=November 10, 1996|access-date=September 10, 2017|quote=Two years ago, she married Peter Talbert, a sportswriter whose father is former tennis champion Bill Talbert.|archive-date=September 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910223911/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/10/theater/two-decades-later-just-right-for-the-role.html}}
Reinking retired in 2017 and lived in Paradise Valley, Arizona.{{cite news|url= http://azcentral.com/story/entertainment/arts/2017/02/10/ann-reinking-thodos-dance-chicago/97720462/|access-date= July 25, 2018|title= Broadway darling Ann Reinking makes the most of her Arizona retirement|date= February 10, 2017|first= Kerry|last= Lengel|work= Arizona Republic|archive-date= December 15, 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201215030023/https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/arts/2017/02/10/ann-reinking-thodos-dance-chicago/97720462/|url-status= live}}
Reinking's son has Marfan syndrome, and Reinking worked with the Marfan Foundation, which is dedicated to raising awareness of the disease. She produced the 2009 documentary In My Hands: A Story of Marfan Syndrome.{{cite web|url=http://www.marfan.org/marfan/4004/In-My-Hands-Documentary|title=In My Hands: A Story of Marfan Syndrome|publisher=Marfan Foundation|access-date=August 28, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091115114557/http://www.marfan.org/marfan/4004/In-My-Hands-Documentary|archive-date=November 15, 2009|url-status=dead}}
Death
Reinking died in her sleep at a hotel in Seattle, Washington, on December 12, 2020, at the age of 71, while on a visit to her family in the area.{{Cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/15/us/ann-reinking-broadway-star-death/index.html|title = Ann Reinking, Broadway star who played Roxie Hart in 'Chicago,' dies at 71}}{{cite news |last1=Countryman |first1=Eli |title=Ann Reinking, Tony Winner and Star of Broadway's 'Chicago,' Dies at 71 |url=https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/ann-reinking-dead-chicago-1234853416/ |work=Variety |date=December 14, 2020 |access-date=December 14, 2020 |archive-date=December 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215030035/https://variety.com/2020/legit/news/ann-reinking-dead-chicago-1234853416/ |url-status=live }} She is interred at the Paradise Memorial Gardens in Scottsdale, Arizona.{{Citation needed |date=April 2023}}
Upon her death, the lobby of the Ambassador Theatre, home of the current revival of Chicago, installed an "In Memoriam" poster of her in costume as Roxie Hart from the 1996 opening cast.{{Citation needed |date=March 2023}}
Following her death, students of Reinking's Broadway Theatre Project produced a documentary in her honor called The Joy is in the Work.{{Cite web |last=Rabinowitz |first=Chloe |title=New Documentary About Ann Reinking THE JOY IS IN THE WORK to Debut on YouTube |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/New-Documentary-About-Ann-Reinking-THE-JOY-IS-IN-THE-WORK-to-Debut-on-YouTube-20210514 |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=BroadwayWorld.com |language=en}}
Credits
Awards
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Ann Reinking}}
- {{IBDB name}}
- {{Iobdb name|15744|Ann Reinking}}
- {{playbill person}}
- {{IMDb name|718237}}
;Audio/video
- {{cite web|url=http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/ann-reinking-gary-chryst |title=Ann Reinking & Gary Chryst: Big Noise from Winnetka |publisher=Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival|date=June 21, 1987|access-date= September 10, 2017}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Ann Reinking
|list =
{{DramaDesk Choreography 1976–2000}}
{{HelpmannAward ChoreographyMusical 2001-2020}}
{{OlivierAward Choreographer 2001–2025}}
{{TonyAward Choreography 1976-2000}}
}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Reinking, Ann}}
Category:20th-century American actresses
Category:Actresses from Seattle
Category:American female dancers
Category:American film actresses
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Category:American ballet choreographers
Category:Dancers from Washington (state)
Category:Drama Desk Award winners
Category:Helpmann Award winners
Category:Laurence Olivier Award winners
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Category:People from Bellevue, Washington